Pre-Production
Embedded Files
Here is the pre-production stage for this project. During this section i will be creating mood boards, storyboards, breakdown of my audio transcript, referance videos and anamatics. These will help me be effecient during production as i will know what i want to include in my animation.
Breakdown of chosen audio
Here i will be bisecting this audio by placing ideas of what emotions and gestures i want to show at certain points of my animation. The goal of this breakdown is to prepare me for what i want to include in my animation.
I will be using MIRO to effectively breakdown this transcript.
Moodboards
Below are collection of mood boards with a range of images of emotions and gestures I plan to use for my animation. This will provide me with and idea of how the expressions, gestures and emotions should look, helping me to portray them accurately in my animations.
The emotions and gesture reference images i have collected are reflective of what emotions and gestures i discussed in my transcript breakdown.
Storyboards
Below are the storyboards, that showcase what I plan to include throughout my animation with time stamps to show when I aim to act certain gestures or emotions. This will provide me with a clear plan of what I want to include in my animation. Furthermore, these storyboards will not only help me during production as I will know what I want to include, it will also help me during this stage of the project (pre-production) when I create my reference video so I know when and what gestures I should be doing at certain points when filming.
I will start by creating the storyboards traditionally with pencil and paper for a rough idea and layout, i will then translate this to a digital medium (using photoshop) to finalize the details of my storyboard.
The video above includes the time stamps for each line in the audio. This will help me create an effective storyboard that shows the accurate timings for when I want to portray certain gestures and emotions. Furthermore, it will help me film my reference video as I will know when I need to act out certain emotions and gestures.
Above is the first draft of my storyboard, it shows what i plan to include throughout my animation at specific times throughout. This provides me with a plan for my animation i can follow when animating and filming my reference video.
I will now digitize my storyboard using photoshop to create a more detailed, higher quality storyboard that will include my final ideas and poses for the animation, this will provide me with a more effective storyboard i can utilize during production and filming.
Above is my digitized storyboard with that contains the finales poses and expressions i am going to use in my animation. This will help me film my reference video as i will know what to include when i'm filming. Additionally this will help me produce my animation, as i will know the specific times during the audio when i should animate certain poses and gestures throughout the animation.
Next i will start filming my reference video which will help create my final animation during production. To create an effective video i will be filming multiple takes, analysing how i improved upon each take as this will help me find the highest quality take with the best aspects, this will help me produce the highest quality animation possible that includes the accurate emotions and gestures i want to portray.
Below is the main takes of my reference video analyzed, with the positives and negatives of each of them, along with an evaluation on each discussing the effectiveness of each take.
Take 1: (First take)
Positives:
The gestures and expressions in this take are mostly accurate and reflective to the ones I included on my storyboard.
Negatives:
The pronunciation of some of the words in this take aren't clear ( I was still learning the script during this take)
The length of this clip doesn't match the audio length. This would make my reference out of sync with the audio, this would make it inconvenient to animate.
Overall, the first take for my reference video wasn't bad, it included mostly accurate poses that reflected the ones I included on my storyboard yet the timing of this take and my pronunciation of some of the words holds back this take. Take 1 sets the framework that I can build off to improve my future takes, by telling me that I need to improve on aspects such as the timing and pronunciation of the words.
Take 2: (Building confidence with script and storyboard)
Positives:
The poses and facial expressions are reflective of ones I included on my storyboard, yet not as refined as the first take.
Timing on this take is closer to the audio, still not accurate, but still an improvement.
Negatives:
The pronunciation of some of the words in this take aren't clear ( I was still learning the script during this take)
Gestures in this take aren't 100% reflective of the ones included in my story board.
While the timing of this take is improved still not accurate to the audio
Overall, this take is a downgrade on the initial take. As my poses and gestures where less accurate and my pronunciation of some of the words lead to my reference video not being the accurate length needed to match the audio. Take 2 included some minor improvements such as some of the poses, this take laid good groundwork for me to build and improve off for my next takes.
Take 3: (ensuring the speed and timing of gestures are accurate)
Positives:
The gestures and expressions in this take are accurate and reflective to the ones I included on my storyboard and are more refined than the gestures and expressions in the 3rd take
My pronunciation of the words has been improved from previous takes, making it more understandable.
