In Class:
This week, George introduced us to the concept of Blocking Plus. It builds on basic blocking by adding breakdowns, overshoots, anticipations, and better transitions between poses. This stage helps make the animation feel more like real movement, even before it goes into spline.
He explained that basic blocking gives us the main storytelling poses, but Blocking Plus is where we check how the motion flows. Even simple scenes — like a character sitting down or shifting weight — can be improved with small details like drag on the limbs, overshoot, and subtle adjustments in timing.
George reminded us that if the spacing and energy stay the same throughout, the shot can feel flat. He encouraged us to vary things — for example, fast pushes followed by slower movements, or sharp actions followed by soft holds.
We also learned more about moving holds. George pointed out that even when the character isn’t actively moving, they shouldn’t freeze. Small motions like a chest bounce, a head shift, or hand movement can help the character feel alive. This was especially useful in my shot, where the character falls back into a sofa — adding a moving hold made the ending feel more natural and believable.
George also suggested testing parts of the shot in spline mode early, just to preview how the timing and arcs will look. That way we can fix issues earlier instead of waiting until the end.
My Progress:
My Progress:
This week, I refined the blocking of my body mechanics shot by adding breakdowns to show how the weight shifts from the push into the fall. I focused on keeping the body moving throughout, avoiding stiffness or freezing between actions.
George gave feedback that the head needed to have drag both while going into the push and during the fall onto the sofa, to make the motion feel more believable. He also mentioned that in the first few frames, the character shouldn’t just be standing still, but should already be leaning into the push and starting the action. I updated the initial pose to reflect that.
I also adjusted the arc of the push and made the fall faster to show contrast in timing.
