Donatella's 3D Computer Animation Blog

My 3D Computer Animation Progress
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5.18 Week 18 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 18: Research Methods

Introduction

This week, I focused on defining which research approaches I was going to apply in my research.

Research Design

  • Qualitative Research: I will focus on a descriptive analysis of Tim Burton’s movies and the emotional impact the characters trigger on the audience.
  • Case Studies: I will examine the main characters of some of Tim Burton’s most influential animated and live action movies in form of case studies. The movies are: Beetlejuice (1988), Edward Scissorhands (1990), The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994), Corpse Bride (2005), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) and Frankenweenie (2012).
  • Diagnostic Research: I will make a diagnosis and attempt to find a pattern between the protagonists of the before mentioned movies by examining the  physical appearance, traits and gothic elements. In addition, I will compare and contrast them in order attempting to find a common reason on how the audience may experience an empathic response.
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3.17 Week 17 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 17: Lip Syncing – Blocking

Introduction

This week, I started working on my lip-syncing animation: customizing my character rig, setting up my Maya scene and creating the blocking animaiton.

Character Rig

Customizing a Character Rig

For the audio I have chosen, I needed to use a male character in his midlife.

So, I decided to buy the customizable ‘Ricardo’ rig and edited his appearance into an office man, with white hair, beard and glasses.

Work Methodology

Setting up Maya

First, I imported my reference video into the Maya scene and then I placed the audio in the time slider.

Then, in order to start with the blocking process, I created the key poses of the character.

Blocking Animation

Blocking Animation

I created the blocking animation for the character’s body and facial expressions (eyes and eyebrows).

However, I will start animating the mouth once I work in splines.

Feedback Animation

I definitely need to create keys for each part of the body as the character moves as a whole.

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3.17 Week 17 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 17: Animated Artefact – Intro & Credits

Introduction

This week, I focused on creating my credits for my animated artefact. I used Buster Keaton’s intro and outro scene as a visual reference for my own design.

Intro & Final Credits

Buster Keaton Reference

In order to design my intro scene, I used Buster Keaton’s credits as a reference, as I wanted to include an intro scene that portrayed the idea of silent films.

Intro Scene

In my intro scene, I present the name of my short episode, using a slab serif typeface named Good Bad Man, as it communicates the look and feel of cinema credits.

In addition, I also included some details on the course and University I am attending to, replicating the content structure of Buster Keaton’s intro scene.

I also wanted to include the final credit ‘The End’ as it was widely used in the 1960s, especially in Hanna-Barbera cartoon animations.

Finally, I also added some ornaments on the frame and a texture as I wanted to create a grainy silent film background.

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5.17 Week 17 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 17: Key Papers and Filmography

Introduction

This week, I focuses on revising my bibliography and filmography I wanted to examine for my thesis.

Key Papers

In order to establish what my key papers are, I divided my research into four main topics: Character Engagement, Identification, Horror Genre and Tim Burton. What follows next is a list of the bibliography that I have revised until now according to the four areas of research.

Character Engagement:

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

Identification:

  • Cohen, J. (2001). Defining identification: A theoretical look at the identification of audiences with media characters. Mass Communication & Society. 245–264. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327825MCS0403_01 (Accessed: 10 May 2023).

Horror Genre:

  • Wells, P. (2000) The Horror Genre. From Beelzebub to Blair Witch. London: Wallflower Press.

Tim Burton:

  • Hockenhull, S. and Pheasant-Kelly, F. (eds) (2021) Tim Burton’s Bodies. Gothic, Animated, Corporeal and Creaturely. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
  • Salisbury, M. (ed.) (2000) Burton on Burton. Revised Edition. England: Faber and Faber.

Filmography

As regards the movies, I wanted to combine Tim Burton’s most emblematic animated, stop motion and live action movies. For this reason, I selected the following list of works:

  • Beetlejuice (1988) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Warner Bros.
  • Edward Scissorhands (1990) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: 20th Century Fox.
  • The Nightmare Before Christmas (1994) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Buena Vista Pictures Distribution.
  • Corpse Bride (2005) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Warner Bros. Pictures.
  • Frankenweenie (2012) Directed by Tim Burton [Feature film]. United States: Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.
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3.16 Week 16 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 16: Lip Syncing – Reference & Planning

Introduction

This week, we started planning and recording some reference videos for our lip-syncing animation. I downloaded an audio, then I wrote the script, recorded some reference videos and finally drew some thumbnails.

Script

Script

I downloaded an audio from the movie Network (1976) by Sidney Lumet.

I intentionally chose an audio from a movie I did not watch, so that I would not be influenced by the actor.

Then, I wrote the line down and underlined the words I needed to emphasize on in my recording.

Idea

I will use this quote out of context and showcase how an older person is struggling with his computer (the rendering process failed).

Reference Videos

I recorded two different variations for my lip-syncing animation — angry and mentally disturbed — and I finally decided to use the former as a reference for my thumbnails. I initially recorded my video from a front view, however, I was advised to record it from a 3/4 perspective.

