Initially for this exercise I created live action references for all three versions.
Based on these three videos I then had a go at creating some thumbnails and rough drafts for both the Lift and Push.
Based on these, I felt like I had the most ideas and material to create the bets Push sequence. I started by filming additional references to help suppliment the movement and then began working on break downs and in-betweens.
My first draft of the push felt very inconsistent in terms of foot placement and size of the character. The character would slide along the floor and would switch feet in moments where it wouldn’t be possible.
Instead of trying to fix the animation I decided it would be best to work from the same idea but restart the sequence with fresh drawings. This time I made sure to differentiate the right and left arms and legs and pay particular attention to the centre of gravity and where the weight of the body was being held. Version 2, as seen below, is the version I submitted for the formative assessment in December.
Finally after the Christmas break I came back to the Push to further in-between the shot, add effort and further elements of performance and detail. I’m really glad I came back to this piece because I found it relatively easy and quick to really heighten the quality of the performance using the skills I was developing in the acting exercises. I really tried to emphasis the use of performative details to enhance the work I was producing.
This was great lesson in both persistence and distance. Allowing myself time away from the exercise to focus on contributory skills allowed me to come back to it with fresh eyes and a confidence that I didn’t have when first approaching the task.