Month: October 2023

Week_02_001: About the basic elements of art

Art has seven basic elements: line, shape, color, texture, space, form, and light and shade. They are the building blocks of any artwork, and they can affect its style, expression, emotion, and meaning. Different artists use different elements to create different artistic effects. For example:

  • Line shows movement, rhythm, direction, and structure. It also creates visual effects like perspective, contrast, and hierarchy. It also shows the artist’s personality and emotion, like smoothness, roughness, softness, or tension.
  • Shape shows the outline, structure, and spatial relationship of objects. It also creates visual effects like symmetry, balance, and rhythm. It also shows the artist’s thoughts and ideas, like abstract, realistic, simple, or complex.
  • Color shows the texture, light, and atmosphere of objects. It also creates visual effects like light and dark, gradient, and contrast. It also shows the artist’s emotions and meanings, like warmth, calmness, joy, or sadness.
  • Texture shows the surface features, texture, and feel of objects. It also creates visual effects like three-dimensional, realistic, and change. It also shows the artist’s technique and style, like rough, delicate, heavy, or light.
  • Space shows the location, size, and distance of objects. It also creates visual effects like depth, perspective, and illusion. It also shows the artist’s idea and layout, like open, closed, concentrated, or dispersed.
  • Form shows the three-dimensional sense, volume, and spatial relationship of objects. It also creates visual effects like transparency, reflection, and shadow. It also shows the artist’s imagination and creativity, like real, fictional, deformed or combined.
  • Light and shade show the light source, shade level and atmosphere of objects. It also creates visual effects like contrast level, hierarchy level, and emphasis level. It also shows the artist’s emotions and attitudes level, like bright level, dim level, tender level or intense level.

Week_01_002: Definition of animation

Issue of ‘realism’ in animated films.

 Animation is not just a visual technique, but a way of exploring the metaphysical aspects of reality. Choosing an animation theme and expressing its ideas and emotions is challenging for animators. Animation can also challenge the rules of reality and give objects life and meaning. Animation has the potential to create a distance from reality, allowing animators and viewers to communicate their rational and irrational thoughts and desires. This is related to the ancient meaning of animation as a “flipping book”, which often had erotic implications in Europe.

Realism is more of a label to distinguish animation styles, and animation films that stick too closely to realism often face a serious question: Why animate this work at all? However, this kind of animation can be seen as “animation with documentary tendencies”. Through the texture of animation, the audience is distanced from the feeling of the real world and pays more attention to the content of animation, as well as the enhanced artificial perception of reality.

Week_01_001: What to tell is a story, and how to tell is a narrative

None of the tools of narratology is higher than the other one. All the evaluation of narration must be based on “What better effect can this narrative method bring compared with other methods of the same dimension”, and the focus should be on the “effect” itself rather than the “narrative method”

One of the examples of excellent narrative techniques in sci-fi films is Interstellar, directed by Christopher Nolan. This film tells the story of a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole to find a new home for humanity. The film has a complex and intriguing narrative structure, as it switches between different timelines that are affected by the relativity of time and space. This creates a sense of mystery and suspense, as well as a philosophical reflection on the nature and meaning of human existence. The film also combines scientific accuracy and imagination, as it shows realistic phenomena such as black holes and wormholes, and explores themes such as love, family, and human destiny that go beyond science. The film is a captivating and thought-provoking sci-fi adventure that inspires awe and curiosity about life and the universe.

Week_001: The complex hair system may be based on Maya’s hair modeling

Summarize what I learned：
First, you need to design your hair style (groom) in digital content creation (DCC) software, such as Maya or Houdini. Then, you need to export your groom as an Alembic file, which is a familiar format for exchanging 3D data.
Next, you need to open Unreal Engine and activate the plugins and settings related to hair rendering and simulation. After that, you can import your Alembic file as a Groom asset, which is a special type of asset that stores hair data.
Then, you need to edit your Groom asset in the Groom Asset editor. Here, you can apply varied materials to your hair, adjust the level of detail for different distances, enable and tweak the physical properties of your hair, and debug your hair using various view modes.

Adding a relevant URL in case I need it.

Summary of today and future animation ideas

I have a general understanding of the game engine interface and how to use it. I’m looking forward to learning about the animation tools in the software, including scheduling virtual cameras and rendering sequences, in the next class. When reflecting on the animation I want to create, I still intend to focus on children’s themes and maintain consistency in my production style.

Tomorrow, I plan to learn about creating hair materials in Unreal Engine’s Material Editor. I want to simulate the appearance of biological hair using these materials. In future animations, I’ll explore using the material editor to achieve realistic hair effects.

Understanding of animation narrative structure

Linear Narrative Structure:

Linear storytelling is the most usual form of narrative structure, presenting the story in chronological order. The typical linear structure consists of four stages: beginning – development – climax – end. For instance, both Snow White and The Lion King employ a linear narrative structure.

Non-linear Narrative Structure:

Non-linear storytelling breaks down the chronological order, showing the story through flashbacks, repetition, or jumping through time. This structure can add suspense and complexity, engaging the audience. For example, both Memento and Inception employ non-linear storytelling .

I think the narrative structure in animated films or other types is a delicate balance of scene composition, character arcs, and thematic exploration. Filmmakers choose their approach based on the intended emotional impact and overall message they want to convey to the audience.

Week_01_002: Relearning anticipation of the 12 Principles of animation

Anticipation is an important technique in animation, it can make the animation more powerful and rhythmic, but also can increase the audience’s sense of participation and anticipation. The principle of the preparatory movement is that before a major movement, do a movement in the opposite direction to accumulate strength and tension, and then release it to form a strong contrast and change. The use of preparatory action can be adjusted according to different animation styles and purposes, sometimes exaggerated, sometimes subtle, the key is to conform to the laws of physics and character personality.

But how do guys practice these techniques？

SHOOT REFERENCE VIDEO

Observe and analyze real motion. You can search for videos on related topics, or record yourself or someone else’s movements, to see what pre-movements are involved in different movements, what their form and function are, what their speed and amplitude are, and how they affect the effect and mood of the movement. You can also observe the movements of different people and animals in the park or elsewhere, noting the details and characteristics of their preparatory movements

DRAW STORYBOARDS

Draw storyboards and shoot sheets. Before you start animation, you need to draw a storyboard to summarize the story and scene of your animation, determine what actions you have in your animation, what actions need to be prepared, and what direction and time are the preparatory actions. Then you need to make a shot sheet to arrange the content of each frame of your animation, including key and intermediate frames of action and preparatory action, sound and music, background and Angle of view, etc. This will help you control the pace and flow of your animation, and it will also give you a clearer idea of what you need to draw.

DON’T FORGET TO CHECK YOUR ANIMATION

Check and modify your animation. After you have completed all the frames of your animation, you need to check and revise your animation to see if your preparatory movements meet your expectations, if they have strength and tension, if they have rhythm and variation, if they are interesting and engaging. You can improve the effect and mood of your animation by adjusting the direction, amplitude, speed, timing, etc., of your preparatory movements. You can also enhance the charm and style of your animation by adding some details and special effects.