Animate.

I decided to incorporate video reference footage into most of my animation as I saw an improvement in my quality of work. I found from reviewing my animation and comparing it to the video reference footage that, in general, the movement was acceptable in expressing the characters' actions and intent. However, this was an opportunity to enhance the performance quality and therefore, I completed the remainder of my shots using video reference footage.

What I found particularly difficult was animating shots that had both characters interacting with each other physically. I had to consider each character's actions and reactions, making the dynamic of their relationship clear and visible to the audience. I approached this issue by individually acting out each character’s intended performance, thumbnailing the key poses and breakdowns and then synchronising them. It was then a matter of experimenting with the animation’s timing until I was pleased with the outcome.

My process for animating:

Step 1: Video reference.

Step 2: Thumbnail key poses and breakdown poses.

Step 3: Flick between key and breakdown poses to ensure movement work.

Step 4: Add in-betweens, adjusting the timing of the animation.

Step 5: Add small details and slightly change movement to make it look more natural.

https://video.wixstatic.com/video/18b9e9_beb780ae44dc461b909762a889bba882/1080p/mp4/file.mp4

Another issue throughout the animation process was knowing when a shot/ movement was complete. I found myself at times overthinking the quality of animation and began to question its performance. The only solution I could think of was to ask my peers and lecturers for their honest opinions, improving on areas that needed improvement or moving on to the next one if satisfactory.

What I found interesting was that there were days on which I was satisfied with the quality of the animation work produced and other days on which I questioned my ability, skills and, at times, my future in the industry. I constantly felt the need and pressure to better my animation skills, wondering when I had achieved or earned the title of genuinely calling myself an animator. Regardless of my development in this course, it became apparent that I still seek the approval of others.

Reflecting on my time on this course and project, I see a progression concerning skill and understanding of the 2D animation principles. Although I feel more comfortable with animating, I have yet to enter a place within my professional life where I am happy with the outcome of my animation. This is not to say I do not believe my animation is of good quality, but I am an artist constantly trying to improve his work, always trying to achieve the unachievable.