AFA - Mime - Final

Presenting, "Who's Mime Is It Anyway?". Even with my week extension, I managed to get my part of the Mime piece done on time, along with Scott and Kristian, so we could all submit our finished piece. I do like how it turned out, it seems simpler is better in this case, we toned down the film camera HUD and did without the added film grain for the final render pass, is distracted too much from the action. Plus Scott set up some really nice, atmospheric, lighting for the shot, and it was a shame to cover it up. I really did enjoy working as a group on this one, always having the two other people to ask for feedback, or technical advice, or even just to help motivate me was a real advantage, and would jump at the chance to work with Scott and Kristian again. One of the biggest challenges I faced on this project was learning to use the software package Maya. Until now, I've worked solely In Softimage XSI, but both me, and Kristian made the decision to jump to Maya, which Scott is already proficient in. This way, all 3 of us can work in the same package, easing workflow. It also leaves us in good stead should the three of us choose to work together on our final project. I can now animate comfortably with the popular 'Morpheus' rig, and have gotten pretty used to Maya's UI, so I will be using Maya for the rest of the MA program. I'm still unsure about the ins and outs of lighting and rendering in Maya, but thankfully Scott has been more than willing to help with any technical issues I've had. I'm not entirely satisfied with my animation on this piece. Well, looking back at all the previous tasks I've completed during the MA program, I would say it's one of my better pieces, but still not as great as I would like it to be. Once again, polish is one of my weaker aspects. Although I have spent more time polishing on this task than any other, and have began to gain a better understanding of the process, rather than just guessing my way through, I still feel it could do with more, particularly on the later half of the shot. Perhaps the decision to redo the ending of my shot so late into production wasn't the best idea, but the piece did need a better ending. The first idea was too tame. Rossini just didn't get riled up enough. Even though reanimating the later half of the piece cost me polish time, I'm still glad I went through with it. I think the shot may lean a little bit towards the busy side, meaning, if I were to go back and start it again, I would add a lot more thinking time, particularly in the beginning of the shot. Rossini seems to launch straight into the routine, without, well, thinking. I know it's in his character to be super confident in his miming ability, (at least until he's questioned on it...) but even pros need to stop and think. Planning the piece is the part of this project I enjoyed best. Particularly the artwork side, designing the characters, coming up with profiles and backstories, even coming up with an image of the director to show the voice actor, James, just to give him a better idea of the guy he was to portray. James' performance was brilliant, he really brought the piece to life. We had a script for him to work from, but in the end, we went with his hilarious improvised version. It just shows how a little outside influence can breath new life into a project. All in all, I'm going to say the project went well, sure there were obstacles and challenges a plenty, technical or otherwise, but that's the nature of the beast that is animation. I would love to work with Scott and Kristian again, I think we made a great team, and I hope they feel the same. Working as a team member has taught me so much about the animation production pipeline, instead of just hiding in my room and churning out shots. As for my animation, I'm on the right track I think, but still not where I would like to be, my work isn't as slick or as polished as I would like yet, but at least it's a step in the right direction.