Final Film

I wish I had given myself more time to polish the animation. The beginning is still quite floaty and abrupt in places.

However I think that I managed to make my scene clear. The people I showed my final animation to all understood what was happening. I really enjoyed playing with, and contrasting different mannerisms and postures.

I was warned at the beginning not to try and fit too much into my scene, and so I was careful to plan with my references and blocking and make sure that it all fit within 30 seconds. However if I could do it again I would choose a much shorter sequence and make sure I left ample space for reactions and thinking time. 

Life Drawings and sketches

Animation Development

Once I had my scene blocked out I showed it to as many people as possible in order to make sure that it was clear what was happening, as well as get other feedback. I only told them that it was a mime scene, not what he was supposed to be doing. and asked them to tell me what they thought was happening. Everyone seemed to follow the shooting and getting shot parts, however some people didn't understand that it was a tiara he picks up.  

In order to make it more clear I will show him running his hands over the object so that you can see its round, and I will change the grip so that he lifts it from underneath. I could also show him blinking exaggeratedly to show how sparkly it is.  

I also thought that it might be the abrupt change from reacting to the music stopping, to taking on a new persona that was difficult for people to follow. So I was thinking of showing him tapping the stereo, before giving up and being a princess instead. However I am already a little over the allotted time for the scene, so I would have to try and cut it down before adding more in.  

Digital Tutors tutorial

http://www.digitaltutors.com/tutorial/1012-Animation-Polishing-Techniques-in-Maya#play-23700

I remembered this Digital tutors animation tutorial which depicts a werewolf getting shot and flying through the air. I watched it again before blocking my mime pretending to be shot. The tutorial talks mostly about getting strong poses and good arcs, but also has some tips on moving holds and getting the impact looking right, which I found useful.

First critique session

In our first critique session, I showed the blocking I had done so far. I was advised to set the scene a little at the beginning by showing the Mime getting ready to practice. In order to make room for this in the allotted time I have, I had to cut out some of the "overacting" I was going to have him do as he pretended to be shot.

Setting up The Scene

Initially I was going to have the mime using various imaginary props, but having them visible in the mirror. However I felt that it would be "cheating" in a way, and that I would probably learn more from trying to have the viewers interpreted what he was doing trough a true mime. However will still use rudimentary shapes as proxy's so that i could keep track of where he is  shooting, and so that his hands will remain constant around the shape of the tiara when he picks it up.  

I have kept the set deliberately simple in order to avoid distraction, but did add in some speakers so that it would be clear to the viewer, that the music is part of his performance, and it isn't simply atmospheric.
(Speakers a free download from http://tf3dm.com/3d-model/stereo-speakers-v10-13099.html)

I also quickly put together a Mime make-up texture 

Initial ideas, Planning, Character Bios

Mime Scene Initial ideas and Planning 

I considered several ideas for this scene. Firstly, I was thinking of having the mime acting out a scene in which he is pushing his umbrella against very strong winds. Whilst this would have been a good exercise in showing weight, I wanted a shot with more "acting" than "action".  

Next I toyed with the idea of showing a Mime coming backstage after their performance and shedding their persona. I liked this idea of slipping out of character, but felt that the scene lacked energy and purpose as the character simply relaxed after a performance.  

In the end I took the idea of showing dual personas and chose to set my scene around a mime searching for inspiration. I would like to show him picking up various props and slipping into corresponding characters. For example acting like and old man, when he puts on some glasses, and then a soldier or fashionista.   

I decided on this scene because it had so many possibility's in terms of characters and props. I also really like the idea of exploring the different body language and mannerisms that make people unique, within the same character.    

I have organized some of my character ideas into a list. As I want them to contrast each other, I have placed the ones that are too similar together, and will only pick one of that group to use in the final animation.  

Princess/Diva/ Fashionista/Film Star 

Soldier/ Policeman 

Sophisticated/snooty Gentleman 

Grumpy Old man 

Cowboy/ Pirate 

Gangster/ 50s "cool guy" 

Boxer  

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Mime Character Summary- 

A 22 year old acting student 

Is looking for inspiration for a mime act he has been given at university.   

In the prop cupboard at drama school/ his parents attic 

energetic, happy, childish, stubborn, a little spoilt. 

center of gravity high in chest 
right handed

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Although it's usually a good idea to avoid cilices, want my mime to be very clear to the viewer. Therefore each character that the Mime becomes whilst using the props will be very stereotypical.  

Now that I have narrowed down what characters he  will be, I have made some mini-bios for each of them as well.  

cowboy- 

young, trying to prove he is tough and manly  

practicing drawing his weapon 

center of gravity in hips 

mid to slow body tempo 

Princess- 

Center of gravity center of chest

impeccable posture 

dainty mannerisms 

vain, acts extra coy and girly for attention. 

At the end of the scene i would like it 

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I have allot of ideas and only 30 seconds for my scene, so I will have to narrow down what I want to use after shooting my reference footage.  

Planning and References

After the green screen session, i had a much better idea of what i wanted to do with my scene. At first I wanted to mimic the iconic cinematography from the standoff in "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly", specifically the closeups on the hands and faces. However this approach is all about taking time to build the tension, and I only have 30 seconds for this shot, So eventually I decided to just keep the camera still.

As well as acting out the scene repeatedly, i sketched out the changes in body language and posture that would happen throughout, and made notes.

