Month: June 2025

This was the week I completed the spline phase of my animation. I transitioned from blocking plus into spline, and focused on integrating the feedback I’d received in earlier reviews—especially around body mechanics and staging.

One of the main adjustments I made was correcting the pivot point during the backflip. Previously, I had the character rotating around the hips, but after feedback I shifted the rotation to the upper chest, which creates a much more natural arc. It immediately felt more grounded and realistic.

Another change I made was to how the character leans into the spline. Initially, I had them leaning forward going into the run-up, in a sort of exaggerated cartoon curve—similar to what you might see in Tom and Jerry, where a character forms a backwards “C” before launching forward. It was fun and expressive, but ultimately too stylised for the tone I was going for. Now, the character leans back slightly before the jump, which reads better physically and visually.

I also refined the silhouette, especially during the spin. I added a subtle S-curve in the arms to strengthen the overall pose clarity and motion arcs. Another great piece of feedback I received was to have the character lean more into the run. That small adjustment gave the movement more weight and purpose—it feels like they’re genuinely sliding along the ground into a ducking pose rather than floating through it.

There was also discussion about hand positioning during the takeoff—originally, both hands moved back in sync, but I’m now experimenting with slight asynchrony, which makes the action feel more natural and dynamic.

Regarding the jump itself, George recommended that the character should visibly stretch into it, but I explained that in my concept, the character actually disappears from the ground and reappears mid-air. Since they’re a speedster who manipulates lightning, I wanted to show their power through a sort of instantaneous movement. I plan to use a lightning strike or burst effect to visualise that teleport-like motion.

For the final dash, the character currently vanishes and reappears just before the attack. George suggested adding a brief pause or hover or zip around before the final strike. I really liked this idea—it allows the character to occupy more screen space, adds personality, and fits with the powerful, theatrical nature of a lightning-based finisher.

Overall, this week was about refining key movements, tightening up the spline animation, and staying true to the character’s style while making the action more readable and intentional.

In this iteration, I’ve reworked the animation from a previous version—starting with a new design for the crystal and a complete overhaul of the environment. Unlike before, this version introduces actual camera movement and does away with the wireframe look I was previously experimenting with. I found that the wireframe aesthetic ended up being too visually noisy; it added unnecessary detail to background elements and ultimately distracted from the core action. So, I’ve decided to remove it in favour of a cleaner, more focused visual style.

A key change in this version is the introduction of a continuous camera movement that follows the character. Initially, my idea was to use multiple dynamic cuts to convey speed—as if the camera itself was struggling to keep up with the character. However, I learned that for this unit, we’re required to use a single, unbroken camera shot. I actually really appreciate this limitation, as I believe creative restrictions often push better solutions. So I embraced the challenge and began designing the shot around a continuous camera move.

This version is still a preliminary pass. One of my next goals is to make sure the crystal is clearly visible at the start of the animation, to better ground the viewer and give the action more intentionality. Right now, it leaves the frame briefly, and I’d like to avoid that—it breaks cohesion. Keeping it in frame will take more work in terms of timing and choreography, but I think it will make the sequence feel tighter and more purposeful.

Unfortunately, in this Cinema 4D version, the rig is broken, so the character animation isn’t functioning fully. I plan to retarget the motion onto a more stable mesh for the final pass, and I’ll also explore different art styles for the render.

One small detail I like: rather than having the crystal explode on impact, I’ve made it fall to the ground. It feels more muted, which gives other effects—like the environmental disintegration—more space to shine. I also animated the floating earth around the crystal to crumble and fall, visually representing that the crystal has lost its power even if it doesn’t blow up. If everything explodes, nothing stands out—so I wanted to create more contrast by keeping certain effects more subdued.

Off World Media Production Toolkit

This week, we explored the process of creating 360° videos using the OFF World Media Production Toolkit. I’ve always been curious about immersive formats like this—whether in games, film, or VR—and this session gave me the chance to see just how different the workflow is compared to traditional linear video.

Unlike fixed-camera storytelling, 360° video opens up the perspective entirely. Instead of directing the viewer’s gaze, you invite them to explore the space freely. That shift completely changes how you think about composition, blocking, and even pacing. It’s more like building a world than framing a shot—and it’s that viewer agency that makes it so immersive.

To get started, we downloaded and installed the OFF World plugin. A particularly useful feature that comes with it is Sprout, which allows software like Unreal Engine and TouchDesigner to communicate seamlessly. This real-time linking means we can preview interactions and visual outputs from TouchDesigner directly inside Unreal before committing to a final render. It’s a smoother, more integrated workflow and makes cross-platform experimentation way more intuitive.

