Initial Storyboard

Deliver Hope

Interesting video I thought I'd share about the making of the "Deliver Hope" trailer for Halo Reach, showing how the costumes and special effects were created.

Nuts!

I mentioned earlier that I had been looking at some clips of Scrat from the Ice Age films and I stumbled across this animated short that I had not seen before as it is not part of any of the feature films. It is a very entertaining and over-the-top animation which reminds me of the classic Looney Toons cartoons, only in 3D. I hope to create a similiar type of humour in my animation with my robot having a problem that he must overcome or an objective he must complete.

New Robot Design

My second illustration created with my new graphics tablet. I think this is a better design than my last partly because I spent more time on it in order to add more detail.

ROBOTS

I thought it was time for another update so here we go...since my last post I've continued to watch more Charlie Chaplin films which have been really helpful to me but also enjoyable as mere entertainment. I have also began to look at other examples of slapstick including Tom and Jerry and the Ice Age films, particularly focusing on the character Scrat and his quest to acquire his beloved nut.

As well as studying slapstick films and animation I have begun to think about where I want my animation to be located. I have a few locations in mind including an alleyway, a landfill and a forest.

The image above is a rough illustration I did today after recieving my new Wacom tablet. I'm new to using this kind of device but have already found it quite easy to use. Hopefully I will be able to use it to create my storyboards and more defined illustrations in the future.

Slapstick Madness!

'Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated physical violence and activities which exceed the boundaries of common sense.'

'a stick or lath used by harlequins, clowns, etc., as in pantomime, for striking other performers, esp. a combination of laths that make a loud, clapping noise without hurting the person struck.'

The "Of Bots and Bananas" project is all about slapstick so I thought I'd better define the term before doing anything else. After I had fully understood the term 'slapstick' I began to study some classic slapstick comedians beginning with Charlie Chaplin. I had never watched a Chaplin film from start to finish so after acquiring some of his work I did just that.

I have just finished watching 'The Gold Rush' and the biggest thing I learned from this film was just how many similiarities there are between silent films and animation. Both mediums rely on exaggerated body language and mannerisms to convey the emotion and narrative elements that are required for the scene. I found this observation very interesting and feel it will help me when animating my own comedic scene.

I will continue to study and watch more examples of slapstick/silent comedy in the form of 'City Lights', 'Modern Times' and 'The Great Dictator'.

Year 2 Begins

It's good to be back. After a long, long break at home I've just attended the first lecture of the year and it seems that there is a lot to look forward to. Highlights I noted were the university buying a very expensive, awesome MOCAP suit which I definately want to try out and also a trip to Berlin is being planned for early next year.

I've just skimmed through the first Virtual Environents brief too which involves animating a robot that can 'walk, trip, slip and fall.' I'm eager to jump back into 3ds Max and make some crazy stuff.

Plenty of updates to follow.