Baggage - Virgin Media Shorts
Hey! Remember me?! Long time, I know. Proper update coming soon, but for now, click the link above for a taster of my latest work!
Fellow AMer Peter Butler wrote and directed this (as well as animated, modelled, rendered etc.!) and I helped out on some background characters - in particular, the kid that gets pulled away from the sweets by his Mum.
It's been entered into the Virgin Media Shorts competition. 12 shorts chosen by judges will get shown in cinemas, but there's also a 13th spot open to the short with the most "shares" "Likes" etc. So if you like it, please click on some of the buttons and tell your friends!
Thank you!
Friday, 13 July 2012
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Cat stalking
It's week 11 now, so I'm due to upload my final assignment tomorrow. I realized how far behind I'd got in posting to the blog though, so thought I'd better try to catch up!
This is the refining stage of the cat stalking. A few little bits and pieces that I would like to tidy up, but this is finished for the most part.
This is the refining stage of the cat stalking. A few little bits and pieces that I would like to tidy up, but this is finished for the most part.
Cat stalking from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Monday, 11 April 2011
Cat walk cycle
Here's my first walk cycle.
There are some things that need working on, but overall I'm pretty happy with this as my first attempt at a quadruped walk cycle.
There are some things that need working on, but overall I'm pretty happy with this as my first attempt at a quadruped walk cycle.
Cat walk cycle from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Sunday, 10 April 2011
Animals and Creatures
Hello!
I'm enjoying the start of the new Animals and Creatures course. I've already learnt all kinds of interesting things, but animating quadrupeds in a realistic manner is going to be a big challenge.
I'm sure people are interested to see what the new course consists of, so I'll do my best to post on semi-regular basis so you can watch my progress.
Week 1, we had to do a couple of still poses that were dynamic with nice lines of action, showing weight etc.
Week 2, we had to do vanilla walk cycle.
We're just starting Week 3 now, where we do an advanced walk.
I'm finding it a challenge getting to grips with the rig (for example in the pouncing pose, I couldn't get those front arms bent to match the photo), but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Here are my poses - I'll post the walk cycle in the next couple of days.
Thanks for reading!
I'm enjoying the start of the new Animals and Creatures course. I've already learnt all kinds of interesting things, but animating quadrupeds in a realistic manner is going to be a big challenge.
I'm sure people are interested to see what the new course consists of, so I'll do my best to post on semi-regular basis so you can watch my progress.
Week 1, we had to do a couple of still poses that were dynamic with nice lines of action, showing weight etc.
Week 2, we had to do vanilla walk cycle.
We're just starting Week 3 now, where we do an advanced walk.
I'm finding it a challenge getting to grips with the rig (for example in the pouncing pose, I couldn't get those front arms bent to match the photo), but I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.
Here are my poses - I'll post the walk cycle in the next couple of days.
Thanks for reading!
Sunday, 20 March 2011
Final Animation Mentor Reel
Hello!
Unbelievably, I've reached the end of the Animation Mentor course!
So here's my final reel. Still a few things that I want to sort out (especially on the final shot), but this is what I've uploaded as my final assignment.
Hope you like it!
Unbelievably, I've reached the end of the Animation Mentor course!
So here's my final reel. Still a few things that I want to sort out (especially on the final shot), but this is what I've uploaded as my final assignment.
Hope you like it!
Spring 2011 Demo Reel from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Life at the business end of AM
Hi everyone,
Thank you for continuing to read this blog, despite the lack of posts. I see my number of followers has gone up - thanks for adding me!
Life is busy at the moment, with the day job taking up a lot of time and energy and it's a struggle keeping up with the animation in the evenings and weekends. However, I've stuck with it, and plodded through, and nearly have a demo reel!
Just 2 weeks to go before I've finished at Animation Mentor!
Well ... sort of.
They've just added a couple of new modules to their offering, and as I'm slightly addicted to Animation Mentor I've signed up for another 3 months of animation goodness - Animals and Creatures!
Quadrupeds - oh yeah!
(And even if I turn out to be not very good at animating them, at least I've finally learnt to spell the word "quadruped" - I could've sworn there was an o in there...)
So once I finish THAT course, I'll be done.
... Until I decide to do the 2nd 3 months of Animals and Creatures ... but no! I mustn't! I'm going to start applying for jobs first, and see how that goes before I do any more studying. I owe it to my bank account. And my friends and family. And my sanity.
The demo reel's looking ok - sometimes I think it's pretty good, considering how far I've come since those spinning cellos ... and then other times I think it's terrible and that I need to keep studying for at least another 2 years before I'll be approaching anything remotely close to a decent professional standard!
I'm assured that this is a natural feeling and that everyone hates their own work and doesn't think it's good enough. But still.
The shots that have made it onto my reel are:
- Monologue "gone forever"
- Monkey bars
- Weightlifting
- Pantomime with Tailor
- Monologue "would you like to resign?"
Short and hopefully sweet.
