Category: Project 1

Week 10: Previs-Shots – Final Draft

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 16th March 2023
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Introduction

This week, I worked on my final draft of my previs-shots for my Skullchaser animation. I am looking forward to using these preproduction videos as a reference for my final major animation project.

Previs-Shots

Part 1: Establishing Shot

My establishing shot consists of introducing the Halloween Town, its buildings and decorations.

By including some camera rotations, the animation seems to be more dynamic and playful.

Part 2: Character Intro

In this part, I used a Batman inspired Pumpkin signal to convey the idea that Skullchaser needs to find the stolen pumpkin to restore peace in Halloween Town.

Furthermore, I will also design a logo to introduce the character.

Part 3: Shooting & Running Sequence

The reference videos I recorded in the past weeks were crucial to create my running and shooting sequence.

In this part of the animation, Skullchaser faces some enemies and obstacles before finding the stolen pumpkin.

Part 4: Final Sequence

Skullchaser saves Halloween by finding the stolen pumpkin.

I included a low-angle shot to portray the idea that Skullchaser is strong and the hero of Halloween Town.

In addition, the character blinks an eye to communicate his self confidence in solving the case.

Further Comments

Learning how to create previs-shots was essential to understand the preproduction process of any animation. They are crucial to not only save resources but also time before working on the animation itself, as they give a rough overview of how the film is going to be structured.

3.10 Week 10 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 10: Mechanical Arm – Final Renders

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 14th March 2023
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Introduction

For this week, I focused on creating the final animated renders of my mechanical arm showcasing the details that I have modeled.

Animation Renders and Close-Ups

Mechanical Arm Animation

As opposed to character rigs, I wanted the mechanical arm to make robotic movements. For this reason, each part of the model moves in a sequential way.

Mechanical Arm Animation

Finger Animation

In the following animation, we can the flexion and extension of the fingers. In addition, we can appreciate in more detail the pads on the palm of the hand.

Mechanical Arm – Hand Close-Up

Elbow Animation

The following close-up showcases the details on the elbow and the screws that connect the different parts of the mechanical arm. Furthermore, in this render we can appreciate the variety of metallic materials in different colors.

Mechanical Arm – Elbow Close-Up

Final Thoughts

Over the past weeks, we have learned extremely useful tools and shortcuts to create our 3D models efficiently in Autodesk Maya. The main features I learned in this term are how to:

Extrude, bevel and insert edge loops to our surfaces.
Change, center and snap the pivot point to different vertex points.
Create locators and use parent and aim constraints on our models.
Use shortcuts to isolate selections and zoom in on a object.
Name our layers and control the hierarchy in an organized way.

We also got an overview of the compositing workflow and had the opportunity of filming a footage using a green screen sleeve. Even though my video edit did not turn out as I had expected, since the size of the mechanical arm and my actual arm were out of proportion, I enjoyed going through our modelling, rigging, animation and post-production process.

Even though at this point of my professional journey I would like to focus on character animation, getting an overview on some modelling skills is essential in that I can customize character rigs and props I use on my animations.

3.9 Week 9 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 9: Shooting & Running Sequence

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 9th March 2023
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Introduction

This week, I worked specifically on Skullchaser’s shooting and running sequence. I used the storyboard and reference videos I recorded last week to create my previs-shots.

Previs-Shots (Shooting & Running Sequence)

Shooting Sequence

The transitions of my running and shooting sequence are now clearer than my previous versions.

However, what I would like to polish for next week, are the rotations and movements of the rig itself as the controllers are not working as they should.

Process Breakdown

In order to create my previs-shots, I used my reference videos to help me pose the Skullchaser rig. On the left, there are some pictures of my previs-shots and on the right some shots of my reference videos.

Running Away from Bats

Aiming at Bats

Dropping the Pistol

Jumping off the Cliff

3.9 Week 9 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 9: Mechanical Arm Compositing

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 9th March 2023
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Introduction

For this week, I edited my mechanical arm onto my footage we recorded in class. Since it was my first attempt at editing a video of such nature, I encountered numerous challenges and difficulties.

Video Editing Attempt

Editing Process

In order to create the short film, I animated the mechanical arm in Maya.

I rotated the shoulder, elbow, wrist and finger controllers.

Then, I rendered the sequence and edited the video in Adobe Premiere.

Major Challenge

Proportions: The major problem I had was that the size of the mechanical arm was not the same as my actual arm. However, when I scaled the arm to cover the blank spaces, it looked out of proportion. For this reason, what I actually should have done was to use a tighter green sleeve to avoid this issue.

Further Comments

Even though the video editing did not turn out as I expected, it was important to learn the workflow of compositing. In the future, I will make sure to wear a tighter green screen suit to create more convincing animations.

3.8 Week 8 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 8: Storyboard Editing

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 2nd March 2023
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Introduction

This week, I specifically worked on editing my running and shooting sequence. Before working on my Previs-Shots, I created a Storyboard to go over the camera movements and transitions with George.

Storyboard – Shooting Sequence

Storyboard – Part 1

Skullchaser starts running, gets chased by bats, aims at them, drops his gun, jumps of a cliff.

Feedback – Part 1

I should include a bat chewing at the pistol in frame 4.

Skullchaser should jump of the viewport in frame 5 and land on the ground in frame 6 to create a smooth transition.

Storyboard – Part 2

Skullchaser turns around, aims at the bats, kills some of them, gets attacked by a bat and kills it.

Feedback – Part 2

I should create a smooth transition between frames 11 and 12.

Skullchaser should not cover his face in frame 12 as it communicates the idea that he is frightend and he should be more brave instead.

Storyboard – Part 3

Skullchaser looks at the bat chewing at his pistol, kills it and recovers his pistol back.