Negatives:
The timing of this take is not accurate to the audio due to me forgetting my lines halfway through this take.
The timing on some of the poses is not accurate as some gestures happen to quickly.
Overall, Take 3 includes some minor improvements on my previous takes as the gestures and expressions are more refined and my pronunciation of words is clearer. Yet this take has one main problem, being the pause between my lines halfway through, this effects the timing of this take and decrease the quality of the whole reference.
Take 4: (ensuring the timing is accurate to match the audio)
Positives:
The poses and gestures in this take are accurate, to the ones I included in my storyboard.
My pronunciation of the words has been improved from previous takes, making it more understandable.
Negatives:
The timing on some of the poses is not accurate as some gestures happen to quickly. In addition, it is also not in time with my chosen audio.
Overall, Take 4 was a massive improvement from the first 3 takes. Take 4 included accurate poses and pronunciation that reflecting my sotryboard and what is said in the audio. Yet the length of this take is the aspect that holds this back as it is to long and out of sync my chosen audio. This would lead to the audio being out of time with the lip sync.
Take 5 : (finalizing the gestures and expressions and making sure timing is accurate)
Positives:
The poses and gestures in this take are accurate, to the ones i included in my storyboard.
My pronunciation of the words has been improved from previous takes, making it more understandable.
Timing on this take is closer to the audio, still not accurate, but an improvement.
Negatives:
The length of this clip doesn't match the audio length. This would make my reference out of sync with the audio, this would make it inconvenient to animate.
Overall, Take 5 was yet another improvement as it had accurate gestures, expressions, pronunciation and the timing was improved. Yet the timing of this take wasn't fully accurate to my chosen audio, this is the most vital aspects to ensure the my reference video quality by making it in time with my chosen audio to ensure the movements and lip sync in my animation are all in sync with each other.
Take 6: (putting everything together)
Positives:
The poses and gestures in this take are accurate, to the ones I included in my storyboard.
My pronunciation of the words is clear and understandable.
This take has the same length of my chosen audio, this allows it to sync to the audio effectively when I start animating.
Negatives:
There is subtle glances to the script on the wall to remind me of a couple of words I was unsure on.
Ultimately, take 6 was the best take out of all of them. It included all the important aspects such as accurate pronunciation and gestures and expressions that reflected my storyboard. The timing / length of this takes was also accurate to the length of my chosen audio, this ensures that my audio and reference video are in sync with each other. The only minor negative about this take is how there is subtle eye movement when I am reminding myself of a few words of the script.
Reference takes reflection
To conclude my analysis, each of my takes effectively build on each other, as I grew my confidence with the script and gestures throughout the filming process. Ultimately, this lead to a reference video that will be effective for me to use when I start the production stage of this project.
Final reference video
Reason for final choice:
Take 6 was my final choice. As it included all of the aspects that are needed to create an effective reference video. Such as accurate poses and gestures that reflect my storyboard effectively, clear pronunciation of what is said in the audio which helps with the lip sync as it provides accurate lip movements that reflect what is said in the audio. The length of takes 6 is also the same as the audio, this allows the audio and the gestures to be in sync with each other throughout my animation. The only negative to my final choice is the subtle glances I do with my eyes yet this doesn't have heavy influence on the quality of the reference video as I can animate the eyes to look forward when I start to create my animations. Overall, takes 6 is my final choice and the take I will be using for reference when I start to produce my animaiton.
Update/ Fix:
(Swartz, 2022)
After watching the video on the left and practicing to implement my reference video into maya i noticed one major problem. My reference video was out of sync with my chosen audio. After realising this i decided to do another take where i would film it while listening to the audio to ensure the gestures and expressions where in time with what was happening in the audio. Below is the new reference video i will be using when i start to produce my animation.
Take 7 (Updated for accurate timing)
To left is me in premiere pro making sure my reference video is in sync with the audio before i start setting up my animations in maya.
To achieve this i overlaid my reference with the audio to make sure everything lined up accurately.