It was with great sadness that I decided to drop chicken lady, but in the end I decided the amount of work required to get that polished up wasn't worth the effort as it would have taken up most of the term. Focussing on the shorter shots meant that I was able to get through more, and I think ultimately benefit more from the wisdom of my mentor - Jason Taylor.
It's been a great term, and I've learned loads from him.
Definitely feeling like this whole animation thing is starting to click - finally!
2 years of studying, and I'm beginning to feel like maybe I'm starting to get it!
So I'll save the finished reel until it's all completely polished up - still a few more tweaks - and then I'll post it up for you to enjoy/judge/rip to pieces.
Stay posted!
Thank you for continuing to read this blog, despite the lack of posts. I see my number of followers has gone up - thanks for adding me!
Life is busy at the moment, with the day job taking up a lot of time and energy and it's a struggle keeping up with the animation in the evenings and weekends. However, I've stuck with it, and plodded through, and nearly have a demo reel!
Just 2 weeks to go before I've finished at Animation Mentor!
Well ... sort of.
They've just added a couple of new modules to their offering, and as I'm slightly addicted to Animation Mentor I've signed up for another 3 months of animation goodness - Animals and Creatures!
Quadrupeds - oh yeah!
(And even if I turn out to be not very good at animating them, at least I've finally learnt to spell the word "quadruped" - I could've sworn there was an o in there...)
So once I finish THAT course, I'll be done.
... Until I decide to do the 2nd 3 months of Animals and Creatures ... but no! I mustn't! I'm going to start applying for jobs first, and see how that goes before I do any more studying. I owe it to my bank account. And my friends and family. And my sanity.
The demo reel's looking ok - sometimes I think it's pretty good, considering how far I've come since those spinning cellos ... and then other times I think it's terrible and that I need to keep studying for at least another 2 years before I'll be approaching anything remotely close to a decent professional standard!
I'm assured that this is a natural feeling and that everyone hates their own work and doesn't think it's good enough. But still.
The shots that have made it onto my reel are:
- Monologue "gone forever"
- Monkey bars
- Weightlifting
- Pantomime with Tailor
- Monologue "would you like to resign?"
Short and hopefully sweet.
It was with great sadness that I decided to drop chicken lady, but in the end I decided the amount of work required to get that polished up wasn't worth the effort as it would have taken up most of the term. Focussing on the shorter shots meant that I was able to get through more, and I think ultimately benefit more from the wisdom of my mentor - Jason Taylor.
It's been a great term, and I've learned loads from him.
Definitely feeling like this whole animation thing is starting to click - finally!
2 years of studying, and I'm beginning to feel like maybe I'm starting to get it!
So I'll save the finished reel until it's all completely polished up - still a few more tweaks - and then I'll post it up for you to enjoy/judge/rip to pieces.
Stay posted!
Friday, 7 January 2011
Final Class at Animation Mentor
Hello!
Things are starting to get going at Animation Mentor again, so I thought I'd update you on what's happening! My Leave of Absence was definitely needed, as my day job got very busy and tiring, but in terms of doing new shots and revising all my learnings, I was only partially successful I'm afraid.
Successful because I got going on 2 new shots, but only partially so because I would have liked to do a bit more. And I almost entirely failed on the revision front.
However, I think I needed a break, and am feeling a lot fresher coming back in. It's great to be properly a part of AM again, as I really did miss being on campus and utilizing all the amazing energy and passion that place exudes!
So, Class 6 - Polishing and Portfolio. This is where we take all of the shots that we've done at AM, pick out the ones with the most potential, and spend some time polishing them up nice so as to dazzle anyone that looks at them.
So I thought I'd upload my shots here as well and get your opinions on your favourites. I've just thrown them together in a roughly chronological order - this is in no way what I would consider to be a "Demo Reel" of any kind. Just all my shots in one place.
Let me know which ones you think work best or have the most potential!
Things are starting to get going at Animation Mentor again, so I thought I'd update you on what's happening! My Leave of Absence was definitely needed, as my day job got very busy and tiring, but in terms of doing new shots and revising all my learnings, I was only partially successful I'm afraid.
Successful because I got going on 2 new shots, but only partially so because I would have liked to do a bit more. And I almost entirely failed on the revision front.
However, I think I needed a break, and am feeling a lot fresher coming back in. It's great to be properly a part of AM again, as I really did miss being on campus and utilizing all the amazing energy and passion that place exudes!
So, Class 6 - Polishing and Portfolio. This is where we take all of the shots that we've done at AM, pick out the ones with the most potential, and spend some time polishing them up nice so as to dazzle anyone that looks at them.
So I thought I'd upload my shots here as well and get your opinions on your favourites. I've just thrown them together in a roughly chronological order - this is in no way what I would consider to be a "Demo Reel" of any kind. Just all my shots in one place.
Let me know which ones you think work best or have the most potential!
