Friday, October 21, 2011

The Last Trimester of my FEATURE adventure.

Hey Guys!

here is another cut in from the fight scene. This is Right after the first trip as flea has rushed Dober. I left some of the pauses longer to allow some editing room later.
In LAIKA news-

Allmost Holloween -Laika Created Pumpkin
and I am just a few months from returning to L.A.....Jeez Time has flown by!!

I am One shot from finishing my second BIG sequence on the film......It feels very amazing to think I have come so far from my first days here. The Sequences were just storyboard animatics when I first got here....and Now they are living breathing animations....ready for the BIG SCREEN.

I am SUPER comfortable at work now.....and do not feel much stress anymore other than my feet hurting and sometimes not living up to my personal expectations.

.......Monday will put the lid on my second finished sequence.......
and next week will be my Transition to my most exciting and Challenging animations yet.

What I am Calling -MY THESIS-
Putting all I have learned and all the experience gained from my time here into This Last Piece of the Film before I return home.

I am working with a Bully character in the film.....and will be creating some very Original movements to illustrate his actions and shots.

This will be the very Heaviest responsibility to the film I have felt.
My first 2 sequences are very cool and action packed....but this latest sequence is a Crowd favorite....and I am still in disbelief that I was assigned to it.

When we have had LAIKA screenings of the film people always laugh and REALLY enjoy the comedy in this bit......so I am starting to study certain movements

....and really How I am going to translate it to the characters personality.

HOMEWORK- I am cracking out the pencil -MAYA-Youtube- and My own Body in order to be as prepared as possible for the animations ahead.

I Get an awesome new set to work with....and have been watching it in the halls come together....with excitement....Under construction.

One of my other cool bit of news and secret desires on the film was to do a shot with The Hero on his bike......I am happy that my sequence has 2 cool shots with just that. Wooo Hooo!!!

Something about kids on Bikes is very cool to me......It reminds me of many of my own adventures as a kid running free through all the neighborhoods with my trusty Bike.

Goonie's adventures galore.

School Time-

I took note of some things I have been learning recently.....as my work gets cleaner and cleaner.....I am realizing that I am starting to get a softer hand in my work.

I notice that alot of the other animators keep their armatures very Loose. I have always preferred mine TIGHT....Especially in the legs and ankles. I want the puppet to stay where I put them.....

I am realizing that when they do have the looser armatures they are able to do Incredibly subtle movements....but when I have them loose I tend to Bump them out of place or am unable to GRAB the puppets like I have always done .

These guys animate with such a soft hand it seems like they are just Guiding the puppets into poses instead of PUTing them there...I am trying to incorporate more of this into my work.

It kind of like when I first was animating the puppets with clothing. Your clothes will chatter all over the place......so you have to be very smart about your contact points and How much deforming you do within a pose.

I can say one thing about My HARD handed style of animating
.......I get BIG shape changes In my puppets and what some of the guys call...BREAKING the puppet. I get them to really use all of the body like in real life...It has worked great for me so far in my action shots....and I hope to work in both ways as I get more experience down the line.

Over and Out!!

Jriggity

18 comments:

Mexican Viking said...

Justin that is completely awesome. So looking forward to seeing your name on the big screen. I bet it will be nice to head back home too. My projects are on hold but I'm hoping you and Shel can keep me accountable because I have to do this!! Keep it up man!

Shelley Noble said...

Love the lessons you are learning and sharing with all of us, Justin. Way to grow.

Carla (Veldman) Morris said...

Awesome on getting some great shots to finish up with, really interesting about 'soft' vs. 'hard' styls of animating, thanks for sharing!

rich said...

hard vs soft animation. very cool! so fun to hear about your experiences at laika. i can't wait to hear more about your thesis.

TheTabaldos said...

Hey Justin,

It is great to read your blog and learn along with you. I'm glad you and your family have enjoyed Portland and all the rain it offers. :) I hope to be able to see you around Laika or Bent some time in the future. It was great to meet you at the NW film festival and get to chat with you. Thanks for all the sneak peaks and lessons learned. Crystal Tabaldo.

Alonso said...