Take 7 is very similar take 6 in terms of it including the accurate expressions and gestures that reflect my storyboard. Much like take 6, take 7 also includes accurate lip movements that reflect what is said in the audio effectively.
The two main changes i made to ensure the timing was accurate for this take was to film it while listening to the audio, i also made sure to leave 5 seconds before and after the take to make it easier to line up to the audio when i put into into premiere pro (this tells me if it will line up in maya or not). This was something i didn't realise i had to do for previous takes
Animation / scene set up:
Next, I will set up the scene in Maya for my stylized, anthropomorphic and realistic animation including the cameras and back ground. This will include setting up the correct cameras perspective and creating a background for my animation using a plane. During this stage I will also be optimizing Maya to aid my workflow, I will do this by ensuring the time line and graph editor are visible and easily accessible. Furthermore I will be putting my reference video in the scene so I can use when I start to produce my animations. Additionally, I will be preparing my unreal scene with similar aspects such as implementing my audio and reference video, along with setting up the viewport and cameras to allow for a efficient workflow within this software, as I will be able to easily access every part of the facial rig and view all the perspectives of my animation to ensure all the poses are accurate and reflect my reference video. Furthermore, due to my lack of skill and knowledge within the unreal, I expect the set up process of my realistic animation to take the longest as I will be gaining confidence in the software as I set up the scene.
Below is the video of me setting up the Maya scene ready for me to start animating. I will mention timestamps and pull screenshot from the video below to show the most crucial parts of the set-up process
Above are videos that showcase me setting up both my stylised and anthropomorphic animation. Setting up these animations was very similar as i will be using the software MAYA for both of these animations.
Some of the most crucial aspects of the setup process are below:
Setting up a background plane
0:00 - 1:26
0:00 - 0:46
Here I set up a background plane, its function is to act as a floor for the character and a coloured background that makes the character stand out from the usual dark grey that is Maya's default colour. To achieve this background plane i create a plane object, applied the transform function to reduce the subdivisions as this helps with optimization, i then extruded the back edge upwards and beveled it to create the curved shape, changed the colour to white by applying a new lambert and finally i resized the plane accordingly to fit the camera.
Setting up the main camera
2:47
1:23
Here i created the main camera for my animation, which is the perspective that my final render will be from. To achieve this i created a camera, moving and resizing it so it shows my desired perspective.
Setting up audio and reference video
9:25
5:53
Here is set up the audio and reference video that i will use to create my animation. To achieve this i dragged the audio into the timeline to implement it into my scene. To implement the reference video i made sure to clock on the main camera to lock the image perspective to it i then,created an image plane and located the file that stores the PNG sequence for my reference video. A notable setting i had to ensure was ticked was the 'Use image sequence' to ensure my reference video would play in MAYA
Additionally, throughout the set up process of these animations i was constantly tweaking the viewport by changing what cameras i wanted to view, this allows for the most effective workflow by allowing me to see all the perspectives of my scene on one screen. Another minor adjustment i made was the moving the characters arms to their sides, to get them into their initial pose that they need to be for my animation.
Unreal / Realistic scene set up
Above is the video that showcases me setting up unreal engine for my realistic animation. The set up process for this style (as expected) gave me challenges due my lack of expreince in this software.
Setting up a background and lighting
Here I am setting up the background for my animation. I achieved this by deleting all of the light in the scene, then adding a light the aims at the character. This will allow for everything to be seen in my animation from the perspective I plan to place the main cameras.
Setting up the main camera
Here I am setting up the main camera for the animation. To achieve this I created a camera and moved it too the accurate place by placing it so it can see the head and apart of the upper body, to capture all the motion I plan to animate for this animaiton. Additionally, this camera angle reflects the one I planned to use in my storyboards and reference video.
Setting up audio and reference video
Here i am setting up the audio and reference video that will aid me when creating the animation as i will know what gestures and expressions should happen at certain times throughout the animation. The implementation of the reference video and audio was the most challenging aspect of the set up process as i ran into a few problems during this set up process. The main issue i ran into was the implementation of my reference video as it was set at 30fps and i need it to be at 24fps, to ensure my reference video was in time with my audio. This was only a minor inconvenience as i overcame it by putting the reference video into premiere pro, changing the frame rate to 24fps and exporting it.