Animation Reel Classes 1-5 from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
2 person shot progress
Class 5 is now over - just had my last Q&A. I say this every term, but where is the time going?! As my AM experience draws nearer to the end, it becomes even more unbelievable.
It's been a fantastic term - I have learnt so much from my mentor Michelle Meeker. She has worked on some fantastic projects, both in big studios (Pixar, Dreamworks, Weta) and independently, so has a good variety of experiences to draw on and lots of brilliant advice to share.
While I've learnt loads, it's also been a really tough term, and am a little disappointed with how my shot finished up. I try to take comfort from the fact that it was quite a tricky shot to do, with lots of physicality and cuts, as well as the acting, but the perfectionist in me is quite frustrated that this is what I handed in as "final".
However, I will keep working on it and hopefully turn it into something a little better.
I've decided to take a Leave of Absence before doing the final Polishing class. It was a difficult decision, but working full time and doing AM was starting to take its toll, and I really want to get the most I possibly can out of the final class. So I'm taking some time out to try to consolidate all my learning and work on a few new shots to practise my techniques and then return to AM in January for the final class.
So watch this space - I'll be posting up work in progress on my new shots here and would be even more grateful of feedback and comments!
For now, here's where I got up to on my 2 person shot:
It's been a fantastic term - I have learnt so much from my mentor Michelle Meeker. She has worked on some fantastic projects, both in big studios (Pixar, Dreamworks, Weta) and independently, so has a good variety of experiences to draw on and lots of brilliant advice to share.
While I've learnt loads, it's also been a really tough term, and am a little disappointed with how my shot finished up. I try to take comfort from the fact that it was quite a tricky shot to do, with lots of physicality and cuts, as well as the acting, but the perfectionist in me is quite frustrated that this is what I handed in as "final".
However, I will keep working on it and hopefully turn it into something a little better.
I've decided to take a Leave of Absence before doing the final Polishing class. It was a difficult decision, but working full time and doing AM was starting to take its toll, and I really want to get the most I possibly can out of the final class. So I'm taking some time out to try to consolidate all my learning and work on a few new shots to practise my techniques and then return to AM in January for the final class.
So watch this space - I'll be posting up work in progress on my new shots here and would be even more grateful of feedback and comments!
For now, here's where I got up to on my 2 person shot:
Monday, 2 August 2010
Bishop 2.0
So it's all very exciting over in AM-land at the moment, because they've just launched a new version of their classic rig - Bishop!
The little introductory video they created shows him off to full effect - you can see it over on the Animation Mentor home page.
It is now so easy to create a range of very different looking characters, and I am really excited about the multitude of possibilities. Previously I would probably think twice about doing a shot with a child, especially a really young child in it, or a very old person as you'd have to do a fair bit of remodelling (and with my modelling skills, they wouldn't be very convincing), but now it's so easy to create new characters that it really does feel like my imagination (or animation skills at any rate!) is the only thing limiting me. Even just having them dressed in clothes is SO much easier than it was.
I've already substituted in a new old lady character for my monologue shot. It's definitely highlighted all the little glitches that my eye had got used to. So once I've polished that up a bit, I'll share that here.
For now I'll leave you with a still of the characters I've created for my 2 person dialogue. I think the guy looks quite a bit different from the classic Bishop, and while the woman looks a bit more Bishop-esque, she's wearing a chicken costume which would have been impossible for me before (I just had to model some feathers), so I'm pretty pleased with how it's looking at the moment!
The little introductory video they created shows him off to full effect - you can see it over on the Animation Mentor home page.
It is now so easy to create a range of very different looking characters, and I am really excited about the multitude of possibilities. Previously I would probably think twice about doing a shot with a child, especially a really young child in it, or a very old person as you'd have to do a fair bit of remodelling (and with my modelling skills, they wouldn't be very convincing), but now it's so easy to create new characters that it really does feel like my imagination (or animation skills at any rate!) is the only thing limiting me. Even just having them dressed in clothes is SO much easier than it was.
I've already substituted in a new old lady character for my monologue shot. It's definitely highlighted all the little glitches that my eye had got used to. So once I've polished that up a bit, I'll share that here.
For now I'll leave you with a still of the characters I've created for my 2 person dialogue. I think the guy looks quite a bit different from the classic Bishop, and while the woman looks a bit more Bishop-esque, she's wearing a chicken costume which would have been impossible for me before (I just had to model some feathers), so I'm pretty pleased with how it's looking at the moment!
Sunday, 18 July 2010
General update
Just saw that my last post was back in May! Apologies for the long silence. Have been quite busy, and also not really felt that I had much to show as progress on my shot has been incredibly slow until recently. So here's a little update on everything.
In June I attended the Annecy International Film festival for the first time, and it was just as good as everyone assured me it would be! The setting itself was perfect - Annecy is a lovely little town, easy to find your way round (important for me as my sense of direction is beyond bad), with a nice lake, and a lovely old area with cobblestones and canals. The festival itself was fantastic. Lots of things going on, films, talks, gatherings etc. There was a great atmosphere, with everyone there to have a good time and share a love of animation.