Once the toolkit was installed, we moved on to setting up a 360° camera in Unreal. That involved tweaking the project settings, creating new Blueprints to handle the capture process, and using the Sequencer to animate the scene. After rendering the footage, we used Adobe Media Encoder to make final edits and export the video in a viewable format.

This was a really valuable experience—not only did it demystify the technical side of 360° video, but it also gave me a new perspective (literally) on how to structure narrative in immersive formats. I’m now considering ways this could feed into future projects, especially anything experimental or VR-based.

This section represents a deeper exploration into the kind of animation I want to create, particularly focusing on environmental destruction and deformation. I’m very interested in this area not only because it adds visual impact, but also because I aim to develop these techniques further in my other units. It’s an area I want to become comfortable with, especially as I move toward more stylised, painterly visual styles in future projects.

In these tests, I hand-drew elements like lightning and particle effects to visualise the impact more clearly. Whether I keep these 2D elements in the final piece is still undecided, but I find the idea of blending 2D effects with 3D animation really exciting. It opens up a lot of potential for stylistic flexibility, and it aligns well with my goal of creating a painterly aesthetic that blurs the line between traditional and digital art.

I also spent time experimenting with the crystal and its design. Rather than going with a simple crystal and sphere combo, I tried giving the object more personality—playing with shape, silhouette, and material. I used a wireframe overlay as a way to test ground deformation without overcomplicating the scene, and I’m working within a low-poly style to keep things efficient while still visually engaging. Harsh shadows and angular geometry are intentional; they contribute to a sharp, stylised world that feels cohesive and deliberate.

In terms of movement, I’m continuing to develop the choreography between the crystal, the environment, and the character. For example, before the strike, the ground bends inward slightly, which helps visually link the energy of the character’s attack with the space around them. Without this interaction, the environment would feel static and disconnected.

The starfish move also has a dual purpose: it’s playful and acrobatic, but also acts as a charge-up for the final strike. Lightning effects radiate from the character’s limbs just before the impact, building anticipation and suggesting stored energy. After the attack, the crystal disintegrates, symbolising the character’s victory in a clear and satisfying way.

I’ve decided to go with one large, powerful attack rather than multiple smaller ones. This decision is both stylistic and narrative. The character is nimble and agile, and by contrast, I want the crystal to feel slower and more imposing. This dynamic creates contrast and tension in the scene—if both were small and fast, the action might feel too chaotic or repetitive. By exaggerating the differences between the two, I aim to create more visual and narrative clarity.

During my Advanced Body Mechanics Blocking session, I received some really useful feedback from George. One of the main points was about the character’s arm and leg positioning during the run—he pointed out that they should splay outward slightly, rather than staying too upright and linear. I hadn’t considered this before, but it made a lot of sense in terms of natural movement. It also got me thinking more about how I want this character to come across: they’re quite carefree, and driven—an active type of person—so making the movement more dynamic and slightly flailing might actually help bring out that personality.

We also discussed the jump arc. Initially, I had the backflip pivoting from the hips, but George explained that it should actually pivot more from the mid-to-upper chest, which I’ll be adjusting. Another area of debate was the final dash. George suggested that the body angle should be close to parallel with the ground—almost like a vacuum between the character and their destination. I personally lean more toward having it around a 45-degree angle, since I want the feet to be grounded enough to support a forward slide when they land. That way, the motion would transition more naturally into the Superman-style landing I’m aiming for.

There were also notes on the legs trailing during the backflip, which I fully agreed with—it adds more realism, as the legs would naturally lag behind the body’s rotation. Another point was about the arc during the starfish moment. In my blocking, I had the character do a small hop just before the strike, which breaks the single smooth curve of the arc. I agree that simplifying this into one clean arc would be stronger visually, even though animating that curve smoothly is a bit more complex.

Lastly, when the character hits the ground, I originally had one hand already placed on the floor. Looking back, it would probably work better if they landed with their feet first, then let the hands trail and follow through as they slide, making the movement feel more reactive. I’m also really happy with the way the blast propels the character forward—it gives the attack more impact and weight. George and I had some differing opinions on a few of these points, but I plan to test multiple variations and see what works best in context. I’m open to experimentation and refinement as I go.

Here, I’ve constructed a reference by stitching together multiple video clips to help block out the movement I’m aiming for. Since I’m not nearly athletic or nimble enough to physically act these out, I pulled inspiration from online sources.

The first part of the movement is based on the Scout from Team Fortress 2. Even though he’s a stylised character, his exaggerated, high-energy run feels perfect for what I want to capture. It fits well with the character I’m animating, who is a speedster with dominion over lightning.

For the next section, I decided the character will do a ground slide. The closest real-world reference I could find was a skateboard 360 spin—it’s got that same sense of fluid motion and dynamic body movement. From there, the character launches into a backflip, followed by a playful “starfish” pose mid-air. I’m using this to really push the acrobatic side of the character and show that they’re having fun with the situation.