Interesting ideas about heavy or light handed. I'm wondering how the rigs have affected you're skills? Because you can't adjust the tensioning on a wire puppet in the middle of a shot, like you can with a fancy pro one, has having top of the line rigs to play with helped you improve (fighting less with the pupet), or is it just a different approach you have to take?

Glad you've got you're feet under you now, not feeling so stressed. Awesome to have an epic piece of the movie be yours, nice that it's already getting good response in the boards so you have that as a guiding map if anything isn't coming through right.

Keep on rockin it :)

Anonymous said...

Ah, I so wish I was a part of this production. It's my fault for not applying. What fun... What a challenge... What all in life I've been lacking. To be a on a team, to work with friends... I've give anything for that.

I salute you, Jriggity. You've accomplished every animator's dream- to get paid to do what you love, and to be respected for it.

If you need any tips on bully acting, I can tell you that they are heavy handed, pushy, and never off balance. They also look evil whether frowning or smiling. Bullies are sociopathic tendencies, personified.

jriggity said...

MEXVIKE}thanks bro! me too....and ohh yeah...I am ready to go home....My family is ready for me to come home.....just weekes away.

I keep checking your blogs man....so...I wont quit if you wont.I hope Norway is going well man.

Shelly}Thanks shelly- I really am trying to pay attention to my weeks ....so hopefully I can share a bunch as I leave.

Carla}sure thing carla- and these shots are Cream of the crop good stuff....see you at a Theater next year.

Rich}Ill be posting the voyage here man...also...dont know if you heard from one of the older posts...but the actress who played in monster plays the villian in our film.

Tabaldos}Hey Crystal...thanks for dropping by...I imagine if not this film ...somewhere down the line...this biz is pretty small...and I plan on moving and working at LAIKA in the next couple bits.

Alonso}the main thing that has changed in me alsonso....is {MY EYES}I leveled up...ya know..

I see what I couldnt see before...and I am sure you know what thats like...so...even though I am using fancy armatures... My eyes will not change when going back to wire.

so I think the transition will be very easy on me.

The rigs- I definitelu will miss those....man...they are so freakin helpfull....and I cant match that at home at all....ha!

Goosebumps man...I got BIG OLE Goosebumps watching the trailer...

DREAM STUFF.

Don} I am sure....you could get into the puppet department-RP seems to be the entry level place at LAIKA....just gota keep at it man....

Apply ....and be in the right place at the right time.

keep chasin man.

thanks for the tips..

jriggity

Mike Adair said...

Just saw the awesome poster on Cartoon Brew! I cannot WAIT for this movie!! I haven't been this excited for a movie to come out for some time. Congrats, Justin!

rich said...

that is so cool about Jodelle! can't wait to see the trailer tomorrow!

Alonso said...

trailers out! LOOKS AWESOME! you got any shots in it?

rich said...

wowwwwwwwwwww!!!!!! teaser is freakin cool. This is going to be epic!!

jriggity said...

Mike}goosebumps man!!! goosebumps...

Alonso}YEP sure do...ha! How lucky am I....worked on a large section of the forest stuff... and the shot after HERO goes on the screen with Normon Runing and spikes coming out...Thats mine..ha!

I cant believe my first feature and I get in the teaser trailer...feels unreal...but I get goosebumps watchin it.

Rich}Thanks !!
awww man....you said it ....I Am so freaking excited!!...

rich said...
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rich said...
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rich said...

dude Congrats on your shots in the trailer!!! Amazing animation!! I smell BIIIIIG success! Oscar. No doubt in my mind. You are a part of something so magical! and to see all of your hard work, physical and mental work and positive "you" manifest in this way is so inspiring and incredible! ya!!! You are my hero. Ligit. (always were though)

ps sorry for posting and editing this 3 times. I am typing excitedly!

Unknown said...

Seriously great work!!! I watched the trailer with my coworkers on Friday and we were all just in a stunned silence. The fabrication on this movie looks INSANE and the animation is just beautiful. Congrats!! You have accomplished something amazing!

JON said...

Hey man! Just saw the trailer, BEAUTIFUL! You've got to be freaking out! Congrats on all!