Gerry Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 I'm working on a new project, a music video for a song called "Cicak" by an American musician in Singapore. this is just a quick animation test using Squetchy Sam and a snippet of the song to warm up my animating skills. Just body animation so far, no face work. Comments if you like. SoloTest_h264.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSpleen Posted April 25, 2009 Share Posted April 25, 2009 looks good, like to see more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted April 25, 2009 Hash Fellow Share Posted April 25, 2009 Will he be performing the song? Or is he more of an interpretive dance? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsjustme Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 Great start, Gerry! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 No, he'll be singing the song, just haven't done any face animation yet. I think I will do a longer clip. This went faster than I expected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bigboote Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 AMTrack! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 Ya know I just might! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted April 26, 2009 Author Share Posted April 26, 2009 Here's a slightly longer clip, still no face work though. It's looking a little floaty to me in spots the more I look at it. SoloTest_v3_h264.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyGormezano Posted April 26, 2009 Share Posted April 26, 2009 It's looking a little floaty to me in spots the more I look at it. Part of the impression of floatiness could be attributed to the fact that many of the arms/hands/fingers positions changes appear to "float" into their next position (ie, they move with torso) - Try some extended holds (which will produce a tension) and then quickly snap into next position (ie - take less frames to change position to move over a greater distance). Try not to have everything move at once. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted April 27, 2009 Author Share Posted April 27, 2009 Thanks Nancy! I may tweak this a bit more and get the face working. This is all just practice, I'll be building a model from scratch for the actual video. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted April 28, 2009 Author Share Posted April 28, 2009 last night I video'd myself lipsynching this clip and I must say the way I move is quite a bit different from the way I've animated it! So I'm going to start over and work in a little more detail. I may wait until I create the actual model, or I may continue working with this setup just for practice, which I need badly. Isn't there a story about Abe Lincoln upon meeting Mary Todd at a party, said, "I want to dance with you in the worst way." And he did. I know my animation isn't terrible, but I can see that it's lacking in the crispness that comes with actual animation training. Or to quote "Ed Wood": Investor: Mr. Wood, do you know anything about making movies? Ed Wood: I like to think so! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted January 1, 2011 Author Share Posted January 1, 2011 This is the music video project I mentioned in the other thread. I've got an animatic of the first verse on YouTube from back in July, but I guess I never posted a link here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nxNEeKBrWQ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted January 31, 2011 Author Share Posted January 31, 2011 I've been doing a lot of organizing and pre-production work on this project. I've completed a shot list, including whether each shot will be 2D, 3D, a combination, or a re-use (some imagery will be repeating), a list of models I need to create and whether they're sets, props, or characters, and next I think I will be creating a full-length animatic. Also making progress on the two main characters (a boy and a girl, natch!) and developing better character designs with a more pronounced silhouette. I'd been struggling with the girl character, both in her design and the kind of dress I've been imagining, and doing a lot of sketching, which wasn't going well. Then last night I had an intuition that I should look at some of the dresses in the film of "West Side Story" (the entire film is available on YouTube in short segments!) and lo and behold, I discovered that Rita Moreno's dress and dance in the "America" number was EXACTLY what I'd been imagining for the last two years I've been working on this! So, problem solved. I'll be doing a short dance sequence for the girl and I'll be using that movie sequence for inspiration. I've committed to completing a certain amount of work on this project over the course of the coming year but I've been slammed at the day job for the last three months, one fire drill after another. It seems to be slowing down at the moment so I was able to get some preliminary work done on this over the weekend. I'll try to post some sketches this week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeSlice Posted January 31, 2011 Share Posted January 31, 2011 I was able to get some preliminary work done on this over the weekend. ... You mean ... at home ... on your own time? ... . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 1, 2011 Author Share Posted February 1, 2011 I know, it was shocking to me too! I'm still getting used to the idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 And here's the young couple now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Here's one of the street scenes I've been working on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Forwood Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 This all looks great, Gerry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 Thanks Paul, it's nice to be back working on it again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeSlice Posted February 4, 2011 Share Posted February 4, 2011 That's looking good Gerry. The set might pop a little more if you paint some gradients and a few little details and apply them as decals to the building and sky. Perhaps even some hand painted lighting effects... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 4, 2011 Author Share Posted February 4, 2011 One more before I head home. Holmes you read my mind. I'll be doing some hand painted decals to enhance the "painted" look I'm after, and even thought about using the sky from the color sketch you can see in the animatic I've got on YouTube... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2nxNEeKBrWQ There will be a lot more done on this before it's finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Wow, I just finished my first test ever with SimCloth and I must say I'm impressed! This is just after playing with it for an hour and a half or so, starting with the "Wave the Flag" exercise in TaoA:M. SkirtClothTest01_h264.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Forwood Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 Wow is right! Last time I played with cloth I spent days trying to get a reasonable performance, but that was at least a couple of years ago. Well done! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 7, 2011 Author Share Posted February 7, 2011 Here's one more of the street scene, with a little more texturing. Also replaced the left palm tree with a better one using hair for the leaves. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeSlice Posted February 7, 2011 Share Posted February 7, 2011 What about some groovy gradients like in this image? Just throwing out ideas.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 Or like this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeSlice Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 oh yes. love the sky in that one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheSpleen Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 very nice style! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 8, 2011 Author Share Posted February 8, 2011 This is looking kind of sluggish. I need to play with the keyframes to get a bit more sass into these dance steps but I think it's a good start. Ultimately the geckos will all have different coloration and there will be a lot more of them. GeckoDanceTest07_h264.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NancyGormezano Posted February 8, 2011 Share Posted February 8, 2011 cute! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
itsjustme Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 LOL! That's cool, Gerry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fuchur Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 cute! Very cool geckos Gerry! *Fuchur* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Forwood Posted February 9, 2011 Share Posted February 9, 2011 Heh. Perfect addition! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Rodney Posted February 9, 2011 Admin Share Posted February 9, 2011 I can almost hear the music Gerry. Looks like they are groovin' to the beat. Great (and fun!) idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 9, 2011 Author Share Posted February 9, 2011 thanks folks! I have a newer version of this, but all I did was change the colors a bit. I don't want to post *every* freakin variation so I'm going to wait to post something that's a real step forward. No pun intended. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Here's the model of the guy. I'm still refining things but any comments on the mesh are welcome. The hands need smoothing but I'm not sure if I've got too many hooks there and in the face, and if the face is over-splined or under splined. EDIT: The colors are temporary! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Forwood Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Looking good, Gerry. I think that you could lose at least one spline ring from around the mouth, probably two, and yes I would be concerned about having hooks near a joint. You could get away with detatched arms, if his shirt is staying on, and run those splines all the way up past the end of his sleeves. A few extra patches is better than introducing anomalies on his wrists. (Just my tuppence ha'penny) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 12, 2011 Author Share Posted February 12, 2011 Thanks Paul, all good points. The arms are detached as a matter of fact, so I may do that to minimize the hooks by the wrist. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbenefi33 Posted February 12, 2011 Share Posted February 12, 2011 Those are pretty neat character I like the toon style town and the gecko. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Here is a series of four various walk and dance cycles. I'm still playing around and getting comfy with the rig controls and keeping in time to the music. The first segment is just a walk cycle, the second and third are two different views of the most elaborate dance step I've done, and the last is a walk cycle, then he licks his eyeball and goes into the dance step. In the dance steps I've gotten a little lazy and mostly kept his feet flat on the ground, so they're just sliding back and forth. Because of the way I'll be shooting these scenes that will be sufficient, but I may continue to refine these so they can be shown from any angle. Danceand_WalkTests_h264.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Bigboote Posted February 16, 2011 Share Posted February 16, 2011 That reminds me... I need to shop for lower auto insurance... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 16, 2011 Author Share Posted February 16, 2011 Here's another test of the "eyelick" shot, a recurring image that will be used as a segue between some shots. A lot of these tests need to be a little snappier, my first attempts all look a little sluggish. But it's a start. EyelickTest_02_h264.mov Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 20, 2011 Author Share Posted February 20, 2011 I've posted a complete animatic of this video over on Vimeo rather than here, since the file size was pretty large. I"d be happy to hear any comments! http://www.vimeo.com/20167713 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mouseman Posted February 21, 2011 Share Posted February 21, 2011 Wow, it's really coming together. I like the repetition of the visuals, and I don't think it's over done. Pretty decent color model that goes with it; I like how some scenes have the color changing. One area that you might already have covered ... the sequence with holding the photograph and then the closeup of the man sitting (repeated a few times, for example, from 0:08 to 0:13 and 0:13 to 0:21 and 0:26 to 0:37) seem a bit long. It might be good to have some other "business" in there. Another suggestion for something to try (I know, a bit beyond the animatic phase) ... have you done any reference video for the soulful-singing on top of the building parts? Keep it up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Thanks mouseman. Those are all good points you make. Getting some reference for the singing is a great idea too. Glad you liked it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hash Fellow robcat2075 Posted February 21, 2011 Hash Fellow Share Posted February 21, 2011 Here's another test of the "eyelick" shot, a recurring image that will be used as a segue between some shots. A lot of these tests need to be a little snappier, my first attempts all look a little sluggish. But it's a start. that's a neat idea! There's probably a shot of a real lizard doing such a thing to use for reference. I think he will open his mouth less and get more horizontal wipe with the tongue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted February 21, 2011 Author Share Posted February 21, 2011 Sure there is, I found it on YouTube! I bookmarked it about a year ago but didn't look at it prior to this test. Mostly I've been sweating just how to rig the tongue for this, downloaded a sample prj from someone here with an extensible tongue and was completely baffled and intimidated by it. Then last week I realized I could do it completely in muscle mode and did this in about a half hour! So I'll go back to look at the video and do this over. Though I'm still a little thrown by a lot of rigging things, I'm way more comfortable going in and tweaking cp weights, redoing things that don't look right, and generally getting more comfortable with rigging/animating as an ongoing process rather than something I'm stuck with. That last paragraph makes my work process sound a lot more dire than it actually is, and your comments are really helpful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted March 4, 2011 Author Share Posted March 4, 2011 Here's a still from West Side Story. I want my girl character to have the same style of dress as this pink one, a very full skirt with fluffy crinoline underneath. I will be doing a cloth material so the dress can flip and flounce, which works fine in my tests with just one thickness of geometry. But how would I accomplish this crinoline look? A hair material? several layers of geometry in the skirt? I don't know if this is doable, just looking for suggestions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gerry Posted March 18, 2011 Author Share Posted March 18, 2011 Here are two test render stills, one of the street for the sax solo, and one for the opening shot in the guy's house. Both are still being worked on. The final animation will all be toon-rendered btw. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Rodney Posted March 18, 2011 Admin Share Posted March 18, 2011 This should be a very interesting music video. It's also quite an undertaking. I look forward to your updates! A thought for the repeating scenes: If you render those out to large resolution you may be able to zoom in and or pan a little and keep those images fresh and new as they are repeated. If you end up at the end with time to spare (always unlikely) having several cameras set up and re-rendering from a slightly different angle will help to hold the viewers attention. I guess what I'm trying to say here is that adding even the slightest changes to these repeating sequences will increase their interest exponentially. Whereas the opposite is conversely true and using the exact images will detract from the quality of the piece. The goal I would set for myself were I doing the piece would be to progress those similar sequences just a little each time we see them. The geckos on the wall for instance might progress ever so slightly up the wall throughout the music video but in each individual sequence this would hardly be perceived. (So in those shots perhaps only the background would change) Viewers looking for texturing and detail would certainly sense they were different and perhaps spend more time with your imagery. My concern is that while the words of the song must necessarily keep repeating, the imagery must really strive to avoid that unnecessarily. Planning that progression now will save a lot of time in the rendering stage. This requires a little non-linear workflow but as a test to see how successfully you've accomplished this progression you could play each of these similar sequences one right after another (out of sequence) where observing those in order will allow you to see the progression clearly and make adjustments as needed. There should be something new (even if only a little color/brightness change) in every sequence. At any rate... for your general consideration. Your animatic is looking really good Gerry. Very impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.