Liam De Bolla
3D Character Animator
Research
The five animation studios I decided to research were Bluezoo, Framestore, Jellyfish Pictures, The Mill, and DNEG. I am very interested in these studios and from the research I did, I know what I should work on and practice during my first term. Clicking on each company logo will show the research I have on each of them. Contact I had with each company is in my Google Drive Folder, under 'Industry Involvement'.
Bluezoo was founded in 2000. They currently make commercials and TV shows and beginning to look into films. They have recently animated Numberblocks which is added to their long-range of Kids TV shows while also being in production of their own shorts that get voted on within the company to be produced. Their target audience is kids and pre-school children. Their target is to grow and build studios outside of London for more regional staff. Their strength is the people and staff working for them as they are the winners of the 2019 best place to work in TV by Broadcast and Best Companies Group. They have an online presence on Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo as well as animators that are on Linkedin.
https://www.instagram.com/blue_zoo/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/blue_zoo?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
I was interested in Bluezoo because studio produces content in the form of cartoony 3D animation which is an area in my specialism I am interested in. I found a few things they would like to see from showreels which were showreels that were maximum of 2 minutes long, aim for 1 minute. Quality over quantity. Don’t overdo the title card, don’t try to be cool with it. No music. Show something new, a good idea, not just following instructions. Put my best work first. This studio supports my role as a 3D character performance animator as they are currently recruiting Maya animators, There is no experience needed as long as the skills are shown in the showreel.
Their 3D animator role requirements are:
Understanding of timing, body mechanics, performance, and strong posing.
Communication skills.
Fluent with character animation in Maya.
Able to block animation in stepped keys.
Understand posing and performance.
Good at problem-solving.
Artistic skills such as life drawing.
Bluezoo's workflow is that TV production animation is made on stepped keys, with overlap applied during this stage. Once the animation is splined, the scene is at the end of production for the animator. The software they use is Maya and their internships ended on the 3rd of May.
Framestore worked on a feature film called 'The Tale of Despereaux' in 2008. They also worked on a number of films after looking closer at VFX such as 'Avatar' and 'Fantastic Beasts'. In 2008, Framestore opened offices to New York and Iceland, then in 2013 opened up more offices in Montreal and Los Angeles. Their target audience from their work in film is for families. Their target is to continue the work that is currently being made at Framestore. They are "not targeting particular growth or expansion at this stage". By Amy Smith, head of talent. They are working in rides, AR, VR, film, and TV. Their film projects are getting "interesting" while having sites in Canada, North America, India, and London. By Daniel Bielawski, an animator at Framestore. Their strength is that they have worked on some of the biggest films and TV shows. They have studios around the world. They are also in production in different markets such as film, advertising, and TV. They also have a web presence on Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo and also have animators on LinkedIn.
https://www.instagram.com/framestore/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/Framestore?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://vimeo.com/framestoredesignstudio
A reason why I am interested in Framestore is that they are a company that produces realistic animations which is an area I am interested in. They explore new markets like rides in China, 'pearl quest', with animation that is less realistic. This shows there is a wide range of roles for an animator in this company. I found that what they want to see in a showreel is evidence of photo-real animation. They do not want applicants to show cartoony animation. Body mechanics over character performances. Bi-ped, quadruped and winged creatures in action are good. Rhythm in poses, try not to make the rhythm too repetitive by changing the holding poses length and transition times. Fingers need to be animated in detail as well as it really helps the animation. They support my role as they have a wide range of markets with animators working on film, TV and other projects like the ride in China.
Their requirements for applicants for a 3D animator role is:
Previous experience in a similar role.
Thorough knowledge of Maya, understanding areas in animation such as physical motion, weight, balance, texture, and form.
Understanding of rig setups and animation pipelines.
Able to work under pressure.
Open to change on work being produced.
Needs attention to detail.
Good at time management.
Needs to be organised.
Communication skills.
Good at collaboration.
Ability and willingness to learn new techniques.
The workflow for an animator at this company is that the animator receives the model/rig from the assets team, and will be briefed on their shot they have to create by their lead/supervisor. A time frame will be given for the shot to be completed by the production coordinator. Entry-level animators will be given more time on shots. Every entry-level animator will be assigned a mentor to help and ask questions. The lead animator will approve the animation shot which will then be reviewed by the supervisor. The shot will then be moved onto 'final' which is passed onto the lighting team.
