Planning a pantomime!
Back at AM!
I always felt that the pantomime should have been the last assignment at AM. It’s extremely hard to communicate a clear change in thought using just the body, without tripping up into cliche. Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin are a fantastic starting point, but there is now a greater expectation in the sincerity and ‘uncliche-ism’ (I just made that scrumtrulecent word up!).
Starting…
Went for coffee and wrote out as many ideas as I could that had a clear change in emotion.
IDEA: Have a woman come up behind her flirting man, drag him away (Infatuated/Sheepish Surprised)
IDEA: Man rushes and picks up collapsed dog (happy/panicked)
IDEA: Man is choked by something he was using to be cool (Suave/panicked?)
IDEA: Getting ready for a big fight backstage (Nervous/Confidence)
IDEA: Man on suspension bridge scared out of his head acting confident when people pass (terrified/brave face/terrified)
IDEA: airplane controller guy waving in plane, it starts going wrong way (assuredness/oh shit)
IDEA: stewardess backs into cockpit with two dead pilots, takes control (distractedness/cautious/believe in herself)
IDEA: Polishing up the delorean, starts raining (pride/defeat)
IDEA: security guard in front of painting, stolen from behind him, tried to hide fact (Confident/horrified/faux calm)
IDEA: Guy walking on runway, plane touches down and catches him with the backdraft. (professional/realizes danger)
IDEA: guy looking in aquarium, big squid slams against the glass (serene observation/panic)
IDEA: guy looking in fish tank, starfish launches to face and sticks there (serene observation/panic)
IDEA: Window washer passing lady taking off bra (bored/interested ashamed/struggle to be classy)
IDEA: Window washer on scaffolding, distracted, starts to fall, last ditch brake (nonchalant/panic)
IDEA: photographer, difficult subject, frustrated, gives up, takes photo regardless (professional/frustrated/capitulation)
IDEA: school kid for photo, makes a face when flash, does it again, teacher advancing, runs away (Caprocious, worried)
IDEA: Looking in telescope, someone uses flash light in lens, clutching eye, grope for prankster. (Concentration/anger)
IDEA: Kid sitting on bed pretending to drive car, parents call, scrambles off bed (imagination/alert listen/happy)
IDEA: Coliseum bloodied and bruised guy gets thrown against wall, roar of the crowd, steeles self, back into the breach,lion roar (exhausted/survival instinct/renewed determination)
IDEA: Sailing ship, cannonball blast in upper decks, send two seaman on cannon flying. One shakes it off, gets up, kneels by dead comrade, murderous glare and gets up and fires cannon (war zone concentration, confused, grief, anger)
IDEA: Sailing ship, cannonball blast in upper decks, pirate send flying, parrot squished. Shakes it off, stagger, notices parrot, grieve. (war zone concentration, confused, grief)
IDEA: Pirate at wheel in storm, parrot holding tight in furious wind, blown away, pirate realizes and has to decide between wheel or parrot (steadfast, aware something has happened, tortured between need to help parrot or save ship)
IDEA: pirate with parrot and fancy hat, parrot flies off with hat, realization, jumping after, swear/angry (proud/alerted/upset/dejected)
IDEA: Morning getting ready walking by as toast pops up, hot, putting on jacket, toast in mouth, spinning putting on shoe, pat girl on head, flip out the door. (feeling of lightness)
IDEA: guy breaches water, takes off mask as pulling self up on rock, big wave incoming, scramble to leap off before its sweeps by (refreshed, blurry vision, unsure, panic)
AH HA!
Narrowed that list down to this idea with a friend, and then wrote out a more detailed breakdown.
IDEA: Scuba Diver realizes just as he tips back into the ocean it’s full of sharks, massive scramble to get back in the boat
Diver throws themselves into the boat bench, pulling on their last fin
Pull goggles down, adjust them, flip tank and such over head onto back
Tiny little precise motions with watch or regulator or something
Hand slap on thighs, ready motions, tip back towards water
When it’s too late to avoid notices all teh fins in the water, starts freaking out
Ends up in the water, all out scramble tring to get back in.
Flails out with a hand when tipping back and still has contact with boat, haul self upon edge with elbow
Big claw-like flail out with one hand as he continues to try getting up
Gracelessly flump into bottom of the boat and get up shaken and totally disheveled
Gearchange: Precise, cousteau-esque charm/confidence to flibbering dishevelled pile of a man
Meet Scuba Stewie…
I find making a single, high quality render test early on really forces me to define the character in a single pose, and also makes me away of any rig issues that could trip me up once I start. I always steer away from rendering for a long time after this point and stick with playblasts. However, it is a great motivator and I think having a little piece of the ‘final puzzle’ helps push me along when I’m feeling drained.
Write out a backstory…
Scuba stewie is a pro snorkeller for his work in seaweed studies.
Very methodical and precise. He’s here to study seaweed. Not very adventurous.
Establish the setting and camera…
I like doing this because my reference should be as close as possible to the camera I’m animating to.
Shoot my reference…
Took a few hours and clipped together my favorite takes. I rarely hit it all in one shot. I actually went back and reshot part of this to make the ending stronger (hopefully!)
[qt:http://bradkinley.com/clips_newsite/AnimMentor/AM_01_Pantomime_Reference_Final_Website.mov 850 630]
Thumbnail my key poses….
Up next, blocking!