Setting up unreal viewport
Here i am setting up the viewport, this will allow me to be sufficient when animating in this software as every crucial aspects such as the facial rig and the main camera is accessible to me on one screen.
Pre-Production Conclusion
To conclude, pre-production has been successful as i have produced moodboards, storyboards, transcript breakdown and a reference video that have allowed me to plan out what i want to include in my animation, this will allow me to be more efficient during production as i already have a plan on what gestures and expressions i want to include in my animation. Additionally, Pre-production allowed me to set up the scenes in both maya and unreal engine, ready for me to start animating in them. This helps make my workflows more efficient as the viewport, audio and reference video is already set up and implemented into the scene, saving me time when i start production on each style of animation.
Pre-Production Reflection
Ultimately, Pre-production was extremely effective in preparing me for production as i am pleased with how i successfully planned out my animation and filmed my reference video, effectively preparing me for the production stage of this project. Originally, in my time planner i planned to create all 3 animatics for the 3 styles of animation during pre-production but as i progressed through this stage i realised it would be more effective for me to produce the animatic / block when starting each style of animation. This would allow my full focus to go on each style of animation at once with no distractions, allowing me to make sure the quality of each style of animations is high and accurate. Furthermore, using unreal wasn't challenging as i initially expected (while i did run into a few challenges) setting up the scene wasn't as hard as i expected. Due to my lack of experience and knowledge within unreal engine i thought this process was going to be more challenging, yet i am pleased with my initial setup of unreal and feel prepared to start animating in both MAYA and Unreal engine.
I will be producing the animatics / block outs throughout production for as i start producing each style of animation. To allow for a more efferent workflow I will reflect on this sections separately once i have completed all 3 animatics / blockouts. As this will lighten the workload for me going into the tailend of this project, helping the projects be smooth and stress free.
Stylized animation block out / animatic creation
The final part of pre-production ( that could be called the start of the production stage) is creating my animatic / initial block out for my animations. I will be starting with the stylized animation, then moving onto my anthropomorphic and realistic animation in that order. The creation process for the animatic / initial block out for the 3 styles will be below in video format. Below are my final animatics along with the videos that showcase me producing the animatic, with timestamps and screenshot that highlight the crucial steps I took when creating my animatic / initial block out for each style of animation.
Stylised animation animatic / block out progress 1
This video shows how I created the first 6 poses for the stylized animatic. My main focus was on the main poses / gestures that would feature in my animation, as it is important to get the correct timing of the gestures before the lip sync. This helps ensure the lip sync and facial expressions are in time with the audio by using the gestures as markers for when certain expressions or lip movement should happen. Throughout the creation of this I was constantly tweaking the graph editor, as I was copying and moving frames to adjust the timing, this allows me to ensure the gestures where happening at the correct time throughout the animation.
Pose progress stylised animatic
Point (1st pose)
3:49
The intial focus of this pose was to create a pointing gesture as if he was pointing to someone. This pose is on frame 15, this ensure that the poses occurs at the correct time in the audio
Point to self (2nd pose)
11:57
The initial focus of this pose was to create a pointing to themselves with their thumb gesture. This pose in on frame 64, ensuring it happens at the correct time to match the audio.
Point to self 2 (3rd pose)
23:35
The initial focus for this pose was to create a pointing to themselves with a one finger gesture, reflecting the pose in my reference video. This pose is on frame 86, as this ensures that this pose takes place at the correct time in the audio.
Shrug (4th pose)
34:58
The focus of this pose was to portray a shrugging gesture, that reflect my reference video. This pose is on frame 120, to make sure it is in time with the audio and the reference video.
Gun gesture (5th pose)
45:25
The primary focus of this pose was to portray a finger gun gesture, that reflects the one present in my reference video. This poses is on frame 155 to ensure it is in time with the audio and occurs at the correct time in the animation.
play dead gesture gesture (6th pose)
49:25
The focus of this pose was to portray an acting / playing dead pose, that reflect the pose in my reference video and storyboard. This pose is on frame 200 to ensure it happens at the correct place in the audio. making sure this poses happens at the correct time in my animation will aid me when I start lip syncing, by giving me indicators of when he should be speaking and what expressions he should have.
