Animating group movement begins with identifying the overall energy ‘feel’. And in this sequence, the chiru (Tibetan antelopes) are purposeful, springy, carefree and unconcerned to the children that are inadvertently blocking their path.
From here, a sense to general texture and pattern of group movement begin to emerge; though still inward and abstract in manner, it will subconsciously dictate how things will unfold.
Since there are 2 main interacting elements- the antelopes and the child, it is best to approach each component separately.
TINY, being the main focal point was animated first, followed by the chiru.
To arrive at an organic texture and not becoming overly busy to overall group movement, (based on scene criteria and length), 3 antelopes were animated each with own individual mindset and mechanic variations but within relation to the herd overall mindset.
They will then placed into scene like straight-ahead without knowing exactly how the whole will look-
- One chiru at a time with Tiny as anchor.
- Adjust placement and entrance points through real-time playback.
- Variations to pattern of repeating chirus.
- Keep in mind the back-and-forth subtle switching of focal point between Tiny and the chiru.
By reusing same chiru animation several times to building herd movement, the repeat pattern generates a calmer feel. But since they’re placed differently in relating to group pattern, they don’t appear as reused animation. (It also saves time and still achieving an uncompromised result).
One thing to keep in mind while animating individual element in a group scene- it doesn’t need to be flawless in timing and mechanic to commanding solid attention on its own, long as it works within overall group. For example, chiru in variation 2 in above clip is a bit stiff and not quite right; (it would need to be further refine if it was the only element in scene).
Likewise in reverse, if all the separate chiru would command full attention on its own including perfect individual timing, the scene might appear overly active when all are combined together.
Here, color exploration of the Chiru sequence by Geefwee Boedoe. (For more images of his work on My Little WORLD, please click here.)
5 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link
http://rainplace.net/wp-trackback.php?p=393
October 26, 2011 at 9:17 pm
alex vaida
Hi Mike,
This is one heck of a trick, very clever. I haven’t bumped into this before. I’m keeping things very simple in my short, largely because I’m afraid to put myself into a corner. ( It’s limiting, I know, but I have to deal with this approach for the time being ).
Thank you very much for generously sharing this information. it will come in handy later, when I muscle the nerve to tackle groups in 2d animation.
Best,
Alex
October 28, 2011 at 12:42 am
rainplace
Thank you Alex for the many feedback
And in regards to 1’s and 2’s, they really have a distinct texture in motion; a mixture of both work best for me… it really depends on the ‘feel’ you’re aiming to communicate. This ‘feel’ comes across in texture of motion- 1’s, 2’s or 3’s.
i think i’ve posted drawings corresponding with exposures in many past posts (You might have come across them?). And for the exposure sheet and me, it’s like bookkeeping and i don’t fill it out until everything has been determined.
My timing is set through real-time playback and then record the frame exposure right on each drawing. It’s a workflow that is personal to each; some plans everything on the ex-sheet before animating. Hope you’ll find what’ll work best for you.
And you are right- there is no one universal absolute way, only personal.
Happy day to you in Australia
October 28, 2011 at 9:42 pm
alex vaida
Yes, Mike, I found them, thanks. This coming week I will finish reading them all.
I’m always curious to find out about other people’s workflow. I am still emulating bits of various techniques, it’s a melange. I try not to ignore what my instinct is telling me though.
About the last advice you gave me - the digital part - I am being stubborn I guess. I will only switch to a paperless application when I really know what I’m doing on paper. I went on and spend a small fortune on paper, I’m getting it shipped from UK.
On another note, I read an old post of yours and at the end of it there was a peaceful picture of some ducks on a lake. It reminded me of ‘Fly Away Home’ ( filmed in beautiful Canada ) .I saw many years ago, it didn’t star ducks but geese. It’s a wonderful that I think would appeal to your sensibilities.
Have a great weekend,
Alex
October 30, 2011 at 10:59 pm
David McBride
Beautiful work as usual! Thank you for showing us how you built this scene in all it’s stages. It really helps to get a grasp on how to approach a scene like this. Did you think if you did more than three variations the scene would have looked too chaotic?
October 31, 2011 at 1:04 am
rainplace
Thanks Alex
I saw ‘Fly Away Home’ a while back; very beautifully made!
Thank you David
Yes I feel that for this scene, one extra variation might make things too active and didn’t want to invest the extra time to find out; I think it’s also good to learn to spend just the right amount of energy per scene need, since it takes massive amount of time in our work.