The stages are:
Previs, gather reference, blocking, primary animation and polish. Sign off will be at each stage of the process from the client and internal team.
The software they use is Maya along with some scripts made internally, specifically animbot. They host internships between 1st July and 23rd August. It is closed on the 5th of May 2019. They are also interested in attending the Degree Show but they will know for certain nearer the time.
Jellyfish Pictures created Jellyfish Animation in 2014 dedicated to creature and character animation. In 2017, they open Europe's first-ever solely virtual VFX and animation studio in South London. In 2019, they start branching out to new studios in Sheffield as well as Brixton in November 2019. Their TV shows have a target audience for kids. Their target is to move into the IP space of kid's entertainment. The strength of Jellyfish Pictures is that it is a great place for developing skills. There is a senior team that has experience from Disney that brings their quality of film to a series of TV shows. Their web-presence is on Twitter, Vimeo and they also have animators on Linkedin.
https://twitter.com/jellyfishpics?lang=en
https://vimeo.com/jellyfishpictures
Jellyfish Pictures another studio I am interested in as they recently opened a studio dedicated to creature and character animation. They also work with VFX and films which can provide job changes within the company. Their TV episodes attract animators that have just started their career. What they desire from showreels is creature animation that is realistic, this can be walks, trots runs, jumps. Study animal behaviour with solid animation principles and body mechanics. Make sure the movement is believable. Human performance can use realistic or cartoony characters. It needs to show solid weight mechanics and timing. Do not overact or do overworked gags. Needs solid acting that is either reference-based or posed out. I have tested out some creature animation but they are also looking for work with human characters which is my desired specialism. This studio supports my role as they have experienced animators that are at the film standard that will help me grow as a creative.
Their requirements for applying for their Junior to Mid 3D Character animator are:
Extensive Maya experience.
Animator role desired for junior, essential for mid.
Desired production environment.
Good communication Skills.
The workflow for the animators is to record video reference, block out animation on paper, block out in 3D, go on to previs to see what won't work in the animation, first pass of the animation to tweak the performance, adjust little tweaks in the animation and try to stay close to the reference. The software they use is Maya, Nuke, Photoshop, Premiere Pro, and Houdini. They hold taster days that are 2-3 hours long. There's a waiting list for this.
The Mill is the world's first fully digital end to end VFX studio in 1990. In 1997, The Mill Film was created. In 2000, Mini-Mill was made for advertising. In 2006, partners with the BBC to re-launch Doctor Who. In 2014 Location move in London to Fitzrovia. In 2018, new studios being announced for Mill Film. their 3D animation sector is tailored to families. Their target is real-time rendering characters which allow all parties in the pipeline to see the character be animated. Their strength is that they have a diverse range of animation that I could work on. It allows me to apply for several roles as an animator. They have web-presence on Instagram, Twitter, and Vimeo, including animators that are on Linkedin.
https://www.instagram.com/millchannel/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/MillChannel?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
https://vimeo.com/millchannel
The reason I am interested in The Mill is that they have animation and VFX sections where I am able to produce cartoony animation as well as realistic animation depending on the job role. What they want from a showreel are shot breakdowns and technical ability on mechanics. They support my role as they produce content in a range of different animation mediums which provides me with a lot of options regarding what specific animation I will look to pursue.
Their requirements from applicants for a 3D animator role is:
1 -3 years of experience.
A degree in animation.
Familiar with Maya.
Familiar with Linux operating systems and windows.
General knowledge of Photoshop, Illustrator, CAD, Nuke, After Effects.
Understand hair dynamics, animation rigging, and 3D character animation.
Knowledge of software and hardware for the post-production process.
Demonstrate an understanding of the visual effects and associated pipelines.
The workflow of an animator is that the animator would animate the character in its scene in Maya, then it would be brought over to Cinema 4D where the lighting, texturing and modelling of the environment will be done. The software they use is Maya, Cinema 4D, and Houdini. They have an intern placement scheme that lasts 2 months. An applicant will also have to email The Mill with a CV and a covering letter saying what you are interested in and why you want to work with them at The Mill. Applicants will be shortlisted if accepted for available placement.