Pose progress stylized animatic reflection 1
Overall, the progress I have made so far on my stylized animatic has been effective. As I have created 6 of crucial poses for my animation, that have all been placed on the correct frame to ensure the poses are in time with audio. My initial progress on this animatic has laid sufficient groundwork I can build of to finalize my animatic / block out and move onto the next stage of my pose to pose workflow.
Stylised animation animatic / block out progress 2
This video is a continuation from the previous video where i was working on the animatic / block out for my stylized animation. My primary focus was on finishing the main poses and finalizing the animatic ready for me to move onto the blocking plus stage my workflow. To achieve this i finished blocking out the last 3 main gestures of my animation and tweaked the timing of the key frames to more accurately reflect what is being said the audio. Additionally, fully keyframed each pose to capture all the movements on one frame, this avoids any movements happening before they should by being keyframed to their accurate frames.
Shrugging shoulders (7th pose)
17:12
Point behind shoulder (8th pose)
20:04
Exaggerated shrug (9th pose)
24:34
Above are the final 3 gestures for my animation. My goal with these gestures was to accurately reflect the gestures in my reference video and ensure the poses are effectively in time with the audio. These three poses are shrug of the shoulders (frame 240), point and turn behind (frame 270) and an exaggerated shrug (frame 315). After, creating the last 3 poses is i went back through my animation to fully keyframe every pose in my animation, as i started to notice un-planned movements in the hips and wrists because some movements hadn't been captured leading movements carrying on from each other un-naturally.
un natural wrist rotation
As i was finalizing the poses i noticed some un-organic wrist rotation. This was caused by be as i rotated the wrist to far causing some poses to flip the wrist back during movement. This was a relatively simple fix as i used the attribute errors to spot any inconsistencies, such as a number being in the minuses when it shouldn't of been, then rotated the wrist the wrist to match the previous rotation values to avoid any un-organic movements.
Right arm control problem
Before i started to finalize the poses i noticed the controller for the right arm was not there, this hindered me as there was no way to control the right arm for my animation. To overcome this i opened previous versions where the controller was there to track it down in the outliner, this allowed me to go back to the present version of my animation and access the controller from the outliner, allowing me to carry on with my animation. This issue wasn't a massive inconvenience, as it only took a few minutes to fix and it didn't have an impact that caused delay. In addition, due to this issue i know understand how to overcome this problem if it ever arises again.
Fixing arm and finger posing
As i was finalizing my poses i also noticed an issue with the arms and finger movement, as they were staying in the previous gesture when his hand where down at the side, this caused some other issues with the arm placement by causing the arm to subtly move or rotate. To fix this i copied the fingers and arm placement from frame and and copied them where necessary to avoid unwanted and un fluid movements.
Moving keyframes
Here iam moving some keyframes, as i noticed some gestures where happening out of time with the audio. To fix this i copied and pasted some poses forward to make sure they were in sync with the audio and happening at the planned time based of my storyboard and audio breakdown.
Pose progress stylized animatic reflection 2
Overall,reflecting upon my stylized animatic, while there is still some much needed work before i finish the animation, the final result of the anamtic is effective as it accurately reflects the main gestures i included on my storyboard and plan to include throughout my animation. Additionally, during the creation process of this animatic i faced few challenges such as unnatural movements and missing controls on the rig. This allowed me to learn the solutions on how to overcome them if i were to face them again, helping to be more efficient if i face similar issues while animating during the production stage. In closing, i am pleased with the final stylized animatic, as it effectively shows my planned gestures at the correct time in the audio and setting up the framework, that will allow me to progress onto the next stage of the pose to pose workflow being blocking plus.