Angry Version

In this version, I wanted the character to be furious at his computer.

He would scream at the computer and finally leave the scene.

Mentally Disturbed Version

In the second version, I wanted the character to hysterically laugh to portray the idea that he is mad.

Thumbnails

Sketching Poses

I sketched some poses I wanted to include into my animation based on the angry reference video.

I want the character to get closer to his computer and start yelling the lines, so I will have to work on a torso animation.

I was advised not to include pointing poses as I need to express my ideas whilst acting.

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3.16 Week 16 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 16: Animated Artefact – Room Modeling

Introduction

This week, I focused on modeling my environment (the interior room assets.

Modeling

Sketches

In order to start modeling my room assets, I started sketching the furniture.

This helped me to plan which features I needed to use to model them in three dimensions.

Apart from creating extrusions, I also decided to use the bevel tool to smoothen the edges of my assets.

Bookshelf

I created a the bookshelf and books by extruding the edges of some cubes.

Then, I displayed the books asymmetrically on the bookshelf.

Bed

First I created the bed structure and then I added the matress, pillow and duvet.

Creating the duvet was the most challenging part, as I needed to learn how to simulate cloth in Maya.

Cloth Simulation

I used the nCloth tool in Maya by assigning the duvet as a nCloth and the matress as a collider. Then, I had to include a gravity field into the scene.

I also edited the stickiness of the duvet on the matress and once I was ready, I extruded the plane to get some volume.

Finally, I had to delete the history and therefore the animation of the duvet.

Door

Finally, I modeled the door, doorframe and doorknob. I included some hinges and changed the pivot point of the door on top of them.

Further Thoughts

Now that I have modeled my room assets, I can replace them in my previs animation. In the following weeks, I will need to work on texturing these elements in order to create a grayscale background.

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5.16 Week 16 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 16: Tentative Table of Contents

Introduction

Since we last week learned about the ‘golden thread’, I decided to start planning out the structure of my thesis. What follows next is a tentative table of contents divided into headings and subheadings.

Thesis Proposal – Tentative Table of Contents

1. Introduction

2.       Literature Review

2.1     Tim Burton and the ‘Burtonesque’ Style

2.2     How to Bring Characters to Life

2.3     Engaging with Characters through Empathy

2.4     Engaging with Characters through Sympathy

2.5     Identification with a Fictional Character

3.       Research Design

3.1     Data Recollection Tool

4.       Tim Burton’s Characters

4.1     The Contradiction of the Characters in The Nightmare Before Christmas

4.2     The Representation of Edward Scissorhands as the Social Outsider

4.3     The Dead but Living Characters In Corpse Bride

4.4     The Portrayal of the Monster in Frankenweenie

4.5     The Ambiguity of the Demon Barber of Fleet Street in Sweeney Todd

5.       Results

6.       Findings

7.       Conclusion

8.       Bibliography

9. Filmography

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3.15 Week 15 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 15: Body Mechanics Polishing

Introduction

This week, I focused on creating some environment assets and polishing my body mechanics animation.

Environment Modeling

Modeling a City

I modeled some skyscrapers and towers as I wanted to create a city for my background and convey the idea that my character is running on a rooftop.

Body Mechanics Animation

Animation

This week, I added a parent constraint on the balloon to make its movement smoother and I also focused on fixing my arm rotations in the graph editor.

Furthermore, I added a Mr. Crocker inspired electrocution animation after the lightning strikes my character.

Reference: The Fairly OddParents, dir. by Burtch Hartman (Nickelodeon, 2001) [Motion Picture].

Further Thoughts

In the following weeks, I will work on overlapping the hands and fingers, as well as tracking their arcs. In addition, I will also include some deformation of the balloon, when the character grabs it. Finally, I will include some special effects when the lightning strikes and electrocutes my character.

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3.15 Week 15 Advanced & Experimental Project 2

Week 15: Animated Artefact – Cartoony Techniques & Blocking

Introduction

This week, I focused on making some research on different cartoony techniques used in animation and then I started with my blocking process.

Cartoony Techniques

I used two main books to further my studies in cartoony animation techniques:

  • Cartoon Character Animation with Maya: Mastering the Art of Exaggerated Animation by Keith Osborn.
  • The Animator’s Survival Kit by Richard E. Williams.

Smear

I will create smear frames to simulate motion blur when my character moves from one place to another one.

Multiple Limbs

I will use multiple limbs in my animation to exaggerate when my character is about to run.

Animation – Process

To start working on my animation, I divided the sequence into three different parts, as I wanted to break my main task down into more manageable pieces.

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5.15 Week 15 FMP & Thesis Thesis Proposal

Week 15: Golden Thread

Introduction

This week, Nigel introduced us to the term ‘golden thread’ which will help us organize and structure our ideas.

What is the Golden Thread?

The golden thread in academic writing gives us a clear overview on the contents and ideas we want to communicate throughout our paper. For our thesis we have to make sure that we establish first our research question, then our research objectives and define a suitable methodology in order to start developing our arguments.