Donatella's 3D Computer Animation Blog
My 3D Computer Animation Progress

Month: October 2023

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7.12 Week 12 FMP FMP & Thesis

Week 12: Facial Animation

Introduction

This week, my blog entry will be about blink animations, as it was not the first time I struggled with these types of movements.

Blink Reference

I used The Animator’s Survival Kit to learn the simple formula on how to approach blink animations. In the past, I struggled with blink animations as the spacing I implemented was way off.

Blink Animation (Reference: Animator’s Survival Kit)

Blink Animation

In order to animate the blink, I first focused on the spacing of the eyes. After animating them, I also worked on the movement of the eyebrows. In order to make the sequence smoother, I animated as well the cheeks, as well as the nose.

Studio Library

The Importance of Studio Library

After working on the blink animation, I stored it into my Studio Library, and it was ready to use in the rest of the scenes.

Critical Reflection

Using Studio Library, for instance, for blink animations is extremely efficient as it is an animation that I need to include in every shot.

Furthermore, when it comes to blink animations, I learned that I do not only have to focus on the closing and opening of the eyes. In this sense, by animating the eyebrows, cheeks and the nose I am giving the character a smoother facial expression.

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6.13 Week 13 FMP & Thesis Thesis

Week 13: Working with Academic Support

Introduction

I decided to schedule regular academic support tutorials in order to edit and improve my thesis writing as I would like to receive feedback from an English native speaker. Even though I am confident with the analysis I made of Tim Burton’s character design, I am looking forward to sharing my progress and findings with a tutor during summer time.

Arranging Regular Meetings with Academic Support

In order to arrange the meetings, I used UAL’s website to schedule several one-to-one tutorials with academic support lecturer Sarah Macdonald, who has already helped me during the first term with my critical report and gave us some lectures on paraphrasing and referencing.

Academic Support Tutorials

The aim of my tutorials is to:

  • Paraphrase and improve my thesis writing.
  • Clarify some questions regarding the Harvard Referencing Style.
  • Share my progress whilst receiving feedback on my analysis.

Bibliography

University of the Arts London (2023). Academic Support Online. Workshops & Tutorials.  Available at : https://academicsupportonline.arts.ac.uk/workshops-tutorials (Accessed: 7 September 2023).

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7.11 Week 11 FMP FMP & Thesis

Week 11: Animation Process (PART 4)

Introduction

This week, I focused on the C-Shots of my animations. Even though they are short animations, it is always highly advisable to get feedback to create smoother movements.

Bat Dropping Gun

Feedback V01

I should rearrange the position of the arm and center it more towards the viewport of the camera.

I should also pay attention to adding moving holds, as the wrist of the character seems stuck.

Hand

Feedback V01

Even though the general animation of the hand coming out of the ground was acceptable, I need to add more overlap in the fingers and adjust the spacing of the forearm.

Stolen Pumpkin

Feedback V01

In this animation, I should improve the timing of the camera and come to a stop quicker.

In this sense, the skeleton hands can come in sooner into the scene and I can add a moving hold when they are gabbing the pumpkin.

Feedback V02

After adjusting the timing of the camera animation, the only suggestion I received was to create a snappier movement of the hands when they are leaving off screen.

Critical Reflection

Even though the animations were not as difficult as the previous ones I worked on, I learned that:

  • I need to make sure to add moving holds and avoid the body parts feeling stuck on screen.
  • Even though animating fingers can be tricky, I need to make sure to add overlap in the different finger parts.
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6.12 Week 12 FMP & Thesis Thesis

Week 12: Analyzing Tim Burton’s Character Design

Introduction

In order to conduct my study, I analyzed the character design of the following movies: Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994), Corpse Bride (2005), and Frankenweenie (2012).

Data Collection Tool

In order to gather information, I developed a data collection tool which focuses on the following two major aspects: the character construction and the emotional connection between the audience and the character through both character identification and character engagement. Having said that, what follows next is a brief outline of what I analyzed in each section.

Character Construction

  • The grotesque and the uncanny portrayed in the character design.

Emotional Connection Through Character Identification

  • Connection on a Surface Level between the character and the audience (through physical appearance, gender and sexuality, race or ethnicity)
  • Connection on a Deeper Level between the character and the audience (through personal backstory, embodied experience)

Emotional Connection Through Character Engagement

  • Levels of Sympathy towards the character (through recognition, alignment, allegiance)
  • Levels of Empathy (through emotional simulation, affective mimicry)

Gathering Data from Tim Burton’s movies

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6.11 Week 11 FMP & Thesis Thesis

Week 11: Data Collection Tool

Introduction

I developed a data collection tool with two focal points: Tim Burton’s character construction — focusing on the portrayal of the grotesque and the uncanny — and the emotional connection between the characters and the audience through character identification and engagement — expanding on Shaw’s findings on character identification and Smith’s structure of sympathy.

Data Collection Tool

Data Collection Tool

Whereas the aim of the first section is to determine how Tim Burton makes use of the grotesque and the uncanny in the characterization of the protagonists, the second section focuses on how the levels of identification and engagement can influence the emotional connection and response the spectator feels towards the character.