I watched a lot of great films - and some pretty terrible ones! It was great to have the opportunity to watch films in other styles or from countries that I might not otherwise be able to see. It was fun to be a part of special events, like the European premier of Waking Sleeping Beauty with a Q&A afterwards with Don Hahn, Ron Musker and John Clements. I also attended a Dreamworks talk that went into the research and preparation they did for working on How to Train Your Dragon. It's always fun being shown video reference used for particular shots you recognize from the film, that you wouldn't otherwise get a chance to see.
Because there were so many people at Annecy this year (apparently a couple of thousand or so more than last year) I didn't get to see everything I wanted, but didn't feel that I missed out on too much, and there's always next year!
The other huge benefit of Annecy was getting to meet fellow AM students in person - some of whom I've seen around online, or been in class with, others who I'd never heard of but quickly made friends with! It's great just being able to turn up at an event like this and know that you already have a ready-made group of cool people to hang out with!
All in all it was a pretty fantastic week, and I'm already looking forward to next year!
So the week after Annecy was the last week of term, but I was quite behind due to my trip, so didn't finish the term as strongly as I would have liked.
So now we're just beginning Week 4 of Class 5. I can't quite believe that I'm about to embark on the final shot of my Animation Mentor experience. Guess I'd better try and make it a good one! It is scary that I'm nearly finished, and still don't feel particularly competent at this animation business. However, I've decided that I need to try and make the most of it before it's all over, and learn as much as I can. And while I may not feel confident about my animating skills, even I can see that I have made a huge improvement from when I first started just over a year ago!
So this week I'll be picking my 2 person dialogue, and starting to think about costumes and scenarios.
In the meantime I'll leave you with the latest pass of my monologue. Still some polishing up to be done, but I think it's getting there.
In June I attended the Annecy International Film festival for the first time, and it was just as good as everyone assured me it would be! The setting itself was perfect - Annecy is a lovely little town, easy to find your way round (important for me as my sense of direction is beyond bad), with a nice lake, and a lovely old area with cobblestones and canals. The festival itself was fantastic. Lots of things going on, films, talks, gatherings etc. There was a great atmosphere, with everyone there to have a good time and share a love of animation.
I watched a lot of great films - and some pretty terrible ones! It was great to have the opportunity to watch films in other styles or from countries that I might not otherwise be able to see. It was fun to be a part of special events, like the European premier of Waking Sleeping Beauty with a Q&A afterwards with Don Hahn, Ron Musker and John Clements. I also attended a Dreamworks talk that went into the research and preparation they did for working on How to Train Your Dragon. It's always fun being shown video reference used for particular shots you recognize from the film, that you wouldn't otherwise get a chance to see.
Because there were so many people at Annecy this year (apparently a couple of thousand or so more than last year) I didn't get to see everything I wanted, but didn't feel that I missed out on too much, and there's always next year!
The other huge benefit of Annecy was getting to meet fellow AM students in person - some of whom I've seen around online, or been in class with, others who I'd never heard of but quickly made friends with! It's great just being able to turn up at an event like this and know that you already have a ready-made group of cool people to hang out with!
All in all it was a pretty fantastic week, and I'm already looking forward to next year!
So the week after Annecy was the last week of term, but I was quite behind due to my trip, so didn't finish the term as strongly as I would have liked.
So now we're just beginning Week 4 of Class 5. I can't quite believe that I'm about to embark on the final shot of my Animation Mentor experience. Guess I'd better try and make it a good one! It is scary that I'm nearly finished, and still don't feel particularly competent at this animation business. However, I've decided that I need to try and make the most of it before it's all over, and learn as much as I can. And while I may not feel confident about my animating skills, even I can see that I have made a huge improvement from when I first started just over a year ago!
So this week I'll be picking my 2 person dialogue, and starting to think about costumes and scenarios.
In the meantime I'll leave you with the latest pass of my monologue. Still some polishing up to be done, but I think it's getting there.
Monologue polishing phase from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Sunday, 23 May 2010
Drum roll please ...
Ladies and gentlemen, the moment that every AMer dreams about has arrived ... starting dialogue shots!
It's really weird to actually be here now. I still feel like I've just started, but actually all of a sudden I've worked my way through all the classic AM rigs - and have finally got access to the Bishop rig. He's got eyes that blink, and fingers that move and is generally a fairly complete humanoid character.
However, as with everything at AM, they ease you in gently. So we don't have full facial controls yet - just a jaw that can open and close, and eyelids that can open and close. All the rest of the goodies come next term.
So the assignment is to find a piece of dialogue, spoken by one person, that has some kind of texture or emotional change in it, and animate your character to it. I've been thinking about this assignment pretty much since I started, so have been keeping an ear out for great dialogue. I think one week isn't really enough time to come up with something good when you've got the entire history of film, TV and radio to trawl through so I think it pays to start early.
