Unit 1 practice based research

Through different animation exercises in unite 1, I have more understanding of animation production. I think the most important thing is the flexible use of performance references. Performance references are very important for animation, and the accuracy of animation action bases on this to a large extent. However, over-reliance on the reference action will also make the animation performance become rigid, because the performance reference is still from the reality, it is impossible to achieve the animation character as vivid and exaggerated. Therefore, it is necessary to use the performance reference thoughtfully, which is a very important knowledge that I learned in this unit of practice. For example, in the push project, I copied the acting reference exactly in the first edition, and the character didn’t seem to push too hard. I made the changes by referring to the rhythm of other animations.

Another very important knowledge is the different rhythms of movement of different parts of the body. I think this concept is an important marker in animation to distinguish between real humans and robots. For example, when a person is walking, the feet may have completed their movements but the hands and arms are still moving because of inertia. The movement of different body parts with time intervals is more in line with the movement law in reality. The characters will be more relaxed and lively. This is also a skill that I still have not fully mastered, and this is my attempt at this knowledge in the silent film project. I’m trying to keep my head and hands off the same frequency when the character plays the cello.

Probably the most interesting part of unit 1 for me was the 2d pathway where I was exposed to a lot of different animation software. Even if the final products are all 2d animation, the animation logic used by different software is completely different. For example, vector animation in animate cc, or production logic similar to cgi animation in after effect. If I can use different software proficiencies maybe I can take advantage of the different characteristics of each software, play to their strengths to make different parts. For example, blender can be used to assist 2d animation to make some scene-related actions, or after effect can be used to add different materials to the animation.