the kiko alien

flower

huh?

the rhythm of film

film runs at 24 frames per second. I'm trying to really learn how fast this is.

24 frames = 1 second

12 frames = 1/2 second

6 frames = 1/4 second

3 frames = 1/8 second

1 frame = 1/24 second

1 second (or 24 frames) can be thought of as 60 bpm (beats per minute) because at 60 bpm you get 1 beat per second, or 60 beats in a minute.

In this same way, you could say that every 12 frames hits at 120 bpm because the beat hits twice per second. So if I need 1/2 second accuracy in my planning, I can use a metronome running at 120 bpm.

To get 1/4 second accuracy, I would set the metronome for 240 bpm. At 240, every beat would equal 6 frames worth of time. This is about as fast as I can slap my hand on my leg, so it's a good measure to plan timing with.

In the video above, I tried to express all of this in a muscial way.

Each second can be thought of as a musical 'measure'. I've represented 1 second as a whole note.

Each whole note = 24 frames

The second can be broken in half to get a beat every 1/2 second. I've represented this as a half note.

Each half note = 12 frames

The second can also be broken into quarters with a beat happening 4 times a second. I've represented this as quarter notes.

Each quarter note = 6 frames

I could break the second of time down further, into eights (eighth notes), but this would run at 480 bpm which I can't count out.

Each eighth note would = 3 frames

That's reeeeeally fast!

clips from the archive

animation process test

this was a test of the animation process...

keys, holds, anticipation, breakdown, overshoot, settle on the main object (video 1)

in video 2, I added a ribbon that follows the movement of the main object. this ribbon doesn't 'drive' the action, so it doesn't have the typical keys, breakdowns, etc. what the ribbon does is totally driven by the main object---that's why it's a little tougher to plan for.

I'm trying to find a way to plan overlapping action in my planning process, how to design it. I think it might work to just have a basic idea that there will be overlap in an action, and then animate it straight-ahead once the driving object is animated. I could just make notes about how much overlap, how much time, how much the overlapping object weighs, etc.

feather drop

this is a simple weight test...trying to get the weight right. it's not perfect, but it was educational.
I modeled and rigged the feather as quickly as possible. with animation, this took about 2 hours, proving to myself that simple rigs and animation can be created without a ton of time hair-pulling...and that's a good thing :D

a strange little test!

...that believe it or not, I learned a lot from!

I took a simple movement of the body that I understand, and tried three different types of spacing. each test has the same timing, but different spacing.

1st test- favors the extremes (hips to one side), no ease coming out or going into the extremes.

--9 frames at each side extreme, 4 frames to transition to the other side

2nd test- totally 'smooth' spacing with short eases on the extremes (flat tangents). this one spends as much time in the center of the movement as it does near the extremes.

--constant movement, never stops or pauses, perfect sine waves

3rd test- more time is spent at the extremes, very little in the center of the movement. this test uses long 'drifts' around the extremes. this produces snappy action without being harsh. I would say this is the winner and most natural spacing for this type of movement of the body...except for belly dancers, who would hit the extremes much harder ;o)

--7 frames around each extreme that slowly drift into, then out of the extreme, 5 frames of fast transition in the middle of the movement

the 3rd test gives the best illusion of muscles and weight. it's snappy enough to be appealing and not be swimmy, and smooth enough to show some weight and the stretchiness of muscle.

pocoyo test a

I copied part of the Pocoyo intro to learn the style. I modified the Bishop rig from AM to be a little cute guy...needless to say, I had to break the rig a bit ;o)

...this is minus the lovely camera-move from the original.

I LOVE this style... so crisp and punchy! I learned a ton from this test!! ...ahh the joys of creative spacing and keying every frame!

Here's the original:

SHOULD CARTOONS END WITH A MESSAGE?

Some very good thoughts in this one:

http://uncleeddiestheorycorner.blogspot.com/2009/05/should-cartoons-end-with-message.html