3D Character Animation Reel | Pablo Rodríguez

It's been a year and a half of an amazing journey at Animum Creativity School. Although before entering I had already made the decision that I wanted to dedicate myself to the world of 3d Animation, it has helped me to keep learning, but above all, to appreciate the journey from the initial references and thumbnails, to the final polished shot where the character is alive, and to realize how priviledged I am to be able to do it.

Down below you will be able to see not only the final Demo Reel, but also the process of each shot, from the oldest to the newest, and see what i learned and the problems I faced with each one .

Hope you like and enjoy it!

Cycles and Combo

These ones were made during the 3rd Module, about 1 year ago and were the first time I faced looped animations as well as technical knowledge as constraints. I chose this heavy character to learn and work on weight and spacing.
But what this shots helped me the most, was to understand that whenever it's possible, if an animation works from every point of view and not just from the camera shot that the plane has, it will be more credible for the audience.

"Death & Life"

'Death & Life' was the first lipsync shot, so I focused more on the facial gestures and the lipsync, rather than the whole body mecanic. Thats why I decided that the character would be sitting having breakfast.

 In 3d animation there is a principle called 'KISS', or 'Keep It Simple'. I really recommend to anyone who is starting on the path of 3d animation, not to get too excited making crazy shots, or trying to put a thousand ideas in a single shot. 

This is something that I have faced throughout the master, and that I have been learning little by little. This could be one of the biggest lessons I learned with this shot

"Everyday Ship Issues"

At this point, the complexity continued to increase, as 1 more character was added to the scene. This means that you have to take into account the dialogue and translate it into the rhythm of the scene to guide the viewer through it. 

The best way to achive this, is recording your own references. This applies to all shots, but in this case, when one character is talking, the other one cannot be making sudden moves that distract the viewer's atenttion. In the end, he has to make credible but subtle movements  in response to the other character so that the audience belive and don't question that he is alive.

"Superman Transformation"

The final and most challenging shot of all. In this video you can see how much ideas and timing can change throughout the making of an animation shot. Being a cartoon style, I learned to apply all the principles in an exaggerated way, but keeping in mind the importance of the rhythm and "letting the shot breathe" through holds and well defined poses that help you to carry out the idea of the shot in contrast with fast movements. 

The learning process never ends, and I cannot finish without mentioning and thanking everyone who has accompanied me in this journey, especially all the mentors  from whom I have had the pleasure to learn at Animum Creativity Advanced School (in each video, as well as in the description of the Demo Reel, they are mentioned)