Week 5 - Storyboarding and Previsualization

 

Fig.1 - Complete Previs

This week we learn about pre-visualization and storyboarding. I was able to understand how we can use the rigged models to create a short animation based on a storyboard. This helps us figure out camera angles and characters or objects' timing. Thus, we started working on an already made storyboard about Toy Story. Following the storyboard, I created a short pre-vis as shown in fig 1. 

I started by modeling a rigged forked character to sit inside a car which I "constrain parented" to the car. This then helped me move the rigged car around whilst moving the character with it. I then started placing all the cameras I needed in different angles and keyframing them the way the storyboard presented the cameras. For instance; in Fig 3, I used the camera to track the car's movement by zooming into the building, in figure 4 and 5  I animated Woody and Buzz to run forwards and jump whilst using a front and back camera, and in figure 6 I used a static establishing shot as showed in the storyboard. After getting the footage that I wanted, we learned about using cameras and how in the real world the cameras are hard to handle. thus, I had to keyframe the cameras moving backward a little as it reaches their destination to represent the weight of the camera. 

At the end of the day, I was able to understand more about cameras and how it is moved in the real world. What I found most useful was using the parent constraint, because I only recognized this tool in rigging and didn't know I could use it in animating. In conclusion, I was able to understand the use of storyboarding and previsualization, and how helpful it is in showing the team what you have in mind before putting in the hard work. What I should work on more is the timing and understanding of cameras as I realized I could have only used one camera. 

Fig.2 - Behind The Scenes

Fig.3 - Following shot

Fig.4 - Full body shot

Fig.5 - Pan Camera Shot

Fig.6 - Establishing Shot