DNEG ran feature animation from 2014 and is run by Tom Jacomb. They are currently in the production of two major animated features. They also have 5 Academy Awards and 5 BAFTA Awards from work on films such as first man, mission impossible - fallout, and Blade Runner 2049. Their VFX films have a wide range of target audience whereas feature animation is targeted at children. Their target is development in markets such as China and India with productions such as action film 'Brahmastra' and war drama 'Liberation'. Their strength is that they work in a variety of regions. China and India being developed with more staff helping services to their market. They have web-presence on Instagram, Twitter, Vimeo, and also having animators on Linkedin.
https://www.instagram.com/dneg/?hl=en
https://twitter.com/dneg?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor
The reason I am interested in DNEG is that there is a feature film section within the company. They are producing feature animation within London. They are also partners with another company I am interested in called 'Locksmith Animation'. They have a TV department which I am also interested in and they have the potential for a change of roles within the same company. I emailed Locksmith Animations which is a new studio for Feature animation and got a reply from Anna Lord saying they rarely hire 3D animators and that DNEG is their partners so its best to contact them for jobs and recruitment. Their showreel requirements from applicants are to include breakdowns of the animation. How they were made. Description of what I did in each shot. Keep the showreel short and sweet with the high quality rather than long and less quality. The first 10 seconds have the biggest impacts. Show breakdowns of the renders of keyframes within the shot. Do not add music. They support my role as they currently looking for animators for feature animation. Just starting the production of feature animation.
Their requirements for applicants as a 3D animator include:
Thorough knowledge of Maya.
I need experience with an animation department, preferred in feature film.
Needs to understand anatomy, composition, perspective, and strong drawing skills.
Understanding of timing, posing, acting, and storytelling techniques.
I need good problem-solving techniques in a 3D space.
Confident in the animation principles.
Must work well in a team.
Adaptable to change in terms of roles.
Good communication skills.
The workflow for a 3D animator would be to get in the suit and act out the scene that they are planning on animating. That data is then streamed in real-time onto the character that will be animated. The animator will review the footage in either MVN Studio or MotionBuilder to see what changes need to be made to the performance. The data from MVN studio is then applied to the character in Maya by using MotionBuilder. The animation can then be edited on Maya. The software they work with is Maya, MVN Studio and MotionBuilder. They have a graduate scheme for students that are entering the final year of study. Applications ended on 15th May 2019. The summer internship program also ended on the 15th of May 2019. The graduate scheme runs from 15th July to 20th December and the summer internship runs from 15th July to 13th September.
I then researched 3 sectors outside of the entertainment industry for animation and found that I could work in industries such as crime scene reconstruction, military technology promotion, and medicine. Clicking on each company logo will also show the research I have on each of them. Contact I had with each of these companies is also in my Google Drive Folder, under 'Industry Involvement'.
This industry is Crime scene reconstruction. The opportunity I would get from this industry is working in an environment where I will be pushed for time and need to animate accurately to reference I receive. It is designed to inform and educate people working on a specific case. This specialises in animation so I could cater towards this line of work. The software will be 3D CAD such as Visual Statements FX3, 3D eyewitness, and Crime Zone. The workflow is to discuss with a representative the case, receive police reports on the scene and any other information to help the animation, a meeting will be held with experts who will animate the scene, the set is modelled then animated, and then rendered to be submitted to the representative. For this role, I will need to be a specialist in animating as it requires accurate reconstruction of what happened in any scene provided. It is not creatively demanding as reference for animation is from security cameras, police in car cameras, dispatch communications and more. The animation will have to be accurate to what happened. It is technically demanding as it requires accurate animation that shows exactly what happened in the scene clearly for the viewer to understand what was happening.
http://eyewitnessanimations.com/crime-scene-reconstruction
https://www.brconsult.co.uk/evidence/3d-crime-scene-reconstruction/
https://www.marshall.edu/forensics/files/2012/09/Corvo-Poster-4-5-12.pdf
This industry is Military technology promotion. the opportunity I can get from this industry is to receive briefs from clients and produce visuals to promote military equipment. They are currently looking for a 3D artist in a freelance role that is a generalist in Maya. The work is to inform and promote products that are for military usage. I could cater to this industry but will need experience with animating vehicles. The software depends on the client's requirements. Software used to animate is Maya and workflow is not different from what I am used to as the workflow has initial sketches, storyboard, animatic, modelling, animation, lighting, special effects, and rendering. I will need to be able to model and animate so I will need to be an all-rounder. Requires to be a Maya generalist. The requirements require little creativity as the client provides a brief that states what I suppose to be shown and what on, and it is also not technically demanding as the animation requires little detail in motion but enough to show what the equipment can do to the audience whether it be a vehicle driving forward or a camera rotating on an object.