That said, the piece of dialogue I actually ended up using, I think I found in the last week! But it's nice to know you have some other options.
I decided to go with this piece of dialogue for several reasons:
- I'm confident that very few people will have heard it before, so won't have any pre-conceived ideas about it.
- It's English, so a bit different to the usual reel stuff and, you know - I'm English.
- There's a nice change in emotion and timing.
- It's by Joyce Grenfell, one of my all time favourite comic actresses.
- It makes me laugh.
My original video reference that I shot was of the character sat down writing, but my mentor said that was too boring and that I should re-shoot with the character stood up and working with props. I thought I was going for nice subtle acting, but as he pointed out, all the acting is in the face, and with no facial rig till next term, I wouldn't have a whole lot to work with.
So after gathering together my slightly crushed ego, I re-shot the video reference, working with a tray and some teacups, and my mentor loved it.
So here's how the shot is looking at the moment - this is my blocking plus pass.
It's really weird to actually be here now. I still feel like I've just started, but actually all of a sudden I've worked my way through all the classic AM rigs - and have finally got access to the Bishop rig. He's got eyes that blink, and fingers that move and is generally a fairly complete humanoid character.
However, as with everything at AM, they ease you in gently. So we don't have full facial controls yet - just a jaw that can open and close, and eyelids that can open and close. All the rest of the goodies come next term.
So the assignment is to find a piece of dialogue, spoken by one person, that has some kind of texture or emotional change in it, and animate your character to it. I've been thinking about this assignment pretty much since I started, so have been keeping an ear out for great dialogue. I think one week isn't really enough time to come up with something good when you've got the entire history of film, TV and radio to trawl through so I think it pays to start early.
That said, the piece of dialogue I actually ended up using, I think I found in the last week! But it's nice to know you have some other options.
I decided to go with this piece of dialogue for several reasons:
- I'm confident that very few people will have heard it before, so won't have any pre-conceived ideas about it.
- It's English, so a bit different to the usual reel stuff and, you know - I'm English.
- There's a nice change in emotion and timing.
- It's by Joyce Grenfell, one of my all time favourite comic actresses.
- It makes me laugh.
My original video reference that I shot was of the character sat down writing, but my mentor said that was too boring and that I should re-shoot with the character stood up and working with props. I thought I was going for nice subtle acting, but as he pointed out, all the acting is in the face, and with no facial rig till next term, I wouldn't have a whole lot to work with.
So after gathering together my slightly crushed ego, I re-shot the video reference, working with a tray and some teacups, and my mentor loved it.
So here's how the shot is looking at the moment - this is my blocking plus pass.
Dialogue - Blocking plus from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
Pantomime shot
Apologies for the delay between posts, I've basically been ill for the whole of April, so have been struggling to keep up with my animation assignments and the day job, let alone blog posting!
However, I'm feeling much better now, so thought I'd get you up to date on my animation.
Class 4 is going great (illness aside!). I have a fantastic mentor who gives great feedback, and lots of it! He is Justin Martinsen, currently working at Double Negative in London, so I actually have a decent Q&A time! 8 in the evening - woohoo! My eyes are open, I'm not wearing pyjamas - it's incredible! You can check out his work (and even his acting skills - check out the Reference comparison section in the animation menu) here.
Our first assignment of the term was a pantomime shot (i.e. telling a story with no dialogue) where we had to pick a scenario that had two contrasting emotional beats in it. Originally, I was going to have Stewie sat crying, and Tailor (the ball with a tail) comes along and snuggles up, trying to cheer him up. That doesn't work, so then Tailor jumps on Stewie and runs all around tickling him and making him laugh.
I really liked that idea, and got a lot of positive feedback from other students about it. HOWEVER, it's my mentor's opinion that counts, and he thought that having Stewie sat there would be too static and that it's good to keep practising the ol' body mechanics. And I agree.
So after several re-thinks and different variations, this is the final shot. Still a story with Stewie and Tailor, and I'm relatively happy with it. Still don't feel like I've really made my animation sing though ... but maybe nobody feels like that about their own shots. Got a fair bit of polishing left to do, but it's getting there.
Let me know what you think!
However, I'm feeling much better now, so thought I'd get you up to date on my animation.
Class 4 is going great (illness aside!). I have a fantastic mentor who gives great feedback, and lots of it! He is Justin Martinsen, currently working at Double Negative in London, so I actually have a decent Q&A time! 8 in the evening - woohoo! My eyes are open, I'm not wearing pyjamas - it's incredible! You can check out his work (and even his acting skills - check out the Reference comparison section in the animation menu) here.
Our first assignment of the term was a pantomime shot (i.e. telling a story with no dialogue) where we had to pick a scenario that had two contrasting emotional beats in it. Originally, I was going to have Stewie sat crying, and Tailor (the ball with a tail) comes along and snuggles up, trying to cheer him up. That doesn't work, so then Tailor jumps on Stewie and runs all around tickling him and making him laugh.
