This week’s lecture introduced creature animation and focused on understanding how anatomy influences movement. Ting explained that animating animals is less about memorising bones and muscles and more about understanding how weight, gait and body structure affect locomotion. She walked us through different types of legs, spine curves and the relationship between the chest, hips and head, emphasizing the importance of gathering plenty of reference before animating. She also outlined the next few weeks, which would revolve around creature locomotion and a group presentation on a chosen animal family.
For the presentation, Ting split the class into groups and assigned each one an animal family. My group was given bears, and I was responsible for researching their anatomy and locomotion. I found it surprisingly interesting because bears combine qualities that seem contradictory: they are heavy and powerful, but also surprisingly agile. Through studying videos and anatomical references, I learned that much of their motion is driven by the shoulders and that their weight sits naturally low and forward. Their plantigrade stance and rolling gait create a strong sense of mass, and I found myself paying attention to details such as foot roll, torso sway and how the body “falls” into each step. Preparing the presentation also made me appreciate how much observation goes into creature animation and how anatomy exists to explain movement rather than simply provide scientific knowledge.
On Friday, we received another round of feedback on our dialogue shots. After making a second pass, Ting felt that the animation had improved, but she pointed out that my facial expressions could still change much faster. She explained that in real life, expressions happen incredibly quickly, and I had a tendency to ease too much between poses, causing the performance to feel sluggish. This tied into a recurring note she has been giving me throughout the term: not to be afraid of making stronger choices. Looking back, I realised that I often animate conservatively because I am worried about things feeling unnatural, but in reality I usually need to push my poses and timing further. It is interesting how the feedback across different assignments from body mechanics, dialogue and even camera work seems to come back to the same idea: animation becomes clearer and more appealing when decisions are bold and intentional rather than overly smooth.