i just finished this animation up and i'd like to get some critiques from you guys. thanks.
http://www.3dpirate.com/movies/weightTest.avihttp://www.3dpirate.com/movies/weightTest.avi
Hi There, I would say that you are are off to a nice start...and keep up the good work. I feel that you need to let your poses breathe. Each pose is nice but the timing between each could use a little help. For Instance:
1) Give a little more time to the double arm Arnold Flex at the begining. Start off big like you have it but give a slow in to the final pose, then hold it with a little variation to accentuate the intensity of the flex. Check out those muscle men competitions on ESPN. You really want to achieve that tension in the final pose. You're almost there! Just push it a little more.
2) Hold his look towards the bicept a bit longer before the nod. The head whips too fast for that motion. I would think he is looking at his muscles with the upmost gratification and is really trying to sell the audience on that point. Build up his overly confident attitude. It always pays off at the end of his unsuccesful attempts. Even though this is realistic animation a gag can always sell the idea.
3) Really hold on the chin rub. It goes by way too fast and this motion is GENIUOS!! I really would like to feel and see the physical contact between his fingers and his face.
4) Maybe give a little head tilt to the screen left as he rubs his hands together to really push the anticipation. Like he is not suppoded to attempt this lift but he goes for it anyways. I see this excercise as all about the build up. This gives the viewer a little window into his psyche. He thinks there is nothing that can stop him, in his mind HE IS THE BEST.
5) On the lifts really pay attention to the root. Maybe on the first lift the root only moves slightly. Really concentrate on the in/outs of the root. The slow ins on this will really sell the weight part of this piece.
6) The only other crit I could suggest is, really focus on the clavicles on the lifts. They should drop to show the immense weight of the barbell. This will sell the piece.
Overall, your choice of poses are GREAT. Just give them time to breathe. In the end they tell the viewer who your character is and what his personality is all about and after all that is what animation is all about. You can show weight but if you can add personality into the piece you will wow the viewer and secure yourself a job!
Good Luck & I look forward to seeing your final piece. Keep it up! Your piece is almost there!
Peace in the Middle East!
E-Rock
thanks, thats exactly the type of crits i was looking for!
updated the animation. please, any feedback would be great. http://www.3dpirate.com/movies/weightTest.avihttp://www.3dpirate.com/movies/weightTest.avi
Looking good. The timing is still a bit fast overall, but it's definently improving.
The animation looks very relaxed, ie: not enough tension in the poses, not enough build up between the poses. The weight being picked up looks good, and the drop is excellent, but the build up between the poses to get to the lift still looks a bit fast. It looks to me like he questions whether or not he has the ability to pick the weight up, rather than being overconfident. I also think if he would rub his hands together longer, and perhaps just take a second to take a deep breath in and out it would be more convincing overall.
Your ability to show weight and overall good timing is really dignified here, but there's always room for improvement. Keep working hard!
Best regards,
-dc-
Here's some more constructive criticism. I'm only a student myself so take it with a grain of salt.
IMO, the weakest part is when he walks forward to the weights. He doesn't anticipate his walk; he gets moving without overcoming inertia. He doesn't shift his weight as he walks either. Particularly watch his last step with his right foot; his weight is on his right foot even though it's in the air.
Also, the lift is good but I think you can push it further. Specifically I'd say try adding anticipation on the second attempt.
Beyond that, I have nothing but compliments, and compliments aren't as constructive =)
cool. you pointed out stuff that i didn't even notice. i'm gonna keep workin on it and post updates as i go. thanks for the help.
Updated the animation. The timing has been tweaked a lot. A lot of other things have been tweaked. Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks
I like the new walk.
I notice the feet slipping around a lot though. I get the impression you don't have reverse foot rigging. A search should turn up dozens of tutorials for it, but I can also lend a hand if you need it.
Also when people suggested slowing down the pacing, that didn't necessarily mean slow down the action. For example in the first pose (the hunch) I think the arms come down a little too slow now. You might consider bringing them down more forcefully; hold for the same amount of time, just get into the pose quicker.
And from an acting perspective, I'm starting to question the third pose... the one where he puts his finger to his chin. I read this as a sort of random change in attitude:
"I am awesome"
"I am invincible"
"This weight looks awful heavy..."
Now, it's natural for characters to bluff... but
If he's worried about his ability to pick up the weight and he's going to let us SEE that he's worried in pose 3 then he doesn't seem like the type of character who would show off. That sort of character would never show anxiety; he would hide his doubts right up until the point of failure.
However, this line of thought has given me an idea for a suggestion:
Maybe the weight shouldn't be there at first. Maybe you can let the character bluff for a minute and pretend to be all cool... and then the weight rolls in from stage left, or drops from the sky, and suddenly he's confronted with having to prove all the bluffs he just made. To me, that would justify a change in attitude. He might glance over his shoulder to see if anyone is watching, too...
I think that would be a more interesting story as well. Although, on the other hand, it would be easier just to delete the 'pensive' pose and move on. I don't know how much time you want to invest in this exercise...
fixed the feet. thats a problem i saw, i just wanted to fix other things first. it was funny, the day i start to fix the feet sliding around is the first day that people start talking about the feet sliding in posts 
.
the whole weight not being in the scene to begin with idea is awesome. definately a source of inspiration. it was a great great idea. thank you!!!! i'll keep ya posted and thanks for the help.
Nonquad, thought i had the feet fixed a few days ago. I playblasted it out and saw that that caused quite a few wierd errors. well, i fixed the fix now. also, i tried out the idea of the weight coming in the scene a little later. though it makes sense to me, it confused pretty much everyone that i showed. they were like, "looks good, but i dont get the weight comin in". i'll figure out something. thanks for the crits. oh yeah, the new version will be up tomorrow.