I really liked that idea, and got a lot of positive feedback from other students about it. HOWEVER, it's my mentor's opinion that counts, and he thought that having Stewie sat there would be too static and that it's good to keep practising the ol' body mechanics. And I agree.
So after several re-thinks and different variations, this is the final shot. Still a story with Stewie and Tailor, and I'm relatively happy with it. Still don't feel like I've really made my animation sing though ... but maybe nobody feels like that about their own shots. Got a fair bit of polishing left to do, but it's getting there.
Let me know what you think!
Pantomime shot from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Thursday, 25 March 2010
Class 3 finished!
So I have now completed a term of Advanced Body Mechanics! I honestly, do not know where the last 9 months have gone. I'm halfway through Animation Mentor already - how did that happen?!
This term has been fantastic. I have learnt so much and am really starting to feel like I'm finding a workflow that suits me. The more I learn about animation, the more I realize there is still to learn ... but the more enthusiastic I get about continuing with my education! The couple of days with Pixar reminded me of what being an animator means - you need to understand acting, story-telling, cinematography, physics, anatomy, movement - and life in general. Which I find incredibly exciting - there's always going to be new things that I can learn, and apply, to improve myself as an animator. I bought a load of books and am trying to learn as much as I can about all this stuff to help me in Class 4 - acting! I'm really looking forward to it. Which is just as well, as the break between these 2 terms is only a weekend! However, I'm raring to go, and can't wait till Monday!
Here's all the work from Class 3 - I'm definitely starting to see an improvement in my work, which is so encouraging. Still a loooong, looooong way to go, but it's nice to see I've made a few small steps.
There's still a certain amount of jitteryness on the first two shots, and I plan on cleaning them up later, but have run out of time for the moment.
This term has been fantastic. I have learnt so much and am really starting to feel like I'm finding a workflow that suits me. The more I learn about animation, the more I realize there is still to learn ... but the more enthusiastic I get about continuing with my education! The couple of days with Pixar reminded me of what being an animator means - you need to understand acting, story-telling, cinematography, physics, anatomy, movement - and life in general. Which I find incredibly exciting - there's always going to be new things that I can learn, and apply, to improve myself as an animator. I bought a load of books and am trying to learn as much as I can about all this stuff to help me in Class 4 - acting! I'm really looking forward to it. Which is just as well, as the break between these 2 terms is only a weekend! However, I'm raring to go, and can't wait till Monday!
Here's all the work from Class 3 - I'm definitely starting to see an improvement in my work, which is so encouraging. Still a loooong, looooong way to go, but it's nice to see I've made a few small steps.
There's still a certain amount of jitteryness on the first two shots, and I plan on cleaning them up later, but have run out of time for the moment.
Sunday, 21 March 2010
Weightlifting - polishing
Here's the next stage of my weightlifting shot. Haven't had as much time to work on it as usual, what with the 2 incredible Pixar days. However, have spent the majority of today working on it, and think it's nearly there. Been smoothing out some of the movements, and trying to add more weight.
Weightlifting - polishing from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Saturday, 20 March 2010
When Pixar came to town
I just spent the last couple of days voluntarily shut away from sunlight in a dark, incredibly hot room, at the brink of dehydration with a large group of other sweaty, mostly male people. And paid a fair bit of money for the privilege.
It was worth every penny and I loved every minute.
Why? Because I was attending the Pixar animation and story masterclass, and it was awesome! You know, awesome is a word that has become overused, however, these last couple of days were truly "awe-inspiring" so I feel justified in using it here!
Taught by Animator Andrew Gordon and Story Artist Matthew Luhn, they got through a huge amount of very informative material and by the end I felt like my head was going to explode with all the incredible information I'd crammed in!
Obviously, for them to work at Pixar you know that these guys are among the best in the business. But being a great artist doesn't necessarily mean that you're a good teacher. However, they really are. Both of them had a wealth of examples to back up every single point that they made, which really helped in driving home the information and demonstrated how these concepts are applied in the real world. They were also entertaining speakers, as well as very patient with answering the endless questions that poured from a slightly star-struck audience. And as a massive Pixar fan (as most animators are I think), I was in geek heaven!
Being an aspiring animator, I was unsure what the story-focused second day would really have to offer me. The answer turned out to be "a hell of a lot"! Naturally, Matthew Luhn knows how to tell a good story, but what surprised me was that actually he showed me that I can create stories too - we all can. He did a series of interactive exercises with us, that demonstrated that with just a few simple tools, we are all story tellers. And we can all create characters, and situations, and even gags, out of nothing, in just a few minutes. It really opened up my mind to exploring the endless possibilities and utilizing my own creativity. And all the cinematography stuff he covered is going to come in handy as I move onto my acting shots in the next couple of terms at AM. So I got a bonus day of amazing information and inspiration that I was not expecting!
