First time in my life, I am about to write a process and breakdown for my 11 Second Club entry for August 2008. Its the way, I have approached the Spanish clip. The clip is given below.
First and foremost thing, which involved in my clip and in any animation is "the planning", to which I have also valuing a lot, because its all you need. It makes all the processes easy.
For this clip, I would like to hear it as much as I can. Due to change in language, I have to break it down more. When I listen to it, I would prefer to write the dialogue on a piece of paper or in my notebook, and looking at it and syncing myself with the audio and tuning yourself with the audio rhythm and beat according to it. And also generating the story (before and after) and an event or situation in which I have to involve my animation.
It will work in any understandable language. In such case, it have to be broke it down more and the dialogue should be written in your understandable way. I have wrote down the original dialogue which was from the film, then the Spanish version and its word by word English translation and yet another version, in my roman language, by understanding the sound and its pronunciation. Even though I got the word to word translation by the 11SecondClub, I have to find out which word is which, which two make one and one make two, so it would be easier to define.
For example:
The Spanish version:
"Cada cosa, cada cosa que se dijo y se mostró en la sala de ese tribunal, todas! demuestran que es culpable. ¿Qué se cree, que soy idiota?"
The Word to Word English version:
English: "Everything, everything that was said and shown in that courtroom, all of them! prove that he's guilty. What do you think, that I'm an idiot?"
Sorry other two versions are not available with me right now.
If you see, it had to be broken down because all you have is to act on the Spanish delivery, not on the English one. You have to know what you are working with. The sound beat and its wavelength.
You need to know what "Cada cosa" means or "tribunal" or "todas".
For example: "se dijo y se mostró" means "said and shown"
se dijo: said
y: and
se mostró: shown
You have to research and plan. If it is or it is not your language, you have to get the dialogue’s clear meaning.
After dealing with the meaning and understanding of the audio, I will get my roman version opened in front of me, which would be easier now for me to sync and get the clear idea of the situation. I do remember it
From start to end, all the way, your style of doing, and handling things, should be solved in your own way.
Next thing after that process, I have wrote down the story and situation which I came up with the best and also draw the thumbnails, about 3 to 4 describing my main storytelling poses.
Believe it or not, I have skip one important process, right after that process, the video referencing. Maybe everything was in my mind and on paper. However it was executed as it was planned. I think, this was because of proper planning and poses library, a person need to develop and it’s develop with study and involvement in animation. I have acted it out, but all was off camera.
As most of the time, especially in that animation, I have started with lip-syncing and ending with lip-sync and facial animation. At least two pass for it. Because, it is the major thing, which our eye catches at once and I can’t resist it, to leave.
After first pass of lip sync, I would start my blocking and blocking plus by posing out the character's main story telling poses. And I like to work in chunks in the way the dialogue is delivered. I do right after main blocking poses; I will switch to blocking plus, where I will add supporting poses. I do work in spline mode and am comfortable in doing that. However, I would not compromise in any of my acting choices and will not accept any pose given by computer generated frames. I will stick to my idea unless it will replace with any cooler pose or for more enhancement. I will try to make my poses clear and readable by giving it a negative space.
Arcs, follow through and overlapping action, timing, spacing, moving holds, pose clarity and readability, lip-sync, where done in 2 days process, finishing the blocking plus phase. And I would always remember to key on all body parts, for every particular poses.
Most of the work have been done till our blocking plus phase. It was hard to get the critiques because of the language.
Then the rest, refining and polishing of the animation, which make value added and animation smooth and by refining arcs, little bit poses, smoothness of arcs and large actions between pose to pose, all this cleanup, makes a piece as it should, in my way.
I do analyse my animation and get reviewed by the team, wrote down the different views, ideas and errors from 7 to 8 people and adjusting it, which where major and necessary.
Review to your animation really helps. The animation took about a week to finish.
Oh couple of hours spend, and dame too long. Hope you can get till the end, and understand. Let me know if I skipped something or had not clearly mentioned anything.
Also thanks to the SI team for support.
I would like to finish off with that: don’t skip the planning and research part, which is your main building base or planned structure of the whole building structure. Manage your time. And use it wisely and all is done as it was planned.
I am really proud to get into this and achieving the 19th place at 11 Second Club competition.
Hope this would be helpful process and breakdown for you.
Take care,
Keep Animating
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