The Foundry - Life in London

About a month and a half ago or so, I had started writing about my experince at The Foundry and it was about my month working as an inten. I had then weighed my thoughts since then and what I have experienced so far since then and I must admit, it's a much more different view from before.

Though my initial goal was to become an animator I force this question to myself, "Do I want to animate?"

 
Glen Keanne - Was able to attend and see how Glen Keanne made Duet

Since working at Miller and Carter I enjoyed the aspect of working in a team, united we can achieve anything and  problem solve anything that comes our way, whether this was a customer needs or how we can improve our way of service. It's just the fact that I enjoy and relish working in a team, even when I played rugby back at school and though we may've lost as a team now and again, we would always bounce back together. This sense of bond really drives my mentality as, if I don't perform to my full potential, then I maybe letting my team-mates down.

The