Complete Model and Rig (Screenshot PDF):
Animatic (+30 secs.):
This is the original animatic, which shows the whole story.
Animation (30 secs.):
Unfortunately, I have not managed to finish the animation, so all I have are snippets of what is more like a pre-viz.
Demo Reel / Character Turnaround (Playblast & Rendered):
Short Art of PDF & Lighting Tests PDFs:
Music:
This is the first version.
This is the final version.
Screen-Shots of the music - finished - in Logic Pro.
Reflective statement and overview of the project:
Since I started this project in year 2, I had a very blurry and undefined vision of what I exactly wanted to tell and how I wanted to show it. This led to the project idea and story to change a lot, going back and forth as I was indecisive. I thought of dropping the whole idea numerous times and go into a different direction with a new story that would be unrelated to the original one. But for some reason, I kept going back to what I already had planned, so I decided to keep it and find out what was the problem with it and how can I change it to make it work. In the end, I settled for the short premise of 'what it's like to learn another language' in a certain way that does not necessarily voice this idea but rather represents it in a symbolic way.
Another factor that has negatively affected this project - other than my own debate and 'war' with it - was the unfortunate and serious pandemic since the early months of this year, that made in more challenging, as many others - including myself - have found it much harder to do anything as we usually do, due to all the unexpected problems that were out of our control.
The rigging and skinning of the character still need work and refinements in order to be as smooth as possible. Rigging and skinning is something that I always found the hardest to do, and I still have a hard time trying to wrap my head around it. Personally, I find this part of the process the least enjoyable and successful. I tried to be very mindful and not make mistakes, but unfortunately, I still see that there is still a lot to learn, as for example pay more attention to shapes clipping through each other.
Setting up the lighting was also a bit challenging. However, I am sort of happy with the way the lighting works with the character, as I think it makes the model shine a bit brighter as I was aiming for a somewhat 'robotic' look.
The animation, similarly to the rigging, still needs work, as it is more like the beginning of a pre-viz, rather than an animation short. I also acknowledge that I need to pay more attention to and refine loose parts of the model, such as the zipper or the weight of the jumper, so they become less stiff and would flow better.
I found the planning, designing and modelling of the character the most enjoyable, as that part of the creation of a project has always been something that I greatly enjoy and I tend to be the most excited for. I think, since designing and creating the character is something that I find the most fun and engaging in any project, this is something that I particularly would like to improve in and maybe move my focus on these steps of a project the most.
Overall, I had a rough start with this project and has not finished it in a way I hoped I would. This outcome is admittedly not only the fault of external issues and events but also mine. I have been distracted by different factors and found myself unmotivated a few times, and I have not been the most successful when it comes to time management. This is something that I wish to improve on in the very near future and move forward. This project has been a very good direction for me to realise and settle with what parts I enjoy doing, and which parts I would rather prefer to leave to someone else. This is not my stronger project, but I think in the end I learned quite a few things from it, both in a technical perspective and in a more emotional and mental perspective.
So in conclusion: the animation needs to be finished and much more attention; the rigging and skinning need some work and more refining, but I am fairly happy with how the model, lighting and model's texture came out.
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