Advanced Animation/Final Project: Action Animation
25/06/2025 - 27/07/2024 (Week 10 – Week 14)
Shao Han / 0369187
Advanced Animation / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media / Taylors University
Advanced Animation/Final Project: Action Animation
CONCENT- INTRODUCTION
- FINAL PROJECT
- SUBMISSION
- FEEDBACK
- REFLECTION
INTRODUCTION
FINAL PROJECT
Objective:
You are tasked with creating a dynamic and visually compelling 5 to 10-second physical action sequence animation using provided character rigs. The goal is to demonstrate your understanding of physical movement, timing, extreme and breakdown poses, and visual storytelling through effective camera staging, exaggeration, and polished animation techniques.
- To start, we need to search for a suitable video reference that clearly demonstrates the action. After that, we’ll create a storyboard to illustrate the key moments, movements, and emotions in the scene. The storyboard should include a variety of camera angles and shot types, maintaining visual continuity to enhance storytelling.
Key Poses Planning
After slowing down and observing the action in the video, I captured 9 key action pictures.
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| Fig1.1 Action Reference,Week 11 (03/07/2025) |
Storyboard
I used the video as a reference as I decided to design some new shots.
The character in the video didn't look up, which didn't allow for a good representation of their expression. So I wanted to add some preparatory movements at the beginning and a close-up of their face at the end.
Based on these ideas, I began storyboarding.
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| Fig1.2 Storyboard,Week 11 (04/07/2025) |
- Using our observation, we will then animate a blocking pass (Progression 1) by setting the key poses and breakdowns with Constant key interpolation. Once the blocking is done, we’ll move into splining (Progression 2) by converting all constant keys to Bezier (or Spline) interpolation. During this stage, we’ll refine the animation’s timing and polish the motion curves using the graph editor. Additional flexibility will be added to the movement to make it feel more realistic.
Animation process
Blocking Stage
At this stage, I used Constant Key interpolation to define the character’s main action poses. This approach allowed me to verify whether the overall flow and structure of the movement were coherent and well-paced.
By studying a martial arts tutorial video, I identified and extracted the key poses, then applied them to the Snow to construct a complete blocking draft of the animation.
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| Fig1.3 Production process,Week 11 (05/07/2025) |
Polishing Stage
Building on the blocking phase, I added keyframes to make the character's movements smoother and more expressive. Based on the ideas in the storyboard, I also added preparatory and final moves to the beginning and end of the clips.
To ensure the movements were smooth and natural, I needed to constantly adjust the movement paths of the limbs, a skill I'd learned from previous lessons.
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| Fig1.5 Production process,Week 12 (08/07/2025) |
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| Fig1.6 Production process,Week 12 (09/07/2025) |
Polishing Animation
- Finally, we’ll stage the scene using cameras, lighting, and render the animation as an image sequence to produce the final animation.
Final Stage
I found a model of the background on Sketchfab and added moving lenses and light sources to the picture, which can bring better visual effects to the picture.
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| Fig1.7 Production process,Week 13 (12/07/2025) |
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| Fig1.8 Production process,Week 14 (14/07/2025) |
SUBMISSION
FEEDBACK
WEEK 12
When adding keyframes, I can pay attention to the changes in the character's expression. Some details are not connected smoothly.
WEEK 13
It is recommended to turn the character when lowering his arms, and connect the action of raising his arms when giving a thumbs-up, so that the action will be more natural and smooth.
REFLECTION
For this project, I used the character "Snow" and chose to create a simple martial arts animation. I initially referenced some martial arts videos to extract the key moves, then gradually worked through blocking, splining, and polishing. The process was quite demanding, especially trying to achieve a smooth and natural flow, but as the animation slowly took shape, it was quite rewarding.
Observations
I found the blocking stage to be crucial. If the rhythm and poses aren't nailed down early on, no amount of polishing later on will be enough to fix them. Also, the variations in camera angles were quite interesting. For example, close-ups create a more intense look, while wide shots are better suited to showcasing the full range of the action.
Findings
• Finding the right reference can save a lot of time. Watching martial arts videos helps you better understand the rhythm and continuity of the movements.
• Seemingly insignificant movements, like a slight turn of the head or a shift in center of gravity, can actually make the animation feel more realistic.
• Thoughtfully designed shots can give the animation a more cinematic feel, rather than just a technical demonstration.
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