Toonboom clips for reference pt 1

Here are some very rough animations I did, trying to play around with the lead mini moom character operating the machinery. I wanted to make it look as if he was performing as he was pressing the buttons, showing that he really enjoys his job. I thought that it would make the clip more interesting if it had more of a rhythm to it

The one below is my first proper go at it. I later decided that a front view of him pressing the buttons didnt give the viewer a very exciting idea of how he is button pressing.





I've been having a think about how I want some of these shots to be animated in 3D. I used Toonboom to create these sequences. I had also just purchased a Wacom tablet, so this exercise has enabled me to improve my cg drawing skills.



I think I definitely prefer the 2nd clip I animated. It flows a lot better, and really plays with exaggeration, for more effectiveness. The angle allows a lot more scope for poses and expression aswell.

For the second clip I looked very closely at some clips on youtube I found. There is an arcade game called "Pop'n'Music" that is hugely popular in Japan. I first saw it being played briefly on the film "Lost In Translation" and I really like the fun rhythmic movements that it displayed. Here are the clips that inspired me the most, research-wise




I really like this one, because this guy is really putting on a show for all the people watching him, and he does it in a pretty cocky and over the top fashion.



This one is nice, because he is a bit more bouncy, and his actions he does with his legs are quite interesting to watch.



The video above is just mind blowing. His fingers move so fast and with such pre meditated thought. It reminds me a bit of a shot from "Cloudy with a Chance of Meatbals" of the scientist Flint operating his machine in his lab.

Each person played the "Pop'n'Music" in a different style. I think this research has helped guide me with how important it is to decide what kind of emotion you want to get across with something as simple as someone operating an interface. Do I want him to be bored or elated that he is doing this job? That's the question I asked myself. I definitely used the reference material to my advantage.