elanorfmp - Tumblr blog

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Momentum and impact. frame by frame

Momentum and impact can be very complicated to truly convey, especially depending on the action, movement and perspective of it. In some cases, less is more, for fast actions, you want very few traversal frames for it, and for some you want none at all. You also want to extend frames like the opposite action, holding those kind of frames for long gives a better feel for how things are moving. 

Here are a few examples for my own piece of work, trying to use these principles.

Starting frame, character is just holding the bat over his shoulder. Idle frame

Prepping the swing, opposite action followed by the reaction. to give it a feeling of weight and intensity.

Transition frame.

Ending frame, the completion of the action, followed with it’s concequence (breaking the screen.) These frames are very roughly coloured in because they don’t last for very long, so you can’t really notice the gaps unless you pause it.

Idle state

Reaction frame, (jumping at something)

Idle state

Opposite action for a reaction (Breathing in, in order to breathe out.) 

Breathing out, puffing out a cloud. 

The cloud disappearing.

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Creative decisions and changes.

Originally I wanted to do a simple fight scene, have the audio be punch thuds or just sound effects that would’ve related to the confrontation, but through research of things like the mystery skulls animations and the eve music videos, I found that I wanted to make an animated music video.

I knew I was going to use a Jack Stauber song, so the question came down to which one. I love buttercup and two time, and both of those respectively are perfect for various animated music videos, but I opted for Fighter to try and keep some semblance of the original idea of a “fight animation”.

I changed character 1′s design because the original would’ve been too complicated to repeat accurately, the newer version is a more simplified but stylistic take on the character.

The story it’s telling is spread across 30 seconds, so I wanted to make things interesting throughout that time frame in order for it to leave an impression, while that means the story it’s telling isn’t necessarily fleshed out, that wasn’t my aim to begin with. I decided to fully commit to that with that, and just do stuff that I thought looked cool without necessarily explaining it to the audience. It leaves a level of mystery and ambiguity that can be engaging. The reason it cuts from call me lover to this bit is because it’s jumping from the start of their “fight” to the aftermath, this is meant to be some kind of dream sequence, and the next part is the character waking up.

With the ending, originally I was going to have it done in the back and white way as the section above is, where the main character wakes up and the shot fades to this style, but I instead opted for the character just sitting up and looking  ahead because the former option strikes me is too edgy. The character waking up all bloody tells the audience that off screen, the main character and the vampire got into a confrontation, the x’s on the eyes tell them the MC wasn’t the victor, his eyes flash red as he wakes up for the first time, hinting at something sinister, and then he simply gets up. Originally this part was just black lineart and pink background, but I thought it simply looked too empty, so I made a simple background with the use of perspective drawing, and coloured in the character to make him stand out against said background. 

I used the same technique for the opening scene where the character is walking, because I liked the look of it so much. 

The first  5 seconds I worked on was the “Call Me Fighter” section. That was the vision I had when going in this direction with the project, and so I wanted to capture that first before I went onto the other scenes.  

It was on working on this first that I realised the flaws with the first design.

Of course, if I’m doing a fighter game style introduction, I’ve got to have one for  “player 2″. Oriignally I was going to have her twirl her hair, but I found it was too much time and work for a small split second action. 

I wanted character 2 to be a flirty female, as I thought it’d work well in tandem with the song, as she’d have the part “Call Me Lover”. The idea of her being a vampire came after I’d almost finished the design, and made it easier to make her some kind of adversary, while still giving her a little bit of charm.

Originally, this was a simple 3.2.1  countdown, but I wanted to set the tone in the beginning, Each bang switches frames. The glass of “wine” represents the vampire, since she ‘sings’ the line “I’ll take you for a drink or two.” Where as the baseball bat represents the Main character. The last frame represents the two clashing, and the ending of the animation.

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Final version.

The final version of this project, uploaded to youtube.

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Perspective drawings

One character, different perspectives.

This was probably the most important skill to learn from this project, not only how to draw a character consistently in different positions, but to also do it simply when constructing the story board.

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Suzume no Tojimari

Suzume No Tojimari is the third film from Makoto Shinkai, the visual director of films like Your name and Weathering with you. It took Japanese Earthquakes, and made this fantastical story about how they’re caused and how they can be prevented

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Lore

A highschool student with the bizarre ability to see the paranormal is attacked by  a flirty vampire, but something sinister brings him back to the world of the living, and has been doing so for years.

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Problems

Video editing timeline isn’t ideal for animation, it’s especially frustrating with how finnecky the software is, requiring me to drag, when i need a frame for a tiny amount of time

it’s almost impossible to drag it into the right place so it plays at the right time. I’m currently dealing with small overlaps because of this. Found out I could shorten song file to make the boxes appear bigger and you can move one frame at a time with arrow keys, all overlaps have been fixed. 

I had some issues getting the swing to look right so I studied this video for 10 minutes.

