maya modelling process

At the minute i am creating the models for the animation and because i am fairly new to the 3D process and i have to create SEVEN models and rig them i have decided to break the process down into parts for example i have begun with modelling all the faces first so that i don't forget anything and whilst i am in the flow creating face models i should be able to create them quicker and hopefully keep me on target for the rest off the project.

Character modeling

So i am currently in the modeling stage of the project and had many complications at the beginning but i am picking things up now but i wanted to have the final 3D models smoothed out but during the modeling process I've been experimenting with colour on the 3D models and when the models aren't smoothed and still with the block effect it picks up the surrounding colours and light more effectively which is a major factor for the animation and in certain areas of the model they have their own colour as for if the model was smoothed out it would have a gradient. Another reason i also want this style is because the Johannesburg football stadium (where the final will be held) will have a shell around the stadium which has i similar style so i would like to incorporate that into the style.

To the left is the blocked style which i think will work great to pick up different tones and shades, (green and yellow ambient lights)

Establishing shot

One area that i am having trouble with is deciding on what i want for my establishing shot. I know that i want it to show a desert or field but i am having trouble on where the camera should be, how many different shots should there be and how long should it be, so i will look at opening scenes for movies and see how they tackle this problem.

Mission Impossible 2-



For this movie they it looks as if they begin with a shot where a helicopter seems to be patrolling the canyon, flying past mountains which lets you see a large area of the the environment which in turn helps the viewer to get a better idea of where they are.
The camera then closes in on the main character who is climbing the mountain but still roaming the scenery capturing both the action and continuing to capture the establishing shots.

Storyboard examples

I've placed some examples of storyboards below to see how they are structured and give me examples of various styles of storyboarding.

This is a storyboard from the cartoon MIB The series, what i like about this storyboard is that it is clean, neat and you can tell easily what is meant for each frame.

The only thing i would do differently is have some annotation on whats happening and have some arrows to show movement.

This storyboard is from the Street Fighter - Chun Li movie. This is a little different to the example above in that it does have annotations, has the arrows, and i also like the layout especially the pan section because you can understand better what the scene is meant to look like.

Camera angles for football

As i have been looking into camera angles for superhero's, i now want to look into camera angles and shots for football adverts, films, cartoons and any other mediums that i think can benefit my animation.

Firstly seeing as there are so many football adverts i will look into them and see what types of angles and shots they tend to go for and try to pick out their strengths and weaknesses if any.

The Spark - Lionel Messi
Below is a new advert where one of the best players in the world (who will be in my animation) is the focal point and who is known for his speed and dribbling which is why i have chosen to look at this advert in particular.


What i have noticed from this sequence is -

• They will have the player running full speed then in slow-motion then back to full speed which i think works well because once the slow-motion section ends it does give you a sense speed, a burst of speed.
• They have lots of close ups of the legs, to show the control of the player.
• Also the camera angles cut quickly from one angle to another which gives you a sense of urgency, speed, agility of the player by how he evades these challenges from all angles. When the angles change they change from medium shots to close ups of legs to wide shots which i think works effectively.
• At some points they use a handheld camera which gives it a more realistic feeling, maybe to give the illusion that you are in there with them point of view shots.
• They show the player from many angles running past multiple players, dodging tackles, changing direction instantly.

Joga Bonito

Another group of adverts i want to look at are the Joga Bonito adverts because i want the animation to show the fun side of football and these adverts are all about showing that.

How i think the adverts show the fun side of football -

• It shows the friendship and togetherness between the players off pitch.
• Players working as a team and having fun, joking, laughing, celebrating...
• Players expressing themselves with the football, showboating...
• getting past your opponent with skill, flair...
• Play the way you want to, have fun...
• Determination

Nike: Take it to the next level

Going back to camera angles in football adverts this commercial uses the first person view (where you are the footballer) to give a realistic feel to the ad.





How i think this commercial communicates in an effective manner -

• Firstly the first person view gives the illusion that you are the footballer and part of the advert, game,
• The other players approach the camera which makes it more believable,
• The camera is hand held which gives you the movement of the player.
• The advert also shows the development of the player from playing for his local team to playing for his country
  

Camera angles for broadcast

I have looked at camera angles for broadcast so that i could apply these shots to the animation to give it a football match feel. Below is a link to highlights for a football match.



The main camera angle used for broadcast is the sequence from the start of the video to 8 seconds in the video, this captures a large area of the pitch which could also be good for me so that i could show the landscape i create for the animation.
also from this video it also shows you angles from replays which i never thought about having replays in the animation but could be a way to go and the reply angles capture the action better as you see from the time 15 seconds in, to 20 seconds where you get a better shot of the goal.


Camera angles for 3D animated cartoon - Galactik Football

I have looked at this animation previously and now want to focus on the camera angles they use throughout their animation and i think the angles and shots used .