Conclusion

The data collection tool I have developed for this study —  which uses triangulation as a validity procedure — can be used in the future by the animation community as a guideline to examine the remaining characters in terms of levels of identification and character engagement through empathy and sympathy.

Bibliography

Shaw, A. (2015) Gaming at the Edge. Sexuality and Gender at the Margins of Gamer Culture. London: University of Minnesota Press.

Smith, M. (1995) Engaging Characters. Fiction, Emotion, and the Cinema. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

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7.10 Week 10 FMP FMP & Thesis

Week 10: Animation Process (PART 3)

Introduction

This week, I mainly focused on the animation of Skullchaser’s jumping and landing sequences.

Jumping Off Cliff

Feedback V01

I should definitely improve and clear the sillhuetes of the hands. In addition, many of the arm movements seem very stiff.

Furthermore, I should also adjust the position where the character jumps off screen.

Skullchaser Lands on Floor

Feedback V01

This sequence is definitely too quick, so I need to add more frames when the character lands on the floor and starts running.

I need to improve as well the body movements when the character is landing on the floor.

Feedback V02

After adding some frames to the shot, the timing seems much better.

One of the major difficulties I had was that I delayed as well the movement of the camera. However, this affected negatively on the view of Skullchaser’s poses, so I need to make sure that I always animate according to the camera.

Turns Around and Aims at Bats

Feedback V01

Even though the key poses seem fine, I need to work more on the dragging of the arms and bend the arms a little bit more.

I should also focus on delaying the rotation of the head, as the body is leading the action.

Lifting Pumpkin

Feedback V01

I should focus on improving the arc of the pumpkin. Rather than translating it in a straight line, I should try getting a curved path.

On the other hand, I should adjust the position of the hands and constrain them to the pumpkin in order to avoid clipping moments.

Critical Reflection

The feedback session I received this week was truly beneficial as it helps me to understand the following:

  • Sometimes it is useful to retime your animation by adding more frames to clearly showcase the movement of the character.
  • I should animate according to the movement of the camera, as it can affect the keyposes of the character.
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6.10 Week 10 FMP & Thesis Thesis

Week 10: Triangulation as a Validity Procedure

Introduction

After understanding the importance of validity procedures in qualitative research, I finally found which one I would like to apply to my paper.

Triangulation

Triangulation is a validity procedure where researchers search for convergence among multiple and different sources of information to form themes or categories in a study’ (Creswell, J. K. and Miller, D. L., 2000, p. 126). In other words, the researcher uses a variety of methods and sources to analyze a phenomenon.

Given the fact that my research question implies analyzing emotional triggers in order to understand the bonding between Tim Burton’s characters and the audience, I decided to use triangulation as my validity procedure as I will combine different research approaches to create my own data recollection tool. I expanded Murray Smith’s ‘structure of sympathy’  with Shaw’s findings on ‘character identification’ as it enables me to critically analyze and break down the emotional connection of the viewer and a fictional character.

Conclusion

Having defined that I am going to use triangulation as a validation procedure for my study was essential in that my study will not be conducted in a subjective manner. Instead, I will include different approaches that analyze the emotional engagement between the audience and characters in a systematic approach.

Bibliography

Creswell, J. W. and Miller, D. L. (2000) Determining Validity in Qualitative Inquiry. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/1477543 (Accessed 8 August 2023).  

Wax, M. L. (1995) ‘Knowledge, Power, and Ethics in Qualitative Social Research’, The American Sociologist, Vol. 26, No. 2, Part II: Sociology, Law, and Ethics, pp. 22-34. Available at: https://www.jstor.org/stable/27698724 (Accessed: 8 August 2023).

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7.9 Week 9 FMP FMP & Thesis

Week 9: Animation Process (PART 2)

Introduction

This week, I mainly focused on the shooting sequences of the character.

Skullchaser Shooting

Feedback V01

In my first attempt, I failed to properly animate the movement of the arm shooting the gun.

In other words, the recoil that should affect the arm after the shot is not visible to the audience.

In addition, I also feel that I added to many hits on the gun when it gets stuck.

Feedback V02

In this second draft, the animation of the arm is looking way better, as we can now feel the shots of the gun.

However, I should track the arc of the gun using as a reference the red dots.

Furthermore, now the hits on the gun seem more clearer.

Skullchaser Kills the Final Bat

Skullchaser Aims at the Floor

Feedback V01

I need to work on the animation of the back arm as it seems pretty stuck.

On the other hand, I should also focus on bending more the arm that is holding the gun.

Gun Shot Close Up

Feedback V01

This shot is very short and is not one of the most significant ones. For this reason, the animation was acceptable and the only suggestion I got was to try to blink one eye when the character points at the bat.

Critical Reflection

To me, shooting animations were extremely challenging since it was confusing to understand what part of the arm is moving first (arm, forearm, wrist). However, the draw overs gave me a clearer understanding on how to animate the shots and I also received valuable feedback which I will try to implement in future animations:

  • Bend slightly the arms and legs, rather than positioning them in a straight line.
  • Blinks are extremely helpful to change from one pose into another one.
  • Focusing on certain shapes (such as the nose or dots) are extremely helpful to track the arcs.