Title Sequence Project: Tripod Character Animation

Space ending shot

space in desk

four separate tripod animation on green screen

flash video

sketch videos

Title Sequence Project: Character Animation

I have finalised the character design and i am pleased with it. I have been finding it very difficult to animate a tripod like character. I did a quick test in flash so I feel I have a rough idea of how to make it move but selling that sense of weight and getting across the scale of the tripod will be tricky.

Kirk told me to look at the Edward Muybridge. Below are some of his photographs. I found them useful with reference to four legged walk. If I can remove one of the feet I could possible use it as a three legged character walk. I also looked at the tripods from war of the world but found they spend most of their time hidden behind smoke and debris. 

Title Sequence Project: End of Week 4

 

Title Sequence Project: Character Design

Another shot of me on location. I like the lighting but it makes me look a bit menacing.

                                                                                                                                                                     

 

                                                                                                                                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                  

End of Title Logo

Unfortunately I have not really put much thought into the logo at the end of the title until now.

Possible background for the final logo.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Typography Ideas

Jellyka Bees Antique Handwritten Typeface. 

Decorative/ ornamental that could work perfectly as our protagonist handwriting at smaller sizes in long runs of copy. However when used for display it may not have enough legibility to stand as our title sequence typeface. i will have to test it and run it by the team.

Paper texture set to soft light to bring out texture and add subtle brown tones. Loren Ipsum placeholder in large runs to look like protagonist handwriting. The issue here is the titles in the bottom right. They look out of place. I feel as though using two typefaces will benefit us better here. One for long runs of copy to be overlaid and another 

The King & Queen Typeface

This font is also quite decorative/ ornamental like Jellka. Hoever it is much more rough and sratchy in an attempt to appear more crafted, which works in larger point sizes, but when smaller it looks to digital and stiff. One thing I may take from this is the way that the '&' in the title of the font comes with a subtle ink splatter.

I just had this ideas for text on the walls as we track forward for the opening shot. Will have to test in AE.

                                                                                                                                                                  

Star Renders In Maya

These were all done using 'galactic' paint effects in maya. I am pleased with the results they give and will   have to experiment further with these. It is just a case of getting the correct settings the get the right amount of starts. We will also have to decide how realistic/ fantasy we want it to look. 

Title Sequence Project: Development

The project is coming along nicely. We have a lot of work to to and only 4 weeks left. I am pleased we chose an ambitious project. We could have played it safe but I would prefer to push myself and go hard on a project I am passionate about then play it safe just to make the grade. Being on a creative couse we should already know that the degree, that piece of paper will not get us the job. Weather I leave here with a first or a last in Digital Animation is not the point, (obviously I want that first. I'm not a fool.) what we want is that showreel, portfolio and idea to take out into he world.

I remember what Richard "The Legend" Morrison said about fear in his seminar. Because thats what I am feeling now. Fear. You know when you are working on something but there is that part of you that thinks "Damn, this is a lot of work. Little time." But I dont let it stop me. Use the fear, let it fuel you. Thats what I got from Richard. I think he was very impressed with our project and I can't wait to send it to him and slip it into my showreel.

I remembered a conversation me and Kirk had with Georg about the FMX festival and the standard of work we are in competition with. Its a little bit scary. After watching work like 'Lume' from those german student. All you can do is sigh and drag yourself back to the animation studio. These are the people we are compete for jobs against. The people on my course I see myself as working with not against. The competition is fierce, the standards are high and we have a lot to learn. I'm going to work at this until it becomes a life style not a degree course. Because thats how bad I want it.

Right, now about this blog post...

                                                                                                                                                                  

Title Sequence Typography

When it comes to typography for animators I can imagine it is quite tricky. It has be able to stand on its own two feet on screen because what works in print does not always fork well when in motion and some fornt have been designed for print where others have been designed for the screen. As I come from a design background, and being Head of Design for the student newspaper I am confident with typography.

Sherlock Holmes Screenshots (below)

                                                                                                                                                                  

War of The Worlds: Tripod Character Design

not bad but its a start....

                                                                                                                                                                  

MachMover 2011: Test

Screenshot from the raw footage.

Screenshot from the final piece with 3D elements.

Screenshot from After Effects.

It took me a while to export the images in the correct file format from after effects to get them into MachMover 2011. I have been trying to do it since saturday and found the answer in the corner of the internet on an old  online forum. Its interesting how computers will have a tantrum if you use the wrong file format.

Screenshot from MachMover 2011. 

This is now my favorite programme. I was lucky enough to find a tutorial for the programme in the latest issue of 3D Artist Magazine. It became my bible. After much trail and error I was able to get a very good track. I used a lot of tracks that I had placed myself as opposed to the automatic track. I only used a 7 second clip as it take a very long time. The key here was to just get my head around the software. I will definably get my hands on MachMover as it is a great piece of software.  Just a shame it cost £10,000 (don't quote me on that).

Screenshot from Maya 2011.

Luckily importing the the tracking data (those green crosses) into Maya 2011 was the easy bit. I did have some issues getting the image plane to appear (once again some file format issues) but once I had sorted it. I see how tricky it is for CG artists to really place 3D elements into a scene as it relies on so many different things. The models, textures, lighting, etc are not not perfect. I know. I have learnt something new. The only was I was able to really place it in the scene was ensuring I had applied it in a believable place in the scene was through the use of shadows. I have not bothered to use the enve ball shader to light the scene because I just want to get my head around the work flow.

Tomorrow I will back in the studio tying to get a track on the whole 25 second shot, key out the green screen in after effects, model, texture, light, the Earth and the moon perfectly, and come up with a few more concepts for my Tripod character.