Another Dimension: Maya - Moom Walk Cycle

The finalization of this brief came along with a simple yet complex exercise of manipulating a pre-rigged 3D character in a walk cycle: simple because it is based on a template, complex because it requires an understanding of body dynamics. All in all, the tutorials were very coherent and clear to that extent that I carried on doing the cycle without following the instructions after I saw how keyframes are to be made - or perhaps this has to do with the logical embrace of Maya's interface. However, I found it kinda cumbersome to have to set keys every time I move some of Moom's limbs; they did not set themselves alone although the automatic set key toggle was on. Initially, I started only doing the walk cycle by looking at Moom solely from the profile, making the front look a bit mechanical since hips do move in a walk cycle, as well. This was something that directly reflected to the world of 2D animation - if it's a profile walk and it looks good, the front cannot be altered or imputed and is therefore irrelevant as long as the illusion of movement is solid and carried through. With careful consideration afterwards, I went back to every keyframe and modified the position of Moom's hips just to make the movement more realistic. I also stumbled in a dilemma where I had one extra keyframe on the 8th frame by accident which did not cause an issue in the long run, however was very bothersome in terms of positioning as I didn't know how to delete it and just went on altering it as if it were a frame. Although this was the case, I noticed that due to the leaning back on the last frame the cycle does not perfectly loop as it has a choppy frame - a mistake I made and think about next time. Nevertheless, the reference that we were instructed to use (something I've been referencing time and time again) was perfect even for 3D, meaning that Richard Williams grasped the art of movement even in 2D. Due to the lack of videos displayed on Maya, I consulted the all-knowing internet on how to smooth out the movement by adding automatically generated in-betweens based on the existing keyframes and had no trouble figuring it out; again, Maya is very pragmatic and logical which is something I am fond of in software. Overall, although this is our last assigned task, and although I am STILL not that fond of 3D as I am of 2D and stop-motion, the more I know the merrier for I can intertwine different techniques into a final piece. In other words, it's good to know the basics for if I ever have the need to utilize it again it won't be a whole new journey, but an already ice-cracked continuation of something I've gotten comfortable with.

A Tale In The Sting: Finished Project

The animation has been finished. Overall, I must say, I am exceptionally satisfied with it as it managed to fool almost all of the people I sent it to into thinking that there IS going to be an actual movie for it whereas this is only the title sequence. However, I created two versions of the same animation, one which is 34 seconds long with an extended finish and display of end title, and the 30 seconds one - fit for the submission of the module. The reason I did this was because the 34 seconds one was appealing as well hence the title perfectly sits in the last third of the screen right after the island fades away, creating a dramatic finish. Nevertheless, one must work within the boundaries of their commission leader, as is the practice of this module. I never expected post-2D animation to turn out so well in stop-motion within my abilities and skills, but I am so compelled that I tried and managed to break the ice; I'll be using this technique for future animations to come.


"Waiting for Godot" - https://vimeo.com/164992507

A Tale In The Sting: Sound Effects and Ambient Music

After the final piece of animation has been done, post-production enters stage right. As the final step in producing a piece, this is one of my personal favorite procedures since this is where an animator gets to see his/her piece blossom by adding the spirit to the movement - sound effects and ambient music. With the animation already optimized at 30 seconds, composition was not an issue I was supposed to handle. For the background music I chose an ambient piece from freesound.org and blended it with a drone tibetian throat singing choir, played only during the creatures' presence to overtone their omnipotence. Although not noticeable, the choir is heard coherently only when attention is paid to it, otherwise it serves as a filler. As for the sound effects, I positioned them based on frame exposure so that they sync perfectly as without synchronization the illusion of professionality will be lost. Having said that, although I had to meticulously align the sounds, I had to put the titles to finalize the title sequence - it is what makes it a title sequence. The only self-crafted sounds were the voices of Vladimir and Estragon which are just miscellaneous iterations and Estragon's opening line "nothing to do here". Due to my planned-out angles of the camera whilst animating, there was enough space around the shot to effectively position the text in correspondence to the conventions of the rule of thirds. I tried to make the whole sequence appear as a take on an obscure indie-style movie adaptation of Waiting for Godot, and I do believe (after our lectures on type faces and fonts and their tone) that with the font I used I mimicked the atmosphere of noire French existentialist movies - amateur ones, which adds to the aesthetic. As for the names, I used friends' names (with their permission) as mock actors instead of actual actors' names - adds to the indie aesthetic. Initially, I tried introducing the titles without fade-in and fade-out, but found out that that broke the flow of the animation making it seem less like a title sequence, which purged me into adding fade effects to both the text and the animation
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