Character Animation 2: Pantomime Animation

Of all the classes I've taken over the last year at Full Sail, Character Animation 2 is by far the best class I've been able to take! As the name suggests, this class is all about animating a character to create believable movements and expressions. Along with this, we also needed to create pre-pro sketches/storyboards (as with any animation), as well as a character back story to help us understand the character more easily.

This particular project was to create an animation showing a change of expression while completing a task. I decided to take the task of receiving a box. From the start, I wanted to show excitement to shock, which I achieved by implying the misfortune of the animal in the box he's carrying.

I started out by sketching out my ideas into simple storyboards and exploratory sketches that would be the basis of my animation.

 Some of the sketches used for the final shot

As an animator, sometimes it's easier to film yourself for particular movements, and base you work off of that. Well that's exactly what I did! By filming myself, it was a lot easier for me to visualize exactly what I was trying do, and I believe it really aided in my final shot. And yes, it was embarrassing, but that's what being an animator is all about!

Shots of me acting out my storyboards for better reference

 Now that I had enough reference, I began working in Maya for the final shot. I worked a lot with camera posing, character staging, acting, and faces to complete this animation. My work flow starts with blocking out all the main poses in Stepped animation, as well as adding anticipations and moving holds to create more realism. Once everything is all set up properly, I switch into Auto animation, which allows me to create smooth movements. After fixing up any poses, I move to secondary action in the arms, as well as appendages like the character's antennae and tail. Finally, I animate the facial expressions to the character.

I'm more than happy with the result of this animation! Two weeks worth of work on top of another class and a month long art test, I couldn't be happier with the final shot. Though I feel like there is I could have done to improve the overall quality, I am very pleased with the work I put in and look forward to the next project!

- Drew