Final stylised animatic / block out
Above is the animatic / block out for my stylized animation. The aim of this is to showcase the fundamental poses that i plan to include in my animation. This is a common practice within the industry that professional animators use to showcase their basic and initial ideas, before starting full production on an animation. To create this i primarily used IK controls as this allowed me to more accurately portray my planned gestures, this allowed the arm to effectively and efficiently to where it needed to be by only using one control on the wrist. The next steps for my stylised animation is to move onto the next stage of the pose to pose workflow which is blocking plus. This stage includes refining the main poses in my animation and adding transitional poses that will aid my animation by making it more fluid and natural. The creation and progress videos that showcase the blocking plus stage of the stylized animation can be found on the production log page of or by clicking here.
Anthropomorphic (animal) animation block out / animatic creation
Anthropomorphic animatic / block out creation
This video shows how I created the first 6 poses for the anthropomorphic animatic. My main focus was on the main poses / gestures that would feature in my animation, this is important to get the correct timing of the gestures before the i start working on the lip sync lip sync. This helps ensure the lip sync and facial expressions are in time with the audio by using the gestures as markers for when certain expressions or lip movement should happen. Throughout the creation of this I was constantly tweaking the graph editor, as I was copying and moving frames to adjust the timing, this allows me to ensure the gestures where happening at the correct time throughout the animation. Additionally, this style of animation provided me with a new challenge of incorporating characteristics of the animal into their gestures and poses, based on my research this is a common practice within the industry when working with an anthropomorphic style.
Blocking out Main poses
Here i am simply blocking out the main gestures and ensuring the occur at the correct time on the audio. To achieve this i slowly progressed through the reference video and audio and moved the rig to reflect each pose accordingly. As i didnt film the reference video in 24fps it caused it to be slightly out of time with the audio. To overcome this issue i solely relied on the audio to place my poses at the correct time. Throughout this process i was pretty confident as i have already completed this stage on my previous animation so i knew what is required for this stage ensuring i dont over animate and use both the audio and reference video to make sure the poses occur at the correct time.
Altering poses for the style
Here i am altering some of the poses to reflect who the characters is more effectively. Initially, when i was animating the finger gun pose on this character it didn't look natural for a dragon creature to be doing this pose. So i decided to change this pose too have both his hands up with his fingers curled forward to reflect how i believe a dragon would attack. Additionally, throughout this animation i was consistently considering how a dragon would do this action (which was difficult at times as dragons aren't real). Going forward i plan to use other adaptations of dragons from media as inspiration for how a dragon creatures characteristics, additionally i could use lizards characteristics to influence the poses and gestures in my animation. Furthermore, i made adjustment to the play dead and point behind pose with the same thoughts in mind.
Using other media for inspiration
Here i am using a clip from game of thrones to help me with the play dead pose of my animation. I was struggling with how to this pose effectively, so i watched this video and it gave me a few ideas on how to effectively do this pose. The main idea that i gained from this video was how the dragon looks up and screams before he goes down and dies. This was an aspect i wanted to include in my animation, so i rotated the head up slightly before he goes down to reflect this. While i am pleased with the result as my animatic shows the basic pose i am going for it still needs a lot of work, this is an area i will continue to enhance and use other media of dragons to help develop this pose more by more accurately depicting how a dragon would act.
(Funny Animals PLANET, 2019)
Overall,reflecting upon my anthropomorphic animatic, while there is still some much needed work before i finish the animation, the final result of the anamtic is effective as it accurately reflects the main gestures i included on my storyboard and plan to include throughout my animation. Additionally, during the creation process of this animatic i faced few challenges such having to incorporate the animals characteristics into its poses to reflect how a dragon would act, avoiding an uncanny feel by making this dragon imitate a human's movements. This allowed me to learn the solutions on how to overcome this, which include using other media of dragons as inspiration on how a dragon would act. Additionally using lizards is another route that may help during production overcome this issue. In closing, i am pleased with the final anthropomorphic animatic, as it effectively shows my planned gestures at the correct time in the audio and setting up the framework, that will allow me to progress onto the next stage of the pose to pose workflow being blocking plus.
