In Class:
This week’s class focused on understanding how to make body mechanics animation purposeful and readable. George emphasized that even if a shot doesn’t have dialogue, it should still tell a clear story through movement. He showed us examples where simple physical actions—like lifting or falling—communicated mood, character, and intention, not just motion.
We also discussed the importance of contrast in posing and how exaggeration makes animation more effective. The goal isn’t to recreate real life exactly, but to push poses and timing so that the audience immediately understands what’s happening. He also stressed how important silhouette clarity is when it comes to making poses readable.
We talked about reference gathering as well — not just copying real-life actions, but looking for movement that includes personality and intention. For example, instead of just recording a fall, look at how someone gives up or shifts weight when tired. George encouraged us to act things out and take multiple reference videos to better understand the movement.
Finally, we went over a basic workflow structure — from planning and blocking to polishing. George encouraged us to plan our shots carefully, using thumbnails or drawings, before starting in Maya. This helps keep the animation clear and consistent throughout the process.
My Progress:
This week, I began thinking about what kind of body mechanics shot I wanted to create. After going through some references, I decided on a shot where a character pushes a sofa in front of a door — as if trying to block something from coming in. The idea was to show strong physical effort through the pushing motion.
I planned to include a moment where the character turns around and sees a demon behind them, which adds a sudden shift in energy and emotion. This helped me structure the shot better — with a build-up of effort during the push and a reaction moment afterward.
I started planning the shot by identifying key moments, such as leaning into the push, adjusting the feet, applying pressure, and the quick turn. I also sketched out the key poses to begin visualising the shot and how the movement would flow.
