Assignment 2: Self Critique

Comments

I feel that my animation was successful in a way that it shows exactly my intention of my original story for this red box scenario.

I took some time to add in lights and use the camera, which is not a requirement of the assignment, but I thought it would improve the animation. While the final lighting and camera setup is not the best in my opinion, I feel that the spotlight shining on the robot and the boxes is sufficient to bring the focus on those objects, since there's really nothing interesting in the surrounding.

However, I feel that the lights could be better in terms of providing more variety of colors (instead of just a plain white spotlight).

The camera is also positioned at certain position to scope the focus of the animation even further. For example, the later part of the animation had the camera focusing mainly on the red box and the robot. The green boxes are not our main concern so it is partially shown on the screen, if not completely hidden at all. The shaking effect of the camera was an accident discovery when I meddle with the camera. Since the red box is supposed to be heavy, why not show that by shaking the camera when there's a big drop made by the red box?

However, I feel that I could have further utilized the camera, since for the front part of the animation (the part where the green boxes are moved), the animation of the robot moving the green boxes are (honestly) a bit boring, and the camera sitting on the same spot for that period didn't really help bring up the interest.

I think that the last animation where the red box drops off from the conveyor belt can be improved, because right now it doesn't look like it is really being influenced by gravity. Also, I think that the robot could have have another reaction when the box dropped, but I did not have any good idea in terms of what reaction the robot should express when it happens, so no reaction for the robot was incorporated into the last segment.

Principles

The animation uses ease-in-ease-out for the robot's movement. However, I felt that I should have made that ease-in-ease-out movement more obvious by tweaking the curves in the graph editor, so that it is more curvy, which makes the ease-in-ease-out more obvious.

When the robot is trying to push the box, it uses the principle of anticipation, as the robot moves to its preparation position before it gives a big hit on the box.

The animation also uses the principle of timing. The robot gets increasing impatient with the red box as its encounter with the red box gets more and more unpleasant, and therefore is more determined to get rid of the red box as fast as possible, either by normally moving it, or by pushing it away. Its impatient and great desire to get rid of it as fast as possible is reflected by the fact that the robots acts and reacts more quickly as the time goes by for the interaction with the red box.

The secondary action is also displayed in this animation. The robot jerks a little as it comes to a stop. The red box also bounces on the conveyor belt as it is being dropped. The camera shaking as the red box drops is also a secondary action.

Finally, the camera's change in focus during different periods is the usage of the principle of staging, whereby things that are not in our main focus are hidden away from the audience as much as possible by moving the camera away.

Assignment 2: Storyboard

(click to see enlarged picture)

The BoMo will move 2 green boxes as per normal, by lifting it up from the conveyor belt, and then rotating and lowering it at the platform 90 degrees to its right.

After the two green boxes, the conveyor belt will give a box that is red in color. The BoMo will realise this abnormality, and start to inspect the box, to check that he really did see the red box and see whether there was anything special with it.

Thinking that he worried too much, he goes back to normal and starts to lift the box. However, half way during lifting, the box will drop off the magnet. The BoMo did the lifting of the red box twice and in both times, the dropping off always occur without fail.

Fustrated with the red box, the BoMo decided that the red box is an invalid box, and tries to push the box away from the conveyor belt. It tries very hard to do it but because it is extremely heavy, the robot only manages to move it to the edge of the conveyor belt. After trying very hard to push the box away, the BoMo feels tired, and tries to catch its breath.

In the end, the BoMo effort's paid off, when the red box drops off from the conveyor belt by itself due to gravity influence.

Assignment 2: Character

Name: BoMo (Box Mover)

Thoughts:
BoMo: All in the day's work! Time to start moving boxes again!
(moves box 1)
BoMo: Now for the next box...
(moves box 2)
BoMo: Now for the next box...
(saw box 3 that turned to red)
BoMo: ...wait...
(looks and moves its head around the red box)
BoMo: ...why is this box red in colour? Am I seeing something right?
(retracts back)
BoMo: Oh well, maybe it is supposed to be like that.
(returns back to normal position and start lifting up the box)
BoMo: This box feels a bit...
(drops the box)
BoMo: ... HEAVY! Or rather, it feels extremely heavy!
BoMo: Come on, I can do it, I can move this box over...
(tries to lift the box again, only to drop it again)
BoMo: ARGH!
(tries to push the red box away from the conveyor belt)
BoMo: Go away you stupid box!
(continues to push box away until it is at the edge)
BoMo: (catching its breath)
(stares at the red box)
BoMo: What is inside there? Really...
(box starts to lose balance and drops off the conveyor belt)
BoMo: ...well I guess that's the problem solved!