From pre production to production

About 5 weeks ago we got our first assignment as a group to create a short film. We chose to create ours in 3D. We started out with a main idea based around cars. After working on it we ended up with our story about two characters racing to the last parking space in a car park. On their way to their goal they must overcome obstacles and suffer through challenges. My main role for this whole production is lead animator. In order to get the timing I wanted and to learn the ways of the story I also ended up as the storyboard artist and animator of the previs. It was a lot of work, but now I know the story like the the back of my hand and I’m aware of what needs to be done to make the criterias.

By now the previs is done and the whole pre production module is finished. It’s now time to actually start the main production. Like I already said; my job in this part is lead animator so I will do my best to animate as much as possible and then delegate parts of it to others when they are done or in between their jobs. I plan to start out with a very simple workflow. Building it up from key story poses in stepped through the rough and spline until the final polish. I will start with blocking out the whole scene and then focus on each one of the characters. This will make it easier for all of us to be in about the same place in the animation workflow when the others start helping.

My job starts when the rigs are done which I expect shouldn’t take too long. Meanwhile I have an almost done rig of one of the cars so I will start blocking out its movements throughout the scene.

This short film is supposed to be done and delivered the 20th January 2017. If we all work efficient I think we’ll be done in good time.