Month: March 2025

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Project 1

Week 9

Part 5 – Refining the Beginning and Facial Motion Capture

“funny quote here”

While much of the previs focused on blocking out the sequence, this week shifted towards refining the opening scenes, ensuring they effectively set the tone for the animation. Lighting played a crucial role in shaping the atmosphere, guiding the audience’s emotions from the very first frame. By experimenting with different lighting setups, the goal was to create depth and contrast, reinforcing the weight of the story while keeping the visuals engaging.

Before

After

By balancing technical experimentation with storytelling refinement, the previs continues to evolve into a more immersive experience. Each adjustment, whether in lighting or character movement, helps bridge the gap between a rough animatic and a fully realized scene, strengthening the foundation for the final animation.

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Project 1

Week 8

Previs Part 4 – The Shift from Reality to Fantasy

here me out what if I just…….

As the previs nears completion, the move from reality to fantasy becomes a major focus. While the chess encounter stays rooted in reality, it transforms into a more abstract, psychological fight. This move allows for more experimentation with framing, motion, and visual narrative, which increases the drama of the action.

Along with this progression, final touches are being given to older scenes to improve their clarity and timing. These changes guarantee a consistent flow throughout the animation, highlighting critical points while maintaining the overall pace. With each modification, the previs gets closer to a finished narrative that successfully combines reality and heightened drama.

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Week 7

Previs Part 3 – Refinement and Exploring New Perspectives

I’m getting too old for this stuff

This week’s progress concentrated on improving prior shots while gradually adding new ones, resulting in a refined and unified progression. Experimental technologies like 3D scans have been studied as part of the unit; however, this week opened up new options for depth inside the previs.

A visit to Tate Modern provided further insight into abstract storytelling. Various artists used fragmented imagery, shifting focal points, and layered compositions to evoke emotion and challenge perception. Most pieces had different ways of expressing art however enjoying more literal art did make some art underwhelming.

This approach aligns with the animation’s evolving visual style, particularly in its exploration of shifting perspectives blurring the line between reality and imagination during the chess match. Lighting, framing, and motion will be key tools in emphasizing the psychological intensity of the game.

The week reinforced the importance of abstraction in storytelling; encouraging a more dynamic visual language in previs development. using inspiration from anime much like Death Note where the 2 main characters often are engaged in a battle of wits and smarts, This paired with the trip to Tate Modern unlocked a deeper understanding of this animation.

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Week 6

Previs Part 2 – Distinguishing the Characters

You can’t outthink me if I don’t even think

As the previs develops, one major problem is ensuring that both characters—Prod Igy* and Maximus—are easily distinct in the rough animation. Previs is largely concerned with blocking out movement, staging, and camera angles, making it difficult to portray character identification in the absence of final models, textures, or full animation. To get around this, I added a second rig to differentiate their silhouettes, movements, and positions from one another.

wanting to experiment with camera angle and staging. Both play an important role in highlighting these distinctions. Maximus’ authority can be emphasised by placing him in a more dominant posture in some shots, whilst Prod Igy’s underdog status might be highlighted by using lower perspectives.

Ensuring that both characters are distinguishable enhances the visual flow and strengthens the narrative. By addressing these elements early, the foundation for the final animation becomes more solid, allowing the storytelling to shine!