Final Anthropomorphic animatic / block out
Above is the animatic / block out for my anthropomorphic animation. The aim of this is to showcase the fundamental poses that i plan to include in my animation. This is a common practice within the industry that professional animators use to showcase their basic and initial ideas, before starting full production on an animation. The next steps for my anthropomorphic animation is to move onto the next stage of the pose to pose workflow which is blocking plus. This stage includes refining the main poses in my animation and adding transitional poses that will aid my animation by making it more fluid and natural. The creation and progress videos that showcase the blocking plus stage of the anthropomorphic animation can be found on the production log page of or by clicking here.
This video above showcases the production process for the block out / animatic for my realistic animation. My main focus was on the main mouth movements would feature in my animation. This will help to ensure the lip sync and facial expressions are in time with the audio by using this rough block out as a guide to when certain mouth shapes and facial expressions should happen. Throughout the creation of my realistic animatic I was constantly tweaking the graph editor, as I was copying and moving frames to adjust the timing, this allows me to ensure the lips where moving at the correct time throughout the animation.
Changing focus / scope of realistic animation
Before starting the blocking out process i made slight adjustments to the aim of this animation due to the timescale changes i set for myself during the production phase of my realistic animation. I decided to only focus on the the facial movement and the lip sync for this style. Focusing on and improving my lip sync skills was the main aim for this project as whole. With this change i altered the camera position and removed the reference video camera (as i was using this for the gestures). This allowed me to be more efficient when animating by only having the necessary cameras in my viewport allowing for easy access to each area of my animation.
Changing background
Here i am changing the background slightly due to the lack of visibility of the facial rig and the difficulty i was having selecting the controls to move the face. The old background was a slight issue that had impact on the efficiency of this stage as i was constantly selecting the wrong controls by accident due to me not being able to see the controls. The background change turned out to be effective as it gave me easier access to the facial rig that i didn't have before. Yet there was still an access issue as all the controls on the facial rig where small and hard to click. After conducting some research on this issues it turned out to be a common problem with metahuman. To solve this i downloaded a plug in which made the facial rig more accessible which i will explain below.
Downloaded facial rig plugin
Here i am installing the a plug in to make the facial rig more accessible due to the impact it was having on efficiency during animating. As i was finding it difficult to select the controls on the face to animate it. After downloading this plug-in it helped make the facial rig easier use as it provided me with another window that contained a simplified and larger layout for the controls of the facial rig. Ths plug-in turned out to be highly effective by allowing me to more efficient when animating due to the controls being more accessible during the production of the animatic and going forward as i progress through this animation.
Blocking out jaw movement
Here i am blocking out the main up and down jaw movements. My main focus of during this stage was ensuring the mouth moved in time to the audio and the amount of jaw movement for each word accurately reflected what was being said in the audio. Furthermore, i made sure to roughly purse the lips on words such as 'go' (which i will further refine during the blocking plus and possible polish stage). Additionally, the block out process allowed me to grow familiar with the unreal animation interface which will help me be more efficient as i progress through my animation as i will know where all the important options and controls are to help me animate.
Above is the animatic / block out for my R=realistic animation. The aim of this is to showcase the fundamental facial poses that i plan to include in my animation. This is a common practice within the industry that professional animators use to showcase their basic and initial ideas, before starting full production on an animation. The next steps for my realistic animation is to move onto the next stage of the pose to pose workflow which is blocking plus. This stage includes refining the lip and facial movements in my animation and adding transitional poses that will aid my animation by making it more fluid and natural. The creation and progress videos that showcase the blocking plus stage of the anthropomorphic animation can be found on the production log page of or by clicking here.
Pre-production Evaluation / Reflection
To conclude on the pre-production stage of my FEP, i believe this stage to have been effective. It has provided me with knowledge and practice with an industry standard workflow through the creation of my animatics. This skill and knowledge will help me in future project and possible employment within the animation industry. Additionally the pre-production process has allowed me create effective block outs for each of my animations which allowed me to progress through my animations effectively. I created effective block outs for each of my animations which provided me with effective timing and poses that further refined during the blocking plus and polish stages. Overall, i am pleased with the pre-production phase as i effectively broke down the audio, created mood boards, storyboards and animatics / block outs that have helped me progress onto the production phase with a clear plan and and vision on what i wanted my animations to include.
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