Overview

This week’s class mainly had two parts. In the first part, the teacher briefly explained the Project 1 formative task for the end of the first half of the semester. It asked us to start thinking about one core element that may continue to develop in the Final Major Project. The second part was to continue revising the Heavy Object & Change of Mind blocking exercise. This time, I made an animation about strong wind and rain, where the umbrella is pushed by the wind and shows a sense of weight.

Project 1 Formative

I understand this task as more like a small test. At this stage, we do not need to fully decide the whole graduation project. Instead, we first choose a more specific direction that we are interested in, do some research, and create a relatively complete small outcome for presentation. This can help us judge whether this direction is possible, and it can also help us find technical or time problems earlier.

The examples given by the teacher showed different ways of preparing. For example, some students can test a visual style, some students can test character design and the rigging process, and some students can plan their FMP as a 3D animator portfolio. For me, these examples show that the focus of Project 1 is not to “make a lot of content”, but to choose a clear direction and use a small-scale finished outcome to prove that this direction can continue to develop.

Heavy Object & Change of Mind (Blocking)

The second part of this week was mainly to continue revising the Heavy Object & Change of Mind blocking. My exercise is about a character walking forward with an umbrella in the wind and rain. Because the wind is very strong, the umbrella keeps being blown around, and the character needs to use body strength to control it.

In this animation, I wanted to focus on showing that the umbrella is not just an easy prop to hold, but an object affected by an outside force. At the beginning, the character wants to keep walking forward, but the wind becomes stronger and stronger. The umbrella is blown to the side, so the character’s body also has to change its centre of gravity. This process can show the sense of weight in a heavy object, and it can also show the character’s change of mind: from wanting to walk forward directly, to having to stop, adjust the pose, and even fight against the wind.