Week 6 and 7 - Dialog and GREEN.

Hey guys!

Missed last weeks post because I went home to visit the family....I got to feel our BED

- Our FOOD- and the GYM......Man I love our home

.....It was Hard to Leave....good thing i get to go back in 7 days....

so.....after the short flight back to Portland.....I was Back into the mix at work- since I last wrote I have gotten 2 more approved shots- this makes 3 -GREEN-

director approved shots are going to be up on that BIG screen as of todays date.

So first things first- Its HARD HARD work guys.....nothing comes easy in this medium. I am busting my arse every single day....and fighting for every single frame. I feel like I am in a constant state of struggle...ha!

as painfull as it can be and taxing to the mentals.....I keep telling my self that all this pain and uncomfort....is making me stronger and stronger every day.

This is the kind of experience that shows exactly what you are made of.

Somedays I feel like just running home to my comfy life

and getting right back into what I know how to do...

But then I think of how this moment of emotional weakness -struggle that

I am feeling is actually where I am growing the most ..... that kinda GROWTH only comes with hard Uncomfortable work.....

or Gamma Rays?...ha!

so....

I have finished the crowd scene and it was definitely the most challenging shot I have EVER done.........people seemed to like it.....but I think it came up a bit short....It was Director approved though so I am moving on...happily... Ha!.

One thing about that shot that I was told by some of the sr. animators....

If theres something in a shot that bugs you....do a cut back.....meaning- delete the frames you dont like and try again......

With Producers breathing down your back to finish by certain times thats a hard decision to make sometimes.

And In a case like my shot I was doing 3 frames an Hour!!!!.....so every frame was PAINFULLY achieved.

.....It was a hard decision but I am glad I did it.........I would have been cringing everytime I saw the shot for the rest of my life...ha!

the other approved shot was - a pretty simple POV....that had animated Dangers. I was very happy to add more green to the list.....

Last- Monday I was assigned 3 totally NEW shots .... and 2 Totally new sets.

I have worked on 4 Unique sets so far .....and every time I get a NEW one its like walking into a the Candy Trees and chocalate river room in Willy Wonka and the Chocalate factory.
Its jaw on the floor AWE!!.....so cool......Dorky Smile ear to ear.

Monday morning also came with my first 2 dialog scenes from another part of the film......these were a totaly suprise since I thought I was mainly going to be focusing on my Big ACTION sequence.

....after being briefed.....and the super talented rigger giving me a NEW amazing multi geared axis to control some set pieces that the character is interacts with.

I was off to do 2 dialog rehearsals- about 3 -4 seconds a piece.......

The rehearsals went well and were some GOOD Old fashion stopmotion animation FUN.

I wasn't as stressed on these shots for some reason- I just used what I know about animation and Dove right in....I went home at night and was really Happy and excited to get back in there the next day.

Ill find out next week if the one I actually Launched on is going to be approved? Fingers crossed.

{Something learned}-

In feature stop mo- we animate the faces seperately- in cg way before we get to the set- We actually go into a facial animation team- and sit down with them and go over the dialog.....we work out all the details on the computer . Then the performance has to get approved .

at that point it goes to the set and you get your exposure sheet. This is pretty exciting for me...because the face is where so much the magic happens ....and I am able to just focus on that part of animation before it gets all complicated....

After approvals....its off to the face KIT guys....and they deliver your replacement faces on set....ready to go.

Now....on set....while animating....you still improvise....if you posing doesnt quite read good enough with the expressions....they will provide you with some extra faces to mess with.

Lighting-

Posing - or levels of your extremes- in facial work can all call for change .....during a dialog.

This is very exciting to me...... when the character starts talking and expressing feelings before your very eyes its quite thrilling!

Tricks of the week-

Jriggity