Robot Animation Critique

One of the things that I did well was use shots that allowed for the story to be understood. The story was understandable and the cutting between shots did not disorient the audience. Also the key-framing wasn't choppy or distracting. I made sure that I included as many rules of composition as possible which added to the interest in the shot. The hardest thing of all was working with so many separate objects but it allowed me to create the atmosphere I was looking for. Some of the things that the class said I did well was the camera work. For instance the use of leading lines throughout many shots created a sense of depth. The repetition of the robots down the conveyor belt also was used to create visual interest. Emphasis was also used to differentiate the red robot from all of the other robots to identify a focus point and limit confusion. The bars on the doors were meant to make it seem as though the robots were trapped in the factory. The human in the room above them showed his power and dominion over them.

The main topic that I could improve on is lighting. At the time I made this I hadn't yet looked into producing good lighting like I have recently. However, in this animation it is quite bland and doesn't fully utilize the potential atmosphere and impact that good lighting can have. Also the dolly into the over the shoulder is way to slow which is because I didn't realize I wasn't watching the animation at the same speed the frame rate was set to. Although the coloring in the film is used to create emphasis using textures to add more depth to the world would have made it look much better. Maybe even just a brick texture on the walls or some added reflection to the robots to make them pop out. The movements of the robots during the shift change is very basic and bland. Part of that was to add to the feeling of them all being the same, however I could have been a little more creative when it comes to how they move.

I am pretty good at animating smooth and realistic movement as well as picking camera angles to show the action from. One of my weaknesses is gaging what I can and cannot do in a given amount of time. I also struggle with using lighting to aid in the story telling. What I can do to improve my time management and lighting work is create some short animations on the side. With these animations I'll be focusing on lighting as well as setting a date I want things done. What I hope to improve is the ability to use lights as a story telling element as well as create feasible projects. In order to make my strengths even better I will continue to think of shots that interest me as well as animate objects I am unfamiliar with.