The result: 

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Mystery skulls

Mystery skulls is a series of animated music videos that started as a fan made video and was then endorced by the singer who made the music, turning into official music videos for the band. Each video also follows a narrative, and is an ongoing story that started in 2014, with the final episode still yet to be released.

In all these videos, characters are bobbing to the beat, hearts are beating to the beat, everything follows the rhythm set by the song and the cues it gives. Mystery skulls songs are very electric, but all have a very distinguished beat to their song which is essential for creating pieces like this.

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Fighting games

Fighting games are a genre of video games that typically involve two or more players engaging in one-on-one combat. The goal is usually to reduce the opponent's health bar to zero before the player's own health bar is depleted.

Fighting games can be played either locally or online, and they typically feature a variety of playable characters with unique moves, abilities, and fighting styles. Players can choose their character and compete against other players or the game's AI.

Some popular fighting game franchises include Street Fighter, Tekken, Mortal Kombat, and Super Smash Bros. Each franchise has its own unique gameplay mechanics and style, but all of them involve quick reflexes, strategy, and precise execution of moves.

In addition to their competitive gameplay, fighting games are also known for their intricate and often complex move sets. These moves can be executed using a combination of button inputs and joystick movements, and mastering them can take hours of practice and dedication.

Fighting games have been popular since the 1990s, with new games and franchises continuing to be developed and released today. They are played both casually and competitively, with many players participating in local and international tournaments and events.

Part of this inspiration stems from Eve - Fightsong’s music video, where two characters enter the ring and get a fighting game style intro.

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character 2

Character 2, the female vampire character design variations. I wanted her to be colourful, from the hairs and eyes, down to the clothes. 

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This is the style of an instagram artist called Anizeruwu, who also has a youtube channel where they do animations.  https://www.youtube.com/@anizeruwu9233

I think their style is unique, simple, but very stylistic and basically eye candy.

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Character design

This was my initial design for the “fighter” character, but I quickly realised that drawing and moulding this design for animation would make my life a whole lot harder. Especially considering things like how the tie would move and react to physics

This is the simplified character, made from the same skeleton

This character is a lot more simpler and easier to replicate for multiple scenes.

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Various animation stages

This was the first sequence I actually got down to animate, this was before the improved character sheet was made. the other opponent will have a similar intro like this, this follows the song “Fighter” by Jack Stauber. 

This is the work I’ve done for this sequence, Adding the improved the timing of the words to show up in time with the song, and gave a 3D shading to the fighter effects. I still need to colour the backpack, and of course draw out the other three frames of the character.

The finished story board, with the storyboard I aimed to make it simple, but able to convey the basic movements throughout the story that I wanted to aim for, such as the bat hitting the screen, or character 2 threatening character 1 with a knife.

Didn’t like the ending with the character in white becoming demonish, felt too edgey to me.

I feel like the fade to black is a bit too sudden, I think I’m going to try and end it by making it so the character sits up and stares off, with the end appearing above. I also polished up most of the frames, improving lineart and getting rid of skeletons.

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Busan

The museum's permanent collection includes more than 4,000 artworks, with a focus on contemporary Korean art from the 20th and 21st centuries. The collection includes paintings, sculptures, photographs, and other multimedia artworks by prominent Korean artists such as Lee Ufan, Park Seo-bo, and Kim Hong-do.

In addition to its permanent collection, the Busan Museum of Art also hosts a variety of temporary exhibitions throughout the year, featuring works by both Korean and international artists. This exhibit was the zombie exhibit, which was only for a temporary amount of time.

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South Korean arcade

Seoul is home to many arcades, which are popular destinations for gamers and families alike. Arcades in Seoul typically offer a variety of games, from classic arcade games to the latest video game releases. In addition to traditional arcade games, many arcades in Seoul also offer other entertainment options, such as karaoke rooms and photo booths. Overall, Seoul's arcades are a fun and exciting way to experience Korean culture and entertainment.

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Seoul and Sydney and Goldcoast scenery

Seoul, Sydney and the goldcoast are all beautiful places in their own right, and great to draw inspiration from.

Seoul is a very futuristic and neon city.  Seoul's streets are also known for their vibrant energy and diverse neighborhoods. Each district of the city has its own unique character, and many streets are lined with colorful shops, markets, and restaurants. Some of the most popular areas for shopping and dining include Myeong-dong, Gangnam, and Hongdae.

The Goldcoast, including beaches like surfer’s paradise is known for it’s blue water and beaches. The Gold Coast is a coastal city in the southeastern corner of the Australian state of Queensland. It is known for its long, sandy beaches, subtropical climate, and popular tourist attractions.

Sydney has it’s fair share of skyscrapers, but it’s easier to distinguish them, where as in Seoul, you’re surrounded by them, you’d never be able to see all of them in one shot.  Sydney is the largest city in Australia and the capital of the state of New South Wales. It is located on the east coast of Australia and is known for its iconic landmarks, beautiful beaches, and diverse cultural attractions.

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South Korean toys

South Korea had a huge variety of merchandise and toys, a lot of which stemmed from animated movies and shows that were popular over there.