Spring Break

Here's a little bit of what I have been working on this week of Spring Break. For Experimental Animation, I am doing a rotoscope project - which definitely involved me lip-syncing a small meow-rap by The Death Set. Animation III has me working on a scene from my short that involves an attitude-walk (a dance in this case) with an abrupt change at the end.
I also have a goal of trying to finish roughs for every scene of this cow short over break, so more is on the way!

Hardcow Storyboard Update & Rooster Crow Pass 2

New storyboard pass I have been meaning to get off my chest! I feel like it is long overdue, and I definitely feel that I can finally, genuinely get the ball rolling. It's funny, once I break it down like this, I see how simple the story really is - dancing cow dances through a barn and finds a dance opponent - I feel immensely better about tackling it.

Here's an update on the first scene as well as the twisty background/behind the barn from the beginning. It's come a long way since last time (last thumbnails: http://sarahmaeschmidt.blogspot.com/2013/01/in-class-cow-gesturesrough-storyboard.html; first attempt: http://sarahmaeschmidt.blogspot.com/2012/09/media-arts-seminar.html).

"Hardcow" Character Development

Animation III: Rooster Keys/Extremes/Notes

Emotional Acting Process #2

Second big pass/final pass for now - before the clean-up, I want to do another pass with more of a bouncy stomach and a smoother/more believable "landing" after he throws the boom box.

The next project involves facial expressions - I am going to do the final showdown of the pig and the cow. Angry, competitive close-ups followed by confusion and disappointment. Deer-in-the-headlights.

Motion Graphics/Animation III slam

After a busy week, I finally have time to slap an update on the blog! First is my first project in Motion Graphics (a piece I will be finishing up before the end of the year), the second are in-class sketching exercises from Animation III, and lastly is a work-in-progress of my antagonist Pig for the 30 second short project. The goal is to show emotional acting: The pig is acting, "challenging".

Animation III In-Class Sketches and Project Keyframes

Our first project - which will go toward our final/30 second short - is to animate an emotion-based action. I chose a scene featuring a pissed pig who challenges the protagonist cow, throwing down the boom-box before their throw-down battle.

Below are drawings from in-class last week, where we watched a Charlie Chaplain short and proposed random feelings/objects for our character to interact with. The drawings in red were done by others during a quick critique.

Animation III In-Class and Roughed Mickey

In-Class drawings from a Daffy/Porky short, and a rough timing exercise for Animation III. We were given all of these Mickey conducting keys (Symphony Hour) and were told to utilize arcs in the hands as well as get creative with our timings and in-betweens. Song credit = NOFX's "All Outta Angst"

In-Class Cow Gestures/Rough Storyboard Thumbs