They specifically requested that we don't post any of the notes online, which is fair enough, so unfortunately I can't share any of it with you here. However, Andrew Gordon has posted a huge amount of information on his blog, as well as some very interesting podcasts, so head over there if you haven't already.
I'm sure a lot of the information that they both covered is available either online, or in books, but having it presented in this way by people from Pixar was really incredible. It was like being in an enormous, live, behind the scenes DVD feature, but with specific information tailored to you, and your interests and that lasts for 2 days! And being live, you get to control it to a certain extent by being able to ask questions and have them answered - right there. It was truly inspirational and has completely reinforced my desire to be an animator, and made me want to work at Pixar even more badly!
I know that a similar masterclass was held last year in London (this one was organized by Escape Studios, so subscribe to their newsletter for any future events) and I've read that Andrew Gordon has taught this class all over the world. So if it comes to a city near you at any time in the future I would highly recommend it!
Oh, and they said that Pixar are hiring right now. So if you think you've got what it takes, send in your reel!
Me? I'm not planning on giving up the day job just yet, and need to get my head out of the Pixar clouds and back to my weightlifting shot ...
It was worth every penny and I loved every minute.
Why? Because I was attending the Pixar animation and story masterclass, and it was awesome! You know, awesome is a word that has become overused, however, these last couple of days were truly "awe-inspiring" so I feel justified in using it here!
Taught by Animator Andrew Gordon and Story Artist Matthew Luhn, they got through a huge amount of very informative material and by the end I felt like my head was going to explode with all the incredible information I'd crammed in!
Obviously, for them to work at Pixar you know that these guys are among the best in the business. But being a great artist doesn't necessarily mean that you're a good teacher. However, they really are. Both of them had a wealth of examples to back up every single point that they made, which really helped in driving home the information and demonstrated how these concepts are applied in the real world. They were also entertaining speakers, as well as very patient with answering the endless questions that poured from a slightly star-struck audience. And as a massive Pixar fan (as most animators are I think), I was in geek heaven!
Being an aspiring animator, I was unsure what the story-focused second day would really have to offer me. The answer turned out to be "a hell of a lot"! Naturally, Matthew Luhn knows how to tell a good story, but what surprised me was that actually he showed me that I can create stories too - we all can. He did a series of interactive exercises with us, that demonstrated that with just a few simple tools, we are all story tellers. And we can all create characters, and situations, and even gags, out of nothing, in just a few minutes. It really opened up my mind to exploring the endless possibilities and utilizing my own creativity. And all the cinematography stuff he covered is going to come in handy as I move onto my acting shots in the next couple of terms at AM. So I got a bonus day of amazing information and inspiration that I was not expecting!
They specifically requested that we don't post any of the notes online, which is fair enough, so unfortunately I can't share any of it with you here. However, Andrew Gordon has posted a huge amount of information on his blog, as well as some very interesting podcasts, so head over there if you haven't already.
I'm sure a lot of the information that they both covered is available either online, or in books, but having it presented in this way by people from Pixar was really incredible. It was like being in an enormous, live, behind the scenes DVD feature, but with specific information tailored to you, and your interests and that lasts for 2 days! And being live, you get to control it to a certain extent by being able to ask questions and have them answered - right there. It was truly inspirational and has completely reinforced my desire to be an animator, and made me want to work at Pixar even more badly!
I know that a similar masterclass was held last year in London (this one was organized by Escape Studios, so subscribe to their newsletter for any future events) and I've read that Andrew Gordon has taught this class all over the world. So if it comes to a city near you at any time in the future I would highly recommend it!
Oh, and they said that Pixar are hiring right now. So if you think you've got what it takes, send in your reel!
Me? I'm not planning on giving up the day job just yet, and need to get my head out of the Pixar clouds and back to my weightlifting shot ...
Tuesday, 9 March 2010
Weightlifting - refinement
Here's the next pass on my weightlifting shot. Tried to address notes given to me about making the weight "weightier" so have taken more time from the beginning to slow things down a bit on the lifts. How is the deep breath looking? Is it reading? Still not sure whether it's working or not. Does the weight look heavy enough?
Let me know how you think it's looking, thanks!
Let me know how you think it's looking, thanks!
Weightlifting refinement from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Friday, 5 March 2010
Weightlifting splined
Here's the next pass at my weightlifting shot - trimmed the beginning to allow more time for everything else.
I realize I've had to that on all 3 shots this term. I've put in what I think are nice little bits of character, and then had to radically chop them down to allow enough time for the main action.
Maybe soon my planning will improve so I won't waste time on things that are going to get cut!
Let me know how you think it's looking. The video itself should be looking a lot better as I finally got round to altering the playbast resolution to match Vimeo.
I realize I've had to that on all 3 shots this term. I've put in what I think are nice little bits of character, and then had to radically chop them down to allow enough time for the main action.
Maybe soon my planning will improve so I won't waste time on things that are going to get cut!
