Doh! Fixed StageFright. Please look now...

[matty2x4]

11 meg you coulda warned me...
when he turns round to see the fire the first time, it's right behind him and he dosen't turn around far enough to accually see the fire (or is it just me).
well done though:thumbsup:

[SimonPickard]

Is this just before he burns himself? If so he's not meant to see the fire. Sorry about the file size. That's the smallest I could get it.

Thanks for the comments by the way. :)

Regards,

Simon.

[soulhill]

I'm confused. He turns around, does not see the fire, gets burned and jumps onto the stage. If he doesn't know there is a fire, what does he think caused the burning sensation in his backside?

[SimonPickard]

he's confused as well. Hense he rubs his head. But before he can work it out he sees the crowd.

Turtles are known for not being too bright! ;)

[AroundTheFur]

i thought it was great, maybe tweak the fire look unless u want that, i think it could fit, and the only real mistake i saw was that his arm goes through his body a little after he comes out on stage, other than that is was pretty good, keeping in mind turtles are dumb. :xtreme:

[anticz]

nice character design.

Yours

http://www.simonpickard.dsl.pipex.com/Images/Title.jpg

Mine

http://www.anticz.com/images/Illustrate/Images/MashModel.jpg

[eek]

Hey anticz,
That characters fantastic! really nice feel!,Im into your site alot especially the stuff about puppets, ive looked at you facial rig on a bunny character how does that work??intresting!!

Eek!

[synj]

that's amazing Simon.. you didn't miss a single part of the character while ripping it off! :applause: :surprised :rolleyes:

[SimonPickard]

Ripping it off? If you want to look at it that way I guess so yes.

I had seen that design before. I also found about 10 other standing turtle designs that all looked mostly the same. When I did research I found bits and bobs from a lot of char's and used things I liked to come up with something I thought would animate well.

Where's the harm in that? Isn't that what artist do? Gain ideas from others? I did this project so I could learn. In Ten years if I get to the point where I see someone learning by drawing from my work I'd make me happy not mad.

[anticz]

I personally am not mad, kind of flattered actually (hope that doesn't sound egotistical) Just pointing out that these are remarkably similar. I'd love to see the 10 other standing turtle designs that all looked mostly the same. Sounds interesting.

[phyle]

Yeh the characters are pretty similar.. Good work anticz, yours looks great!
But im pretty sure ive seen plenty of characters that looked pretty similar. From childrens books and stuff, Theres one pretty well known one i think, cant remember his name though...

[PhilOsirus]

Well even if it looks like Anticz's, at least he managed to make a great model. I tried to model that turtule before and failed lamentably:D Anyway now you seem to be able to model characters well, try to come up with a funky design and model it!:)

[SimonPickard]

Yeah next time I'll really try harder on that area, ie char design. Too be honist I was a little lazy. I more into animation. Plus at the time I had no idea really how to do any of it. I learn't SO much doing this project I hope I can stand on my own in this area more now.

I knew I wanted to do a standing Turtle and when I searched and saw that design I thought wow!!!!! It is stunning. Once you see something like that even if you do try and create something of your own it's very hard to not just copy. I'm really sorry if I've pissed anyone off here. It wasn't my aim.

So.. Without sounding really cheeky could I please have some more feedback about the animation do you think? I'll leave the char design to those who know what there doing! ;)

Regards,

Simon.

[soulhill]

I hope you will take my comments in the spirit of a helpful critique. The animation is uneven. The turtle's walk cycle at the start doesn't quite convey the weight and mass of the character. There could be more counterbalance to the his upper body. The timing is slightly off, especially in regards to conveying an "inner life" to the character. I think this is part of the source of my confusion concerning what is happening in the animation. When he is burnt on the rear, he is in motion the whole time, looking left and right. A pause while he heats up would be useful. On the other hand, the turtle's backwards walk leading up to that moment is excellent. His appearance on stage is also quite good. One thing that you might want to consider is that the eyes almost always should lead the action. One usually thinks about something before acting, even if one is a none-to-bright-turtle.

I hope this is helpful.

[PhilOsirus]

Oh yeah the animation! I forgot:p I think it looks very very good. My only comment is the lightning when he is on stage, we don't see him very well as half of him is in complete shadows. Apart from that it is quite cool:)

[SimonPickard]

Thanks for the replys. I'm finding this stuff really helpful.

Uneven, yes I aggree 100% Since starting this short I've improved, so much so that I started going back and reworking bits that looked rough from the first pass.

In the end I just thought it was time to get it out of the door and start something new? Do you aggree? It's hard saying ok that's it but I think I should now leave this and call it done as a learning exercise and move onto the next thing.

[soulhill]

I think it is an excellent process to learn as you go. Moving on is also a good idea. When you feel it is time, it probably is.

Good luck with your next piece!

[Larry_g1s]

I thought it was great. I loved the lighting, stage, and atmosphere. The animation was good, it's pratice like that, that'll get you to where you want to be as an animator. Best part in the animation is when he's out and everyone's clapping and someone whistles. I love how you expressed his face.

How long did it take you to animate this? How long to render?

[SimonPickard]

It did take a while to render cos of the lighting mostly I think. Plus it was a lot of passes comped together. Thank God for xsi as it has everything built in now to do that.

As for how long it took me. I have no idea! Really. I did it all after work when I had some time. An hour here and there really.

Regards,

Simon.

[i play atari]

cool

[anticz]

Fair enough!

Overall I think the animation is pretty good. The walks and/or just the general moving about the stage is a little stiff. I think alot of that comes from the lack of controls in the feet and ankle. Kind of gives him an awkward gait when he moves around. Get some toe roll in there and loosen up those ankles. The double take when he notices the audience is great. I highly recomend Richard William's book 'The Animators Survival Kit'. It's got a whole chapter on walking and running. Hope this is helpful.

[SimonPickard]

Hiya,

I'd just like to thank everyone who's posted feedback. It really means a lot to me. I've taken on board everything you've all said and will hopfully be back soon with another animation for you all to tear apart! ;)

Thanks again,

Regards,

Simon Pickard.:applause:

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