New Peter Animation Tests for "STAGED"

The main character, Peter, for Dennis' shortfilm "Staged" has had a major overhaul.  A few much needed improvements to the character design, model, and rig has gotten all of us majorly pumped.  Here are three animations I did using the new model, and rig as a sort of test drive.  Dennis and I both did some Gnomon tutorials to gear up for the performance we want to create with this character.  The test animations are straight forward and consist of a basic walk cycle, a cartoony series of jumps, and a piece of spoken dialogue.  My intention was to create three short animations with good body mechanics, strong silhouette, and lip sync that matched the spoken dialogue.

Watch my work on YouTube!

STAGED in its early days

I wanted to share an early animation test that I did for Dennis' short film "STAGED."  This film has been a wonderful way to learn about film making, and the production process.  Topped only by the fact that it's being done with friends.  This little clip was blocked in shortly after Civilization Revolution went gold, and was one of my first real attempts at character animation.  Atleast, in terms of emotive acting and a thinking character's performace.  The "illusion of life" is a very difficult thing to create, and this was a huge learning experience for me.  Acting choices are key!  STAGED, as a film, has undergone some massive changes and growth, including full character redesigns, and adjustments to story length.  Of course, all of this work and change is an important part of making the best short film possible.

Civ Rev

Sid Meier's Civilization Revolution proved to be one of those pivotal projects that allowed me a chance to discover my real interest in animation.  It's like putting on a pair of shoes that you didn't think were yours, but they turn out to fit PERFECTLY!!!

One of the characters I posed, and animated was even featured on a magazine cover.  Bonus!

This was my first gig as an animator.  All my time before this point was spent as a modeler on Civ 3, Pirates!, RailRoads, Civ 4, etc.  I really got to flex some creative muscle and join my friends on the animation team.

Here are some of my favorite leaderhead animations from the project.  Since making these, much time has been spent studying the actual art of animation and acting, and how to do it well.  I see tons of areas I could have done differently, but such is the story of any art we make.  My work has only gotten better.

Hope you enjoy!