Correct hand posing

I've done some reference photos with my grandad's old camera, to get an idea of how the hands should be shaped in my current "The Deep" test

Serious face is serious :V

Resizing issues

Been trying to resize a camera object that is made up of several parts. It keeps coming apart!

EDIT:
Apple + G = Group Selection
Group Selection + Scale = WIN!

Rookie mistake, but I'm glad I got round this with the modeling genius, Fahran! Thanks man!

Smitten - Tower shot revised

Oh dear. It's not the best bit of animation I've done.

Well, it's taken me a while to get this animation to this point. I think some bits of this shot are ok, and then I think he is walking so awkwardly too. Ughh.

After this shot I need to animate him cartwheeling, and then after THAT will be doing some shots that focus on expressions. Yay, my speciality!

The Deep - Shot 8 Playblast 1

OOOoooooOOOooo

So, what dya think?

This shot is the part where Kid has already left the sub, and is looking around the ocean before heading for the massive iceberg. The shot has the blocking done, and some bits of animation on the shoulders and hands. I parented the box (camera subsitute) to the boy's hand, so that I don't need to faff around with animating them separately.

Had some issues with animating the left hand. It kept doing that weird spinning thing that happens occasionally, I think probs because I rotated it wrong. Anyway, I fixed that problem. I have also realized that I should have placed the camera in his right hand, not his left. I'm not sure whether this'll be a problem right now, but I had agreed with Mel that his right hand is his strongest. Mmmm. I shall discuss this further with Mel later. We need to keep in cognito. The beginning part shoul probably be a little slower too. He's underwater, so I think he should be a bit more slow motion.

The next stage is refining the arms and hands a bit more, then animating his head and legs. :D

*IPP* Showreel!

*IPP* Louie Del Carmen

Louie Del Carmen wrote a very kind e-mail giving me some feedback on an animatic I did a while ago! Here's the correspondence below:

Dear Emma,

Sorry it took so long to get back to you.  Now for the feedback to your short......    

Overall I like the idea of the story.  I like the "hunter becomes the hunted" theme and thought that you told the story as best as you can with the boards that you drew.  Here's my recommendations on how you can best improve your work:

BOARDS:

1.  Drawing -  although boards tend to be rough, there is a certain line quality and level of drafting that is expected.  Basically what you see on most "art of" feature animation books is what you should shoot for as far as quality of drawing.

2.  Staging/Framing/Compositions -  Some of your shots are decent but overall I am missing some dynamic cutting and framing as well as use of creative staging. 

3.  Acting / character development -  I'd like to see you come up with designs that are really appealing and pushed.  Consequently I feel that your contrasts in acting can be pushed further as well.

ANIMATIC:

I felt that the timing is very even and quite sluggish overall.  The animatic or reel is your chance to simulate movement and animation so use it your advantage.  Learn better timing and spacing and plan your shots more carefully.  

OVERALL:

Improve your drawing and film making and your boards will improve concurrently.  Remember that you are the film maker which means you are the director of your own movie.  Therefore you have the responsibility of holding the audiences interest and you should do everything in your power to make your story the best as it can be.

I hope this helps.  Take care and much luck.

Best regards,

Louie

------------------------------------

Name: Emma Wyton 
Email: emmawyton@hotmail.com

The visitor commented:
------------------------------
Subject: Feedback on animatic


Hey Louie!

I just want to start by saying congratulations on all the fantastic work you've done! I am immensely inspired by your success and have really enjoyed looking at your work and watching your interview on CGMW. I am a huge fan of Dreamworks, and had a riot seeing Megamind recently

I have been working on my storyboarding and animatic skills lately at Ravensbourne College in England, and recently completed an animatic for a pitch.

I was wondering whether you could give me a little feedback on how I can improve. Would that be okay? I understand you are busy with the recent film "Rise of the Guardians", but if you do have a spare moment, I would greatly appreciate it!Here's a link to the vid. My friend helped me upload it. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7qIApav73IThank you very much!

I look forward to hearing from you

 Emma Wyton

 All in all, extremely positive, though it definitely highlights areas of my work that needs editing, to help perfect it.

*IPP* Possible contact for storyboarding opportunities

This is an e-mail I got from a guy our family have known for ages. There's a long story behind this, which I will describe briefly.

His wife needed somebody from Ravensbourne to come to a careers evening at the school she works at. I came along and helped provide information about the college to the students there.

Terry was there, and he said that he might need somebody to help storyboard for various productions in the future.

Anyway, here's the e-mail he sent. 

Hi Emma,

This is the company that develop the motion capture technology, for which they have a variety of uses as you will see.

http://www.animalive.com/

I can certainly take you to see the Looney Tunes show at Butlins but we may have to wait a few weeks yet before I am able to do that.

As for the storyboarding... this is something we need from time to time.  I will keep you posted on our projects and let you know when we might need a storyboard produced.

Best wishes,

Terry Morrison

I'm really glad I helped out with the careers evening, because it has proven that I am a responsible and hard-working person, who is committed to animation and Ravensbourne college. It has also provided me with some work experience in the future! Great stuff!

Also, oooo Looney Tunes show at Butlins! :O Yeh there's motion capture involved, so I might be able to get involved somehow :D