This week was a bit hectic as we had to catch up on assignments and start research work as well. I finally got my part-time shift too, so I need to manage my time better for academics and work.
Unit 1.2 Design for Animation Narrative
Nigel talked to us about the different ways we could do language of editing for conveying stories. He introduced us to the fundamental aspects of narrative structure and that way we could delve deeper into exploring the terms and explanations related to the concept of story arcs and the roles of characters within narratives. I found out how important each character is to a story and the amount of thought that is put into making.
The film I chose for my analysis is my all time favorite, and that is Disney Pixar’s Toy Story.
The 8 point story arc:
- Stasis: Andy’s birthday visitors show up, causing distress among his toys, who fear being substituted by newer, more attractive versions. It’s intriguing to observe the filmmakers’ clever portrayal of Woody, the protagonist, seemingly “rejecting” the conflict. Despite sharing the same concerns as the other toys, Woody dismisses his worries and pretends he’s immune to the potential of being replaced.
- Trigger: One of the gifts for Andy happens to be a sophisticated new Buzz Lightyear toy, instantly replacing Woody from his revered spot on the bed. Although this occurs within the continuous sequence that commenced the movie, a visual cue hints at Woody’s displacement from his initial normal setting: upon Buzz’s arrival, Andy and the children inadvertently push Woody under the bed, symbolizing his transition to a “new” world. Emerging from under the bed, Woody enters the adventurous realm of the Second Act, where Buzz reigns as the favored toy.
- Quest: Attempting to discreetly displace Buzz behind the desk, allowing Woody to accompany Andy to Pizza Palace instead, Woody inadvertently hurls Buzz out of the window. This moment reveals the genuine antagonist in the narrative: Woody’s rage and resentment towards Buzz. It’s Woody’s emotions—his anger and bitterness directed at Buzz—that serve as the pivotal factor in this situation, not Buzz himself or even Andy’s fondness for Buzz.
- Surprise: After accidentally marooning themselves at a gas station and then stealing a ride to Pizza Planet, Woody and Buzz are “won” by Sid in a claw machine. Sid takes them home. Although Woody’s attitude toward Buzz has been subtly shifting ever since knocking him out of the window, this is where we see a true change. Now, thanks to their outer circumstances, Woody and Buzz literally have no one but each other. They must work together and behave as friends, even if they aren’t yet friends.
- Critical Choice: While attempting to flee, Buzz catches sight of a TV advertisement promoting Buzz Lightyear toys, leading to his realization that he isn’t the authentic Buzz Lightyear. In a desperate endeavor to fly out a window, he breaks his arm and plunges into profound despair. This marks the first instance where Buzz becomes the central figure in a critical turning point, yet it significantly impacts Woody and the main storyline as Buzz’s newfound distress jeopardizes Woody’s escape plans. Despite Woody nearly securing a line of Christmas lights between Sid’s window and Andy’s, the revelation of Buzz’s severed arm to Andy’s toys creates a belief that Woody has harmed Buzz, resulting in their refusal to aid in their rescue.
- Climax: Woody initiates a scheme to rescue Buzz, marking the onset of the real climax when Andy’s moving van starts to depart from his home. Woody and Buzz urgently strive to catch up before losing Andy forever.
- Reversal: Woody and Buzz soar into Andy’s car and make a safe landing.
- Resolution: On the initial Christmas at Andy’s new residence, Buzz anxiously anticipates news about Andy’s new toys, only to find out he’s been replaced by a dog instead.
Breaking down the characters into their Archetypes:
- Woody serves as the main character, and his path toward self-discovery and triumphing over personal obstacles parallels the Hero’s journey. But, at the same time he acts as the villain too when he gets jealous of Buzz.
- Buzz Lightyear is sort of like the part hero and he has his own redemption arc. We could argue that he has a slight mentoring role as well.
- Andy could be considered as a Mentor because he owns all of the toys after all, but I’m not too sure where to put him. He is an important character though, as the entire film revolves around him moving his house.
- Sid is the clear villain in the film, he wants to blow up Buzz just for his satisfaction. Woody tries to save him from Sid
- Bo Beep is the love interest here I feel, as Woody definitely does have a thing for her, although not much focus is given to their romance.
Timeline for the main character starting before the film starts:
The following image shows us a brief timeline of how the movie pans out.
Unit 1.1 Computer Animation Fundamentals
Serra talked to us about directional lighting in this class. We learnt about how to adjust the sun’s light and also add different types of environment lighting and play around with the settings. I found this pretty interesting and I tried to implement a bit of this to my own project that I was trying to make. I was able to achieve a morning kind of sunrise lighting for the track environment and I was happy with it.
George guided us about weight shifts and we were finally able to check out a walk cycle animation and how the legs move. We had to use the same “Walker Rig” that we had been using earlier and for the next week, we had to create a basic walk cycle animation in blocking. George critiqued our side to side weight shifts and the three poses that we had created. I had done poses of Wolverine, Iron Man and Spiderman, because they were my favorite superhero’s when growing up! He told me, my poses had to more visible, especially the hands, because to the view has to be more evident. My side step weight shift also had a little feedback as I had to lift the leg more so that it was more visible.
Here is the link to my walk cycle animation in blocking:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1XVbSyGPJ4K4oeXijYmFfvbuZHpRk0l9k/view?usp=drive_link