Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Navone, Hartline CTN talk 4 animators approach same scene

CTN 4 anim
ators
Aaron:
3 things going into shot, Rig, Audio, & word: Villain
First rough lip sync
Allows to not overanimate, having some sync makes it easier to sit a pose longer and watch him talk.
Focus on key words where the acting will be strongest
Lipsync first moves you forwards towards deadline while still allowing you to think about things.
Next: Poses, characters zero, Big lebowski. (could take a day or 2)
Needs to let you go someplace, be able to introduce the layers and figure out who he really is
Simplify: don't put to many keys in, name that tune
what can I pull from my experience to fill in this character (Hanibal lecter (I didn't try to be evil, I just tried to not blink and blink very controlled) And Aunt Nancy (just a flash of rage occasionally)
Does it have a progression, go somewhere?
Ask around, get advice.
Rob: Job Applicant
think of the context, putting self in situation what are the pressures what are your goals.
Can I find a single pose to take me through the whole shot? How does it look with dialogue played over?
Thinking about the metaphor for entire shot of the fine line between cocky and confident, it's a question of back posture.
Lighthouse, the most important control as reference for all the rest. In this shot used the neck (like a chicken or bedroom intruder) so he uses the neck a lot for this guy doing a job interview. Animating the neck first out of the key pose. Then copy paste that around and adjust it, using forwards motions as basis for torso or head.
Then what details can be sprinkled on top. (spinning in chair, nodding yes but saying no)
Don't forget your instinct gut ideas, dont' let them get washed away in the repetition.
Victor: Polititian
likes the idea of a person with high status
First start with research of similar things (politicians speaking, what common hand gestures?) Adding paint to pallette, gathering ideas for possible gestural language.
Think about restrictions of scene, and backstory of character.
think about status in multi character shot
Goals wants to be confident and rebut attack but stay seeming nice -> which goes into subtext he in insinuating his opponents an idiot
A lot of thumbs. A lot of vid ref (10 minutes) try different versions.
wasn't feeling a throughline, so broke down the dialogue into subtext to choose poses to underline the subtext, thumbs gesture for each subtext
sketch blocking
Michael: Mentor
who is the character and what do they need to do. Never betray the character, only do what the character would do.
Get to know the char, list actors or family you know well, list adjectives that describe the char
So if need to know how your char would do something can go to how the actor has already done something (Kahn reacting to kirk being alive = Ego reacting to ratatoiulle)
Pays attention to energy of dialogue, low energy = small gestures big WHAT?! = big gesture
Focus on inward/outward talking to self or other (thinking vs delivering)
Timing and Texture
Balance the energy, an old man will move slow but he might blink fast so it's not boring.
Progression A to B to C is too straightforwards, put an A1/3 in there. (thirds are more dynamic than 1/2) breaking it up like that reduces the energy and adds texture.
relatability: how closely the audience can relate to what the character did (I would never do that, that's evil)
Characters choices are greatly based on where they came from, what their history is
Think then Act (or else it looks like a bad actor who memorized lines)
Status (control, who can most easily do or stop someone else from doing, who is doing the least and accomplishing the most)

LIttle Witch Academy

I want to watch these but don't have time, so I'll stick it here to get back to later hopefully