Let me know how you think it's looking. The video itself should be looking a lot better as I finally got round to altering the playbast resolution to match Vimeo.
Weightlifting blocking plus from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Tuesday, 2 March 2010
"Nnfffhghghhhhh!"
In case you didn't guess from the title, this week I have started a weightlifting shot. To be honest, I wasn't entirely enthusiastic about this. I got completely carried away by the Winter Olympics, and was thinking about doing some kind of ice related sport as my final body mechanics shot this term. However, in the end I decided to go for something I thought I should do, rather than for what I felt I wanted to do. The first two shots I did were both propelling the body along, so I thought it would be good practice to do a more stationary shot. And everyone loves a good weight test don't they?! I was also attracted to the challenge of making something look really heavy.
And actually, once I started to really analyze the video reference for this, I got really into it! I have no idea why anybody would want to engage in this sport, as it looks painful and dangerous, but once you really go into what they do, it's fascinating! The key to it seems to be to get some momentum going on the weights to launch them upwards, and then get the full body beneath it to power it upwards.
Really interesting body mechanics vs. physics.
So here's my first blocking pass. I'm pretty pleased with it, but feel that it's lacking character and any real oomph. I think I'm starting to get the hang of blocking things out, and continuing with my shot to a certain stage. However, the polishing stage is still a real issue for me, and also, I tend to err on the repressed side of caution. I feel that everything I animate is just a little dull. And the motion might all be correct for the most part, but there's no wow factor to it. So I think I need to start trying to exaggerate things a little more.
...That sentence illustrates the problem exactly. I end a sentence about exaggeration with the words "a little more". Aaaaaargh! I need to get out of that mindset! I'm going to exaggerate things! By a lot! That's what makes it exaggerated!
So anyway, let me know what you think of it so far. Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate you reading my woffle :)
And actually, once I started to really analyze the video reference for this, I got really into it! I have no idea why anybody would want to engage in this sport, as it looks painful and dangerous, but once you really go into what they do, it's fascinating! The key to it seems to be to get some momentum going on the weights to launch them upwards, and then get the full body beneath it to power it upwards.
Really interesting body mechanics vs. physics.
So here's my first blocking pass. I'm pretty pleased with it, but feel that it's lacking character and any real oomph. I think I'm starting to get the hang of blocking things out, and continuing with my shot to a certain stage. However, the polishing stage is still a real issue for me, and also, I tend to err on the repressed side of caution. I feel that everything I animate is just a little dull. And the motion might all be correct for the most part, but there's no wow factor to it. So I think I need to start trying to exaggerate things a little more.
...That sentence illustrates the problem exactly. I end a sentence about exaggeration with the words "a little more". Aaaaaargh! I need to get out of that mindset! I'm going to exaggerate things! By a lot! That's what makes it exaggerated!
So anyway, let me know what you think of it so far. Thanks for dropping by, I appreciate you reading my woffle :)
Weightlifting animation blocking from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Monday, 22 February 2010
Tennis Refining Pass
Have worked really hard on the tennis shot, putting in a lot of hours over the weekend. I'm starting to see it come together but there are still alot of areas that need more work. I think the beginning is starting to work, but the running backwards and the fall still have plenty of room for improvement. I'm glad I was able to really put the hours in, but it's a little frustrating to spend so much time working on it, and only see it improve infinitesimally!
Agreed with feedback last week about it all being too fast, so I cut the racquet spin. Was really sorry to have to let that go as it was one of my favourite parts, and I felt it really added to the character. However, I think the shot as a whole is working better now it's got some more time, and that's what counts.
By the way, I've removed the ball at the end as I needed to re-position it, but didn't have time. It will be re-instated for the final!
Thanks a lot for stopping by, let me know what you think!
Agreed with feedback last week about it all being too fast, so I cut the racquet spin. Was really sorry to have to let that go as it was one of my favourite parts, and I felt it really added to the character. However, I think the shot as a whole is working better now it's got some more time, and that's what counts.
By the way, I've removed the ball at the end as I needed to re-position it, but didn't have time. It will be re-instated for the final!
Thanks a lot for stopping by, let me know what you think!
Tennis - refining from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
Tuesday, 16 February 2010
Tennis - next pass
Here's the next pass at my tennis shot. It's starting to come together (complete with new ending now), but still got a long way to go.
However, I thought I'd post it for those interested in seeing my progress - hoping the next pass should be a LOT better! (... I hope)
Still need to work on the hands in a lot of places, and the fall is supposed to be a lunge at the tennis ball that's out of reach, rather than a pathetic stab at the tennis ball that's practically at his feet.
However, I thought I'd post it for those interested in seeing my progress - hoping the next pass should be a LOT better! (... I hope)
Still need to work on the hands in a lot of places, and the fall is supposed to be a lunge at the tennis ball that's out of reach, rather than a pathetic stab at the tennis ball that's practically at his feet.
Tennis blocking plus from Sarah Knight on Vimeo.
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