Feedback – Part 3

After killing the final bat, George suggested to include a pistol rotation before putting it back into the pocket (frame 6).

Reference Shots – Shooting Sequence

After creating my storyboard, I recorded some reference videos from different perspectives as they will come in handy when I work on my previs-shots. I used a hair dryer and a splash spray cleaner to simulate the shape of Skullchaser’s pistols.

3.8 Week 8 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 8: Motion Capture

Introduction

This week, we used motion capture to record our background video footage for our mechanical arm animation.

Motion Capture

Nick helped me to record and edit my video footage using a motion capture suit. In the following weeks, I will use this video to animate my mechanical arm on top of it.

Mocap Suit

First, Nick provided us a green mocap suit and set up his equipment to start the recording.

Da Vinci Resolve

Then, he used Da Vinci Resolve to delete the green arm from the video footage. He exported the video file into frames, which we will import into our Maya file.

HDR Light

Finally, Nick captured with his HDR camera the environmental light, which we will also import into our Maya file.

Testing in Maya

I imported the frames of my video footage into Maya and placed the mechanical arm in front of them.

Even though I will have to scale the model and adjust the shape of it, I wanted to get a rough idea of how the video footage is going to look like.

3.7 Week 7 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 7: Transitions & Previs-Shots

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 25th February 2023
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Introduction

This week, I worked on the camera movements and transitions of the intro scene of my animation. I watched some reference videos from Tim Burton’s movies Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice.

Reference Videos

Camera Rotations

What I found interesting was the camera rotations as they make the animation more dynamic.

I also found the the transition through the window very appealing.

Establishing Shot

For my establishing shot, I want to include slow camera movements to introduce the different buildings and decorations of my Halloween Town.

In addition, I will also include a fictional company logo at the beginning of my animation.

Previs-Shots

Part 1: Intro Scene

For my intro scene, I combined the camera rotations from Nightmare before Christmas with the slow camera movements from Beetlejuice.

Part 1: Feedback

I managed to create a well-paced intro scene with interesting camera movements.

Part 2: Character Intro

In this part, I introduce the main character and create a Batman inspired Pumpkin Signal.

Part 2: Feedback

I should not include any vertical rotations and translations when I introduce the main character.

Part 3: Running & Shooting Sequence

Skullchaser runs and fights against the bats.

Part 3: Feedback

The transitions of my shooting sequence are still unclear and I definitely need to work on them.

Part 4: Final Sequence

Skullchaser saves Halloween by finding the missing pumpkin.

Part 4: Feedback

I should use Dash from the Incredibles as a reference for my character posing.

3.7 Week 7 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 7: Adding Details to my Mechanical Arm

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 24th February 2023
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Introduction

This week, I focused on adding some details to my mechanical arm and making sure that all the layers are named properly. In the following weeks, I will work on testing the animation of the arm.

Detail Close-Up

Adding Extrusions

I extruded the elbow to add more shadows and detail to the cylinder.

Adding Pads

I also worked on adding some pads for the palm of the hand.

I extruded the surface and edited the vertex points to change the shape of the pad.

Metallic Texture

I made sure the screws and the wrist have a metallic texture on the model.

3.6 Week 6 Advanced & Experimental Project 1

Week 6: Working on our Previs Shots

Post author By Donatella Mikulasch
Post date 18th February 2023
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Introduction

This week, George went over our previs shots and we had personalized feedback on our work.

Challenge of the Week: Playblast Animations

I had a hard time showcasing my previs shots as my playblast option was not working properly. For this reason, I had to render some of my shots, which was extremely time consuming. However, I managed to fix that problem in class, when George installed Quicktime Player onto my laptop.

Previs-Shots

Part 1: Character Introduction

For the first part of my animation, I wanted to introduce my character and give more background information about him (that he is a hard worker).

Part 1: Feedback

Instead of showcasing how Skullchaser arrives home, he should be already sitting extremely tired by his desk.

Part 2: Establishing Shot

For the second part of my animation, I focused specifically on showcasing the environment and setting.

Part 2: Feedback

I should watch some reference videos on how to introduce landscapes so that I can focus on showcasing the gothic aesthetic I want to communicate. One suggestion was to watch the introduction scene of Beetlejuice.

Part 3: Hero Introduction

For this part I wanted to introduce my hero, while showcasing his logo in the background.

Part 3: Feedback

I should consider how the character steps into the scene. So instead of having him already standing, he should take a step into the camera.

Part 4: Action

In this part, the character is supposed to run and face the obstacles while approaching the pumpkin.

Part 4: Feedback

I must reconsider how to connect all the scenes and also, it is advisable to avoid many run cycles. I should try changing the camera view and showing in the background the coffin.

Part 5: Defeating the Bats

Here my character defeats the bats and puts his gun into his pocket. However, I had some issues with the hierarchies of my elements, which I will fix for next week.

Part 5: Feedback

My character changes position when he is about to put away his gun, so I should reflect on the screen.

Part 6: Saving the Pumpkin

The last part showcases how Skullchaser finds the pumpkin and how his workcycle begins again.

Part 6: Feedback

The close-ups on the pumpkin is not necessary at the end of my animation and I should also rethink how my character lifts the object.

Further Thoughts

Skullchaser: Even though I need to rethink my introduction and final scene, I found it interesting to add some backstory to my character, and reveal more about what his relationship with his work is.

Transitions: I definitely need to rethink how to connect my animation sequence. Even though many of my shots are clear, it would be better to create smoother transitions.

Playblast Animations: For next week, I should be able to deliver my previs shots more effectively since I can now use the playblast option properly and I no longer have to render my animations at this stage.