Shots that I've noticed and that i think work well -

• Lots of low camera angle shots
• Players run towards camera
• over the shoulder shots whilst player approaches their opponent
• Players run from behind the the camera (off screen) to on camera, running away from camera
• in certain areas they have a split screen shot where they show the footballer with the ball and on the other screen they have the opponents approaching her rapidly, which i think captures the intensity of the scene perfectly.
• Matrix style shots where the player is mid -air and the camera rotates around them
• Birds-eye view
• Depth of field where one player is close to camera with the ball and crosses it to the other side of pitch to the player where that side is blurry but gets more clearer as the ball reaches him.
• From the other video of Galactik football on the blog (football animated TV shows) there are scenes where the camera changes from the regular angles they have throughout to a more broadcast shot and the screen changes to a blue tint to show that which has a more realistic feel to it, shots at 1.25 - 1.28, 2.26 - 2.30, 2.34 - 2.36 , 3.57 - 3.58

Camera angles for superhero's

Now that i have almost completed my script i want to look at what type of shots and camera angles can work for my animation, because i am aiming my animation at a younger audience i want it to have a superhero style theme so i will be looking at those types of shots in cartoons, movies, illustrations and TV, i also will be looking at camera angles in football matches to give it more realistic feel and camera angles in cartoons and films.

Superhero shots

From all the different types of mediums that i have viewed superhero franchise's upon, to me the superhero always has a strong pose, they have shots where the camera angle is quite low to the superhero's face so maybe that they look bigger and it does look more dramatic.

Poses

Camera angles/shots

Another thing that is different in the superhero movies is that the camera angles are a lot more diverse than regular films due to the fact that the superhero's can fly, leap buildings and so on, so the camera angles have to be more creative in capturing those moments.

Luckily for me someone has made a montage of the first Incredible Hulk film that displays the way the camera angles are shot to cope with a superhero character which is below, i particularly want to look at the Hulk franchise because he has some of the physical attributes that i want some of the players in my animation to poses such as speed, strength, jumping distances (not to Hulks extent) and i want to see how the shots cope with that.

Link to Hulk clips - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5JsDylEPNh0


Below is the trailer for the Silver Surfer movie, i decided to look at this to see how the camera angles cope with the speed of the superhero and to see if i can apply that method to my animation.

From what i have seen, the superhero approaches the camera from a distance and rapidly passes through the shot head on then the camera quickly changes angles to see him heading of in the distance.
Another thing i like is how the superhero Human Torch leaves a trail of flame behind him which i think can help to show the speed of the character, maybe i could incorporate this into my animation by adding glow trails/lines...




I also want to gain more knowledge on camera shots and angles and i have been looking around for examples and i came across a video that has helped me in realizing what other shots are possible.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZwbsYgZ7d-8

I have also looked at a book called "How to draw comics the Marvel way" by Stan Lee and John Buscema and they give you a few examples on how camera angles can make a big difference to the scene, which i will post shortly.

Research into visual styles

I've recently been trying to figure out what i want for my animation in terms of visually, i already know it's going to be bright, toon shade, simple character designs but i wanted something that will help me to decide what the environment will look like, which in turn will help to fit the whole style together.

I came across an animation a few months ago called "Pivot" which i have posted below which i think could have a big impact on the style of my animation because from already what i stated about what i want for my animation this animation covers a lot of those points.
In visual terms i think this animation captures the mood of the sequence perfectly by the unusual block modelled scenes and characters which capture the light and shade tones perfectly, which is what i will need for my sequence because it will be bright as South Africa is Known as the Rainbow nation.
Also i want a style that is clean cut, superhero-ish style but the environment style in this sequence could also work well because from artworks, textiles... i have come across from South Africa they are very expressive which i think the style of the "Pivot" animation can project across.

Pivot from Pivot on Vimeo.

Breaking down the BBC 2002 promo

I looked at the BBC World cup 2002 promo a little while ago and i now realise that my promo is going in the similar direction, so i will look at that promo again and break it down to see how they structured it and to see if anything can be of any benefit to me.


It looks as if the script of the animation is similar to many action/fighting films I've seen where the the narrator talks about there being a special tournament for the best fighters in the world and only the best are invited (similar to the world cup that it takes place every 4 years and only the best teams qualify).
Below is a movie from the 80's called Bloodsport which reinforces my point of view, the first 20 seconds of the clip are the most relevant.


There are other movies that take this similar approach for the promotional trailers such as Mortal kombat, Bruce Lee movies but i think the Bloodsport trailer above shows it the best.

Below i have tried to break down the BBC World cup 2002 promo to help me in my development of my script.

• The narrator sets up the story by telling you about the tournament (what it is, how often it is held, who can enter it, where it's held)
• During the narration at the beginning the sequences onscreen are quite sombre (Zidane sitting in changing room preparing for the battle/game, in the reflection of the players eyes are of historic moments in World cup history, the 4 men heading towards the launch room not talking)
• Once the launch button is pressed a flare is shot into the air where everyone knows that the tournament will now begin (Japan flag bottom corner, they were hosts)
• Players training see the flare and know the tournament has begun
• David Beckham in a recovery chamber with a metal foot because he broke his foot just before the tournament and he was England's big hope to lead them to victory
• Zidane places the World cup into a container showing that they are the winners of the previous World cup
• Players from different countries all head towards the football stadium with the football, while the footballers showboat and working as a team, whilst crowds watch them
• At the end tournament name first, then the broadcasters after
• Throughout the commentators commentate over the animation just as if they would in a football match