After landing, the character dashes forward and slides into a pose similar to a Superman landing, ending with them raising their hand in preparation for a powerful energy blast.

VCAM

As part of this module, we were introduced to the process of using Unreal Engine’s Virtual Camera (VCam) system to record video within 3D environments, using mobile devices as remote cameras. This technique essentially allows for live cinematography inside a virtual space and can also support motion capture workflows when paired with other tools like Live Link.

To set it up, I first had to enable the necessary motion capture and remote control plugins in Unreal Engine. After that, I established a Live Link connection between my mobile device and the UE project, which allows real-time data (like camera movement) to be streamed into the engine. Remote Session was then configured to allow the mobile device to control the editor viewport. The Take Recorder was used in multi-user mode to capture the camera movement as actual animation data. Lastly, I installed and used the Unreal VCam app on my phone, which turns the device into a handheld virtual camera that can move around and record shots as if filming in a physical space.

During practical sessions, we ran into a few problems—mainly to do with networking. Since the mobile devices and the Unreal Engine project needed to be on the same network, we experienced frequent dropouts and connection issues, which I think might be tied to how restrictive institutional or university networks can be.

Going forward, I plan to test this workflow at home using my own router and devices. I want to better understand the strengths and limitations of this method, especially how it performs with reduced network latency and fewer restrictions. Overall, learning to use VCam gave me new insight into virtual cinematography and how live-action techniques can be applied inside a game engine.

Above is my storyboard for this sequence. The character runs in from the right side of the screen, moving towards a kind of magical crystal. As they approach, they notice something’s wrong—the crystal looks like it’s about to launch an attack through the ground. Reacting quickly, the character jumps into the air and does a flip, then comes crashing down with a lightning-based attack to try and destroy it.

But the crystal dodges at the last second and retaliates. It manipulates the ground into spear-like shapes that shoot up toward the character. Just before the spears hit, the character raises their hand and fires off a massive energy blast that wipes everything out, ending the scene with them coming out on top.

These clips are part of my exploration into the weight and movement of the character. Rather than going for a full flip in the air, I decided to go with a more playful “starfish” motion mid-jump. This was a deliberate choice—I wanted to start giving the character a bit more personality and make the movement feel unique and expressive.

You’ll also see how I’m planning to have the ground deform in response to the action. There’s a close, almost reactive relationship between the character, the crystal, and the environment. I’m trying to build a sense of interaction where all elements feel connected, rather than just separate layers moving around each other.

Here, as you can see, I’m experimenting with deforming geometry in Cinema 4D. The goal was to loosely recreate the 2D animation in 3D, just to help me visualise the scene more clearly before committing to the final animation. Since I’m going to be animating this in a full 3D environment, having a rough version like this gives me a better sense of scale, motion, and placement early on.

Inspired by Ian Cheng’s Life After BOB, I’m considering developing a short animation for my FMP that merges painterly, low-frame-rate aesthetics with a surreal narrative structure. Like Cheng’s blend of real-time animation and philosophical worldbuilding, my piece will aim to evoke an uncanny, dreamlike tone. It would build on the visual language established in my experimental unit work, using hand-painted textures and stylised motion to reflect internal states and thematic tension. This project may also be extended with a small-scale physical or projected installation, creating a hybrid, immersive experience. /note

This week marked the critical phase of planning and refining my body‑mechanics shot using pantomime and pre-visualisation techniques.

Thursday kicked off with an exploration of pantomime: how the body alone can act. Using George’s workflow checklist, I planned my shots in detail, identifying key poses that drive narrative without dialogue. This sharpened my understanding of cultural and emotional storytelling through physical gestures (Enquiry & Knowledge).

By Friday, I moved from theory to action. My shoots, animatic and reference gathering fed into a concise pre-vis storyboard. This stage taught me how to translate timing choices into spatial and temporal flow within 3D, reinforcing both my process management and communication of creative intent. I produced the first digital layout of the shot — a screen-ready step demonstrating foundational 3D body mechanics principles in practice.

Gesture-Based Shot Planning – Focus frames on silent pantomime beats.

Animatic-Powered Timing Tests – Use timing rough cuts to experiment with rhythm.

Reference>Animatic>Pre‑Vis Pipeline – A repeatable workflow for clarity.

Grease-Pencil Pose Sketches – Quick visualization of spine/COG arcs before 3D blocking.

Pantomime Variants – Test alternative gestures to strengthen narrative clarity.

Pre-Vis Camera Movement – Integrate camera consideration early.

Emotional Weight through Body Mechanics – Emphasise how posture and flow express mood.

Pose-to-Motion Justification Notes – Write brief notes explaining pose choices to support communication.