Class 3 Weeks 1+2: A Little Pick-Me-Up

Hey There,

Well Class 3 is under way and after a Q+A swap I became a student of the amazing Mike Gasaway.

"Make something simple look complex."

These were words of advice for planning our first class 3 shot.

And so...bring on the Box Lift!

Index:
1. Video Reference
2. Thumbnails
3. Pre-Blocking
4. Blocking Pass (with Mike G's limit)
5. Outside Commitments

1. SO MUCH REFERENCE!

Some fun takes that I really enjoyed, but everyone's feedback recommended a heavier box, and the heavier the box the less fancy I could get with the takes. I kept filling the box with books until the box was so heavy, or I was so tired, that I could only perform a basic box lift.

Here's my selected reference:



- Some good use of traveling forward and back as well as side to side.
- Get to throw the box!
- Good for demonstrating weight, balance, and force.

2. Thumbnails

Simple drawing with specific notes on the movement
- Drawing the pathways of feet and hands was something I learned to include in my thumbnails.




3. Pre Blocking

Something I found useful,

a Blocking Pass with no timing.

The idea is that peers can easily flip through the keyframes and check the poses. This works because the AM Public review sections allow frame by frame flipping.

4. Blocking:

Mike Gasaway's instructions were to use only 8-12 different keys to tell our story. This limit was to get us thinking about Story Telling Poses, a unit more basic then key poses.

Some steps are missing, but I was able to focus on greater detail with less poses.

5. These first two weeks have been tough having to balance many different responsibilities. In addition to Animation Mentor I'm also taking a summer school course in reading and composition, playing the lead in a professional production of Footloose the Musical, and working as a designer and programmer for my college Marquee. Everything takes time, and some things have taken a backseat to larger priorities, but all in all everything has worked out pretty harmoniously. All my homework is getting done, my lines and dances are getting memorized, my work is on schedule, and my AM work is showing signs of improvement. 

I guess with everything going on, I needed a little Pick-me-up.

Thanks for stopping by.

--Max

Many thanks and gratitude to the AM Technical Support Staff.

This week wouldn't have happened without them.

Uhh...Houston, We have a problem.