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| Dragon in flight by Jamie Floodgate |
In this module, worth 30 credits, students learn to animate animals and creatures. The module starts on Monday 20 September 2021 and lasts five weeks. It finishes on Friday 22nd October with students submitting a short piece of animal or creature animation for final assessment.
Animal and creature work
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| Jaguar by Francesco Nevi |
This year we have three tutors teaching the second year animators, myself, Marc Stevenson and Amedeo Beretta. All our tutors at Escape Studios have experience of working on film projects featuring animal and creature animation.
Student work.
To see some examples of work done on this module, watch the short videos below. To see more examples of student work, read this blog post.
Canine locomotion exercise by Maria Robertson
Maria Robertson's canine animation was based on a number of live action clips, combined into one seamless piece of animation. It is an excellent study of quadruped locomotion and a very skilled performance.
Dog animation by Tim Golton
Animal and creature work doesn't have to be super-realistic; it can be cartoony as well, as in this very charming dog animation by Tim Golton, using the Cody rig.
Animation Library
We have many books on animation in the animation library, located in the hallway just outside Rapture on the 3rd floor. The Animator's Survival Kit Expanded Edition, for example, has a section on animal and creature animation. We also have Edward Muybridge's historic reference book Animals in Motion.
Online Tutorials at Vimeo
We have many online tutorials at Vimeo to support this module. Tutorials include:
Quadruped Locomotion - Walks, Trots & Runs
Quadruped Walks, Trots & Runs
by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/album/5698554
Also read this blog post for more on quadruped locomotion.
Multi-legged Creature Locomotion
Six-legged crab animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6055339
For more on the crab animation, see this blog post
Creature Performance using live action reference
Six-legged "Xye crab" mating dance animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6191592
Also see this blog post.
Dinosaur Locomotion
Dinosaur Walk Cycle by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793283
For more on dinosaur animation, read this blog post
Butterfly Animation
How to Animate Butterflies in Motion by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793287
Also read this blog post on Butterfly animation
Vehicle Animation Tutorial
Cartoony Yellow Beetle tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793289
For more on animating vehicles, including rig notes, read this blog post.
Bird in Flight Animation Tutorial
Crow in flight tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6218232
For more on animating the crow in flight, see this blog post.
To see more about how the 2nd year at Escape Studios works, read this blog post.
Timetable
To see some examples of work done on this module, watch the short videos below. To see more examples of student work, read this blog post.
Canine locomotion exercise by Maria Robertson
Maria Robertson's canine animation was based on a number of live action clips, combined into one seamless piece of animation. It is an excellent study of quadruped locomotion and a very skilled performance.
Dog animation by Tim Golton
Animal and creature work doesn't have to be super-realistic; it can be cartoony as well, as in this very charming dog animation by Tim Golton, using the Cody rig.
 |
| Animation library |
We have many books on animation in the animation library, located in the hallway just outside Rapture on the 3rd floor. The Animator's Survival Kit Expanded Edition, for example, has a section on animal and creature animation. We also have Edward Muybridge's historic reference book Animals in Motion.
Online Tutorials at Vimeo
We have many online tutorials at Vimeo to support this module. Tutorials include:
Quadruped Locomotion - Walks, Trots & Runs
 |
| Quadruped locomotion by Edward Muybridge |
by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/album/5698554
Also read this blog post for more on quadruped locomotion.
Multi-legged Creature Locomotion
Six-legged crab animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6055339
For more on the crab animation, see this blog post
 |
| Dino locomotion: IRex by Truong |
Six-legged "Xye crab" mating dance animation by Maria Robertson
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6191592
Also see this blog post.
Dinosaur Locomotion
Dinosaur Walk Cycle by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793283
For more on dinosaur animation, read this blog post
Butterfly Animation
How to Animate Butterflies in Motion by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793287
Also read this blog post on Butterfly animation
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| crow in flight |
Vehicle Animation Tutorial
Cartoony Yellow Beetle tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/album/5793289
For more on animating vehicles, including rig notes, read this blog post.
Bird in Flight Animation Tutorial
Crow in flight tutorial by Alexander Williams
https://vimeo.com/showcase/6218232
For more on animating the crow in flight, see this blog post.
To see more about how the 2nd year at Escape Studios works, read this blog post.
Timetable
This year we have around 40 students in the second year, so we are splitting the group into two classes: "Animation 2A" and "Animation 2B" , one taught by me, the other by Marc Stevenson. Classes will take place in ToonTown and in Winterfell on Monday mornings, and all day on Tuesdays and Thursdays. See the infographic below for details.
2021 Schedule
To see the 2021 weekly schedule, take a look at the calendar below. Note in particular the assignment due date.
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| Daniel Amor - leopard animation with reference |
Students create an animal or creature performance which may or may not contain spoken dialogue, approximately 7-12 seconds long. Students should also build a portfolio of progress through the project at your website or blog containing written elements, images (such as storyboards and/or thumbnail sketches) and video (such as live action reference) to describe the development of the project.
The final animation should be lit, rendered, and uploaded as a movie file to your YouTube channel. Links to the video and the blog should be emailed to your tutor before the deadline (see below).
Assignment - Retrospective (25%)
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| Dinosaur by Edoardo Sartori |
Students must write a retrospective based on the portfolio submission, of about 2,600 words. You should reflect on your performance, the work that you created and the decisions that you made. How does your practical output relate to the established theory and practice? How well did you do, compared to industry standards? What might you do differently next time? This written analysis of the strengths and weaknesses of your portfolio should be in the context of current industry practice. You can use our standard template if you like (ask me for a copy) but this is not compulsory.
Deadlines
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| Bear animation by Amanda Costa |
Presentations, peer marking and self-marking of the portfolio assignment will take place on Thursday 21st October at 9.30am.
Retrospective
The Retrospective assignment is due on Monday 25th October at 11.59pm.
How to Submit
Submit your final projects by email to your tutor with a link to your final film, uploaded to Vimeo, and a link to your website or blog showing your development process, including thumbnail sketches and/or video reference.
How to Submit
Submit your final projects by email to your tutor with a link to your final film, uploaded to Vimeo, and a link to your website or blog showing your development process, including thumbnail sketches and/or video reference.
More Resources
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| "Xye Crab" mating dance by Maria Robertson |
- Vimeo Channel - animal & creature tutorials
- Module AN5002 - Animals and Creatures
- Leopard Walk Tutorial at Vimeo
- Spider Animation Workshop
- How to film animals and creatures for live action reference
- Ziva muscle systems tutorial with Michael Davies
- Scorpion Animation Tutorial at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Horse Animation Tutorials at Vimeo with Alex Williams
- Dragon in Flight Tutorial with Jamie Floodgate
- Quadruped Transitions with Maria Robertson
The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To apply for our BA/MArt in 3D Animation, follow this link. To apply for our storyboarding evening class, visit this page here. For the next 12 week animation course, click here.
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