On the first day of the week we had an introduction to LCC’s heads. They told us about the basic layout of the place and how they would support us in anyway they could. We were able to ask questions in the end to the student reps that were available on site.
On Wednesday, we started with a theory seminar that was combined with a few other sections (Animation and VR). The lecturer told us about various film media terms and he also told us about the Animation Brief. We got introduced to terms like Match-Action, Cross-Cutting, POV Shot and Set Design. It was a very informative session I got to learn a lot about the basics of film theory and for the first time I got to understand the thinking behind a director’s shot and how the camera is placed accordingly for that particular sequence. I also got to realize how powerful of a tool background music is for that respective scene. In the end we got to watch a few short videos and Daffy Duck was one of them!
Unit 1.2 Design for Animation Narrative
We caught up with Nigel again for this class and this time he started to teach us about the principles of visual language and the formal elements of visual art. This entailed the elements of art like line, shape, value, color etc. He also told us about the principles of art. I got to learn a few new terms like Fibonacci Numbers, Golden Ratio and The Avant Garde. The class was unfortunately, abruptly interrupted by the fire alarm and all of us had to assemble outside and the class ended that way. Nigel got to show us a video that showed a short line animation which very visually appealing though.
When I tried to apply the knowledge from what I could take from this class, my mind immediately went to most recent Need for Speed game that I had tried out this year. Each car and character is depicted differently, especially with color, values, texture, and form. I loved the art style that was used throughout the game, especially with the animated text that pops up in game. The characters are stylized too which I liked. The main part that I could relate to were the cars, obviously. Each car has its own theme, style and color. For example an old DMC DeLorean would have a rustic premium look, whereas a more recent Bugatti Chiron would have a more sporty cleaner look. The shapes of each car vary too and the amount of customization options in game are crazy!
Unit 1.1 Computer Animation Fundamentals
In this class Serra finally got into the basic working of Unreal and all of us tried to follow along with what she was doing. We got introduced to game levels and how to create a landscape. She also told us that we need to be organized with our folders and that we need to follow basic nomenclature, so it is easier to share files with both our tutors and peers.
The following day we finally met George and what a charismatic individual he is! I loved the way he went about the introductions and the vibe he set when he walked into class. It was extended session as he had to make up for the missed class last week. He taught us the basic principles of animation and he introduced us to Maya. He assigned us an assignment where we had to animate a bouncing ball. We were told to use a rig online and animate in any method we liked, like pose to pose or layering. At the same time we got a brief tutorial of Maya’s interface from George, especially the stuff related to animation.
The link to the video of my ball animation is given below: