Lipsync Reblock

So I've decided I have no idea how I prefer to spell 'lipsync(h)'. I don't think it matters, but I would like to have a preference. Especially as I'm going to be teaching English in South Korea! My best friend and I got two job offers today! So much excitement. :D

On top of that, I got my THIRD A- in a ROW this week! Dana also mentioned me in the Q&A as one of the best assignments this week. She says my exaggeration is awesome. I am so happy.

She also said she's going to start grading us even harder, so that's good (in the long run at least :P).

Here's what I've done this week. Look out for next week's coming up soon!

Lipsynch Ahoy!

I am no longer leprous and I am back in the game! Woo!

The past two weeks have been all about our first dialog shot. First it was planning, with my three favorite clips from the last blog post, and then it was blocking and focusing on expressions.

Let me just preface this by saying.... I'm on my second A- in a row. Feels good, man. Especially with how much harder the grading is this term.

The work has also started taking twice the amount of time, possibly because there are twice as many controls. My body mechanics are really starting to come together, though, which is a great feeling.

Here we go!

Doing an animatic for these made blocking SOOO much easier. My mentor really appreciated it too.




And the blocking! Bishop was kinda tricky to work with, but it's still probably the best rig I've ever encountered.


And our expression studies:

Onwards and upwards! TO LIPSYNCH!

Here's my final playblast of my last assignment:




I like how it came out. There are still some things I can tweak here and there, but overall, I'm pleased with it.

This next week is planning for lipsynching! Our first dialogue shot. That will be due the last week of term. This really is a make it or break it kind of semester.

Here are the clips I'm choosing from:

Week 4!

I are sick. :(

Turns out sick animating isn't nearly as much fun as drunk animating. Fewer a-ha! moments, too. F-- would not buy again.





In other news, I really like my mentor. She keeps Q&As to about an hour long and always has really useful tips. She actually gives us names for the tips too! So when we're talking to other people it's not just, "you know, that thing where you make the rig do this and sometimes it's really subtle, but it can add this kind of flavor? you know?" And she tends to recap the major points she mentioned at the end of each e-critique. Grading is harder, but I feel like I'm doing much better than last term. :)

I'm going to go make myself some Theraflu and play Fable III now.

Term 4 - Weeks 2 & 3

We're doing pantomime! Whee!

Term 4! Intro to Acting

I am officially more than HALFWAY THROUGH! Woo!

This term we're starting on acting. We only have two assignments for the full twelve weeks (which is kind of terrifying): a pantomime shot in which we have 10 seconds to go from one emotion to another, and a dialog shot.

The pantomime is due in Week 5 (currently on Week 2) and we have from Week 6 - 11 to do the dialog.

(Side note: I just realized that I've been spelling anything that ends in -og the British way all my life. Dialogue, catalogue, etc. Since I'm about to be an English teacher, I should probably fix this habit.)

Back to animation!

So my current mentor is Dana Boadway. She's currently freelancing, but she's worked on things like The Backyardigans, the Wild and Halo 3. She is also a dancer who plays guitar and sews. :)

My Q&A is on Tuesday mornings at 7am because that was the only time that worked for both California and South Korea. Where I am going in six weeks. (Insert excited panic here.)

This past week, I've been planning my pantomime.

Here's my video reference:

 

And here's the planning I've done for it:

 The character page is a new part of the Planning Packet they give us, and my mentor really liked the extra thought I put into it! :D I got full marks for this last week and I'm excited to start blocking.

The End of Term 3! HALFWAY!

So this is the end of Term 3! It's been a hell of a ride. This term has been really stressful (in my professional life and my personal life), but it's all over now, and I'll have a fantastic birthday weekend to unwind.

I'm pretty pleased with my progress. I can tell which assignments I struggled on just by watching them, so that's something to work on. I also have a niggling feeling that I'm getting complacent in my abilities. Next term should fix that though: Intro to Acting!

This marks the halfway point. Only nine more months of school and then I'm done forever! I'm super excited.

Anyway, here's my current progress reel, including all the work I've done for Animation Mentor.