This week we spent more time on creating animatics. After a few adjustments to the scene layout, we placed the t-pose character models in the scene and roughly animated their dance steps and routes. At the same time, we pushed forward with locking in key elements like transitions and special effects, and stopped hesitating about them. This step should have been done earlier to establish the overall framework, but our progress in scene art has helped compensate for the delay. Once we synthesized the animatic with simple animations and music, we sent it to our dancer Brenna for reference.
On Friday morning, we visited the mocap studio with Brenna and her partner Bhuvan for a formal recording session. Since we want to express the characters’ emotions through their movements, we incorporated interactions with the scene into the choreography. We first discussed the key musical moments and the movements that could enhance the dance. Brenna and Bhuvan improvised several sequences, and after a few adjustments, we successfully recorded the dance clip. Big thanks to Justin, the head of the mocap studio, as well as Brenna and Bhuvan, whose cooperation made the session run smoothly. We’re now waiting for Justin to provide the data feedback so we can apply it to the model and assess the results.
With the Half Presentation coming up next week, part of our attention has shifted to preparing slides and getting ready for the presentation.