PPP2: Research Into 3D Scene Building - "The Animation Book" and Inspiration

Stop-Motion in Courage

CGI in Courage's "Perfect"

Doing peripheral research about techniques of animation is the most crucial step towards developing an understanding of the conventions of a specific practice. In other words, research is key! Having a brief that explores character narratives and choosing to intertwine several techniques of animation into one final piece (practicing multimedia, as it is the most prevalent notion in the animation industry) purges one into doing research that envelops all of the techniques. I recently checked out several books from the library, one being "The Animation Book" by Kit Laybourne which contains a myriad of introductory and intermediate techniques on all fields of animation. I was interested in 3D atmosphere and scene building hence my Character and Narrative animation shall revolve around a blend of a 3D space with 2D animation, as well as for the sake of personal development where I would like to be able to create masterful scenes in 3D to complement the atmosphere that defines my style (macabre, dark, ambiental atmosphere). Furthermore, I would like to thoroughly get into a mutlimedia technique of hybrid animations where I have an understanding of 3 main techniques - 2D, Stop-Motion, 3D (this being the one I know the least due to my previous aversion). Having said this, I need to mention that I also got inspired by my childhood cartoon "Courage the Cowardly Dog" which blends 2D, 3D, and Stop-Motion in a perfect concoction of animation that instills fear and shocking awe into the viewer as well as a substantial sense of mystery revolving the environment Courage is in. In my research of Courage the Cowardly Dog, I noticed that the cartoon impeccably uses juxtaposition of techniques to drastically change an atmosphere and give the viewer a feeling of uncertainty and perplexity when deducing the context of the scene. One such example would be the episode "Perfect" where Courage goes through a string of disconnected dreams that dwell on his insecurity of imperfection, the dreamscapes being crafted in CGI and paper-style animation. Straying away from this, in my research of "The Animation Book" I found that there is a delicate process of 2D texturing in 3D for scenes. Importing a premade 2D texture (usually through photoshop) onto an object through defining the surface attributes to reflect light IMMENSELY induces atmosphere. It's safe to say that light is the key factor in 3D scene design. Going through, there are 3 stages to building a scene - composition, camera setup, and lighting. With digital lighting (3 types being parallel light, radial light, and spotlight) one can induce an atmosphere and emphasis of something on the scene. However, for this to be mastered only comes "with practice and repeated test renderings", as it is stated within the book. I will apply and continue research as my journey goes on to test out these conventions with the hopes of creating test shots and atmospheric backgrounds.

Prime reference from "The Animation Book"