I Promise GPT test
I've started gathering reference for my new personal project. I had already decided on the audio a few months ago, and since then have taped some video reference. The idea is a boy at a campfire setting, sitting on a log when he hears scary noises like a wolf. I've created this pose test using stills from my reference. For me it's much easier to look at reference footage when you break it down and look at only the key poses in there. Most of the time when I take reference footage much of it is unusable, and I am making tons of unessecary movements, but that's what comes with experimenting and trying to find the best acting reference for your clip. Editing is a major component when looking through reference.
I also just did this grease pencil test using the key poses from my reference. Any comments and crits are helpful.
posted by anthea @ 8:00 AM
8 Comments:
Hey Anthea! Really great job here. The poses are really clear and the timing is on.
The main thing I'd suggest is to make his dropping of the marshmallow stick a bit more clear. When I watched it the first time, I didn't notice that he'd dropped it. Also, I didn't see him "see" the bug crawl in screen right. Could you use the seeing of the bug as anticipation of the jump? Perhaps you just have not yet put that in as of this particular moment in time, and plan to do so.
I can't wait to see your progress with the shot.
Hi Lauren!! thanks for stopping by!
The marshmello stick drop, I agree is not clear. Right now I don't know what to do about that part since the idea is to have him roasting over a fire, but dropping it and having the bug come to eat it is just to perfect. I am not sure what to do, should I place a campfire in the scence, and should he be roasting the marshmellow, then drop it slightly screen right so the bug has a reason to enter?
I could just make him be playing w a stick on the ground and nix the whole campfire/marshmello thing. I am thinking of making the "bug" into another kind of animal. Does the animal need a reason like food to enter?
I also like your idea of a more obvious take at the bug, he needs to really see it so that the audience can see it, good call.
I will make some revisions and re post soon. I also showed it to my x mentor extroidinaire Jason Ryan, and he had some super suggestions too.
Hi Anthea. We miss you! I think this will be a really great test. The only thing I would suggest at this stage of blocking would be to reverse the position of the right and left legs on the second to last pose. I think that coudl give you a clearer silhouette. You might also want to exaggerate that pose more...so he's really startled. I can't wait to see this with the anticipations and overshoots added. Did you ever see that test that Jason Ryan did for our class 2 that was the guy jumping up in excitement? If you don't already have it let me know. I think it would inspire your next step of doing breakdowns. Your thumbnail pose @ 160 reminds me of the way Jason draws thumbnails for blocking. Can't wait to see more! :-)
Nice to see you working on personal projects outside of work Anthea! Really shows how much you love it. I like the campfire and the roasting over the fire, it goes with the mood well. Here's an idea I'm going to throw out.
It sounds to me like after he hears the howl, he kindof freaks out and starts praying. What if he doesn't drop the stick and does his little prayer, stick in hand, eyes nervously looking around, maybe even squeezes them closed at the end...add a beat and a big ass gnarly flying bug lands on it. Then he falls back over the log and drops/tosses the stick. I think adding a beat after he finishes talking and before the ACK! might make it better.
actually, a small friendly bug landing on his marshmellow could work too, just different.
Wow, I love your reference! That's such a cool idea!
Yep, I agree with Sara that switching the legs to the otherside would help clear up the sillouette. He could almost be turned away from the fire while he's roasting his marshmello. I get the feeling like he's a nervous or wimpy character from the dialogue so that might work nicely with the action you have later. I caught the bug crawling in from the right but unfortunately that's where the fire is now too so that would cause some problems. Also you have alot of dead space on the left... unless that's what you want to fake the audience into believing that something is going to come from that direction. Hmm.. I have a couple suggestions that I'll quickly draw out for you later today. Sorry don't mean to sound like Frank or Ollie but trying to type this stuff out for me is really tough. Don't worry, I know this'll turn out great! It's a fun idea but I agree it needs a little tweaking. Thanks for posting your ideas, it's great to see!
hi everyone, thanks for all the comments!
sara, i like your suggestion of switching the legs. i definetely want to think about silhouette at this stage, i want to clean up all these poses in my next gpt revision, before maya for sure. i have seen jason's test of the person jumping, i love that one! i studied it over and over for the single idea assignment in class 2, the person dipping hteir toe in cold water, i shoudl go back and study it for this test as well.
hi albert! i also think the campfire idea work well with this audio and want to keep the campfire, bug and marshmello roasting if i can figure out the staging. if he doesn't drop the stick/marshmello then the placement of the fire wouldn't be as much of a problem. and you are right a flying bug might work as well, then it can land on the marshmello and scare him.
i was thinking the same thing about having him close his eyes at the end of the preying section, then maybe he could causiously open one eye first, then see the bug then get scared.
hi jeremy!! yeah i tried out this "pose test" way of organizing my reference a while back. If you have the time its a great way to organize yoru keye/golden poses you will need. plus you edit out all the unecessary stuff and you can start thumbnailing from the most important poses.
i wasn't putting too much thought into all the dead space on the left but now that you mention it it does seem weird, i might have to restructure the staging. if the campfire is slightly to stage left of him, and the bug flew into cam i think it will solve some of these problems.
thanks for all your help guys!! gpt revision to come soon!
I threw together some quick ideas for your test.suggestions My composition is a little tight and looking at it now I'd probably scoot things over a little more to the left.... Oh I forgot to mention too that you have some wonderful non cliche poses. I love those ideas so hopefully it can carry over as you refine your animation. Good luck and I look forward to seeing it develop!
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