http://3depix.com/military-and-aerospace-3d-animation.html
http://www.protoimaging.com/services.shtml#visual-effects
This industry is Medicine. This opportunity will allow me to work in a team of people that have experience in biomedical visualisation. It is designed to inform and educate audiences about what certain medicines can do to the body. I could cater to this industry as it requires animating but also good understanding of modelling and rigging. The software to animate can be Maya, Blender, or Cinema 4D. I will be required to model and rig assets to then be animated. The workflow is similar to what I am used to which is modelling, rigging, then animating. Due to the need for modelling, rigging and animating, an all-rounder is better suited to this role. The assets must be simple enough for the audience to understand what they are looking at which will cause some assets to be simplified for the viewers. The animation required is not technically demanding as motion has to be simplified for audience understanding but creatively, it is slightly more demanding as animators will have to plan how to make it as clear as possible for the viewer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WvtBUJQNZ8
http://www.mechanismsinmedicine.com/site/index/animation
Business cards Research
From researching business cards, I found that a lot of the design’s that covey a personality. This is crucial for a business card as a client may look at this as a first impression of what I am as an animator. As well as this, I found that some designed had too much going on and I found it distracting.
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/829788300073178340/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/730849845762901748/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/724305552554443959/
https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/535858055663741394/
Cartoony Animation Research
An animation I plan to produce will be a more cartoony piece. From this, I wanted to research a piece that has a cartoony feel and find out what makes that shot a good cartoon scene. From these two scenes, I can see that the exaggeration is what really defined these animations to be cartoony. I would want to implement key poses that have good flow lines as well as exaggerated expressions.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B4C2sXngrcS/
Realistic Animation Research
I also researched an animation that has lip sync and is realistic motion, I found this animation review where an animation gets critiqued on what works well and what areas can be improved on by the reviewer drawing red lines that show what can be pushed further. From this, I was able to see what areas, such as twists in the chest and head rotations for heavy weight rotations from the body, that I can consider when I work on my own pieces. One area I found interesting was when a character is speaking, I must think of the emotions that character is carrying. An example the critique showed was whether a character would turn his head during a line when the emotion slightly changes or when the dialogue becomes more personal towards another character.
Star Wars Research
The animation I plan to make for the AnimChallenge is on the topic of Star Wars. From this, I had the idea of having a character having their lightsaber sticking through the floor without them knowing which leads to them falling through the floor that has been cut away by his lightsaber. I had a look at the outfits a Jedi would have and I changed the lamberts my character has to match the outfit of a Jedi. I received the lightsaber rig from the AnimChallenge homepage.
https://www.starwars.com/news/force-of-fashion-robes-of-the-jedi
I also watched a video on AnimDojo on ‘Rhythm and Twist’. A reason for this is that I feel that my animations lack rhythm and I need to add overlap into the performance. From this video, there was a scene in ‘Moana’ where the main character twists the body when spinning. I really liked this twist in performance, and I wanted to include a cartoony twist in my own animation. From this, the head finishes the twist when the chest and hips are still rotating. This extreme twist works well in a cartoony performance.
For my character, I want him to fall with a cartoony squash and stretch as I do not use a lot of squash and stretch in my animations. For this, I found a video of ‘Wile E. Coyote’ falling with a bit of squash and stretch. I plan to use this as reference for my character falling.
Rat Research
As I am planning on working on a project with a client that is a rat animation, I needed to collect some reference on rat movement as well as rigs that would be useful. From this, I found two videos that I will use as my reference. As the scene is of two rats being neutral, then one rat tries to escape, the first video shows a rat being natural, while the other shows examples of rats trying to escape a container.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Us7aCmXFvk&list=PLgnVS5zBUyXKiMYSrjxQyMX7xegvBIPtY
Regarding the rigs, my client wanted me to choose a rat rig that I could animate and with speaking to my tutor, we found this rig below that works with Maya, Arnold, and is rigged.
AnimDojo Tutorials
On AnimDojo, I have watched a number of their tutorials and I found a section called ‘Advanced Techniques’. From here, I learnt a lot regarding lip sync and facial animation, new ways of adding in functional breakdowns, and making my timing snap and look sharper.