Rescuers Down Under- Clip Critique

I decided to look at some really well animated silent characters, in order to better inform the way I approach my mime scene.

The clip I chose if from Disneys “Rescuers Down Under” in which Joanna the pet lizard is attempting to get her hands on the eggs her master is cooking. I have always loved this scene, the comic timing is flawless and every pose and expression is so clear and easy to read. While there is dialogue in this scene the monologue has almost nothing to do with what is happening on screen. It’s a lovely example of showing what the characters are thinking, despite what is being said.

Whilst this part is entirely unrealistic (both in Joanna holding an egg with her tongue, and the fact that he would definitely see it) But It still works. Weather because the expressions and situation are funny enough that you don’t care, or simply because they pushed the animation beyond realism so that the poses are clear to the viewer, im not sure.

I think Ed Hooks theory of “Willing suspension of disbelief” explains it. Since this character is a pet lizard that acts like a dog, but can understand her masters orders; the audience are already in a frame of mind to temporarily forget the laws of physics in the name of entertainment.  

Acting and the face Talk

Tips from "Ultimate guide to Animation"

Andrew Gordon
1. Planning, is as important as the Animation process itself.
2. You character doesn't always need to be moving. Hold poses and act within that pose.
3. Avoid cliches gestures. Try to find something more fresh and natural.
4. When polishing splines, try to group them together, ie. root, spine, neck head.

Dave Pimantel (head of story at Dreamworks)
"Allow your characters to really believe in their story and react to it in a way only they would. Let your audiences see their choices on screen and the effects of those choices."

Applying the tip form "Drawn to life" by Walt Stanchfield to "draw verbs not nouns" I could implement this into my planning process, by assigning a verbs to each of my key poses. This ties in with another tip from Digital Tutors to animate the whole motion, not just a series of poses.

"Animators survivl kit" by Richard Williams
One mistake allot of animators make when starting out, is to try and cram too much into too short a time. The remedy he suggested is simple to "go twice as slow".

Kenny Roy

Ed Hooks Acting for Animators Workshop

Allot of the material in the talk, I had already read in his book. However it was still a very informative and inspiring day. Form my notes I have compiled a checklist of sorts, to help me "ask the right questions" when planning an animation.  

"How are we all the same?"  

A good performance = Engaging Empathy 

People only empathize with emotions (not situations)  

Aim for empathy NOT sympathy. (If a character is too pathetic and just rolls over, the audience will no longer identify with them.)  

"Who is your audience?" 

This should impact geatly on how you approach your performance.  

"What is your character doing?"  

You should be able to stop your animation at any frame and answer this question clearly. 

ACTION in pursuit of an OBJECTIVE, whilst overcoming an OBSTICLE.  

"Where is the conflict?" 

Conflict can be with another character, yourself, or the situation. Theatrical reality must have some source of conflict. Good storytelling also involves at least one "adrenalyn moment", something the character will remember when they are 80.  

"What happened before? What going to happen?" 

Scenes begin in the middle.  

"Would the character do that?"  

Don't just put something in there because it’s a nice pose or you think its funny. Think logically about the characters behavior. 

Rendering Tips form Digital Tutors

As rendering is the last job, I sometimes leave it as an after thought and keep working on the animation itself until the last possible second. While that is the focus of the shot, I am aware that a nicer render would frame my work better. So I looked up a few tips on better Rendering.

http://blog.digitaltutors.com/5-rendering-tips-animators-adding-final-touches-demo-reel/

1. Use motion blur, but very sparingly, and don't rely on it to fix problems in your shot.
(also when using motion blur you must be sure that your curves are smooth, otherwise it can appear glitchey)

2. Use lighting that will enhance the mood of your scene.

"Use Image Based Lighting if you have a body mechanics shot that doesn’t require background elements or any set pieces, like a walk cycle, you can utilize a simple image based light setup to achieve a good looking render in a very short amount of time. While it may not be a photorealistic result, it can still be a lot better than the simple playblast or animation preview.
In order to get a good result, try utilizing a simple ramp as your background image and choose two colors that complement each other. This will provide a nice, even light distribution for your shot. Once you are happy with that, you can incorporate final gather to increase the render quality. Doing this provides a nice render with a soft background color, and each frame can be rendered in just a few seconds rather than a few minutes if you were to try a more complex light source.
As mentioned above, this image based lighting technique is great for body mechanics shots because it won’t cast any deep shadows and will provide an even light source."

3. Don't over complicate things, the focus is still on your animation so don't spend days rendering.

4. Set up Render passes

5. Render as an image sequence.
I always do this because that the way i was taught, but I didn't actually know why it was better. (if you render as a movie file and something goes wrong, you can end up loosing the whole thing, rather than just afew frames.)

Mime research and Ideas

Strange little story, but Martin Freeman is a terrific actor, so its a good reference even just for facial reactions.





I really like the idea of showing a mime argument or fight. However that may be a little too ambitious for the time i have, so it would probably be best to just have the one character animated really well. But i could still show the character getting angryer with an object throughout the scene. 
................................................................................................................................................................
these first few examples were of mimes in storys and how then can bve used in storytelling. Next i will look at examples of really good mime performances., 

Boris Amarantov-

I had never heard of him before but hes brilliant!

charly chaplin
buster keaton
Harpo Marx





I really like the idea of showing an object acting in a way that it shouldn't. ie. a really heavy balloon, or something trying to escape. this could easily be done by replacing the balloon with a bowling ball for example in the references.