AN5002 - Computer Animation: Advanced

Leopard by Francesco Nevi

One of the key modules tackled by our 2nd year undergraduate animators is titled "AN5002: Advanced Computer Animation".

In this module, worth 30 credits, students get to grips with animating animals and creatures.

The module lasts six weeks and finishes just before Christmas, with students practicing their skills in animal and creature animation, including quadruped locomotion and performance.

Animal and creature work
Much of the animation industry in London focuses on realistic animal and creature work, achieving photoreal levels of quality, so it's important that we tackle head-on the precise and demanding nature of this kind of work. 

What's in the module?
Students often ask what sort of animation they should do during this module. Of course, students can read the module guide, but the best explanation of all is to show some examples of recent student work.

1. Dog locomotion exercise by Maria Robertson
Maria's dog motion was based on a number of live action clips, combined into one seamless piece of animation. It's an excellent study of quadruped locomotion and a very skilled performance. 



2. Monster/Creature performance by Sebastian Kuder
This animation by Sebastian Kuder interpreted the brief rather loosely; the creature here is actually a humanoid biped, but by animating him running on all fours it just about satisfied the brief. In any event, it's a very skilled piece of animation, full of character and personality. 



3. Tiger performance by Chan Sagoo
This shot below was animated by one of our animation short course animators, Chan Sagoo, who is now an animator on The Lion King at MPC.  Chan's shot is a skilled use of live action reference to create an animal performance.



4. Herring animation by Will Smith
Not all animal or creature animation need to be furry quadrupeds. In this aquatic animation below by Will Smith (now working as an animator at Lipsync Post), Will tackles the animation of a school of herrings. Fish are animals too.



5. 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.



6. The Fox and the Golf Ball, by Billy Allen. This short piece below is based on live action reference of a fox. The golf ball and the hole-in-one are an invention, making this a particularly successful performance overall.




7. Runaway Bear by Daniel Lotter.  In this atmospheric piece, Daniel Lotter animates a runaway grizzly bear trapped inside an office building, while police and emergency vehicles gather outside.




8. Seagulls by Titi-Marion Giusca
This entertaining and imaginative piece by Titi-Marion Giusca takes a cartoony and witty approach to the brief.




9. Hungry Cat by Petroc Menuhin
This charming animation by Petroc Menuhin has a strong sense of story, and is based on live action reference, giving the shot a high level of believability.





10. Leopard animation by Lucy Harris
This animation by Lucy Harris combines creature performance with dialogue. Lucy connected with a number of professional animators at LinkedIn and got feedback from animators at DNeg and MPC, to help her improve the shot. 




To see more about how the 2nd year at Escape Studios works, read this blog post. 

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. And to apply for the next evening class in Producing Animation, see this page.