3d animation

More 3d animation today. I got stuck in a quagmire in trying to create some simple explosion flashes for one particular clip and it took me most of the morning. I think the results will be good though.

On my last documentary, I did a lot of 3d animation and it was pretty intensive stuff (trying to re-create extinct animals is a lot harder than fictional spaceships!). However, the mistake I made was to think in terms of shots.

I’d produce a shot of a shark swimming along, then a shot of it from a different angle, then a shot of it swimming towards the camera. A shot of it chasing something – and so on.

While this worked OK, it didn’t create much drama. What I’m trying to do this time is to think in terms of sequences – telling little stories. So instead of having a spaceship flying through space, I’m showing it setting out, traveling and arriving somewhere. I’m paying more attention to how the shots tell the story and I think it’s paying off.

Not only does this mean I can create interesting sequences, it also means I can re-use shots more usefully – showing parts of a sequence to wet the viewer’s appetite while my interviewees are describing the ideas that make up the sequence and then showing the whole sequence as a scene to bring everything together.

At least I hope that’s how it will work. When you’re working with CGI – particularly when you’ve got no budget, it’s important to get the most out of your shots (I don’t mean by repeating them ad-nauseum by the way – I mean by using them to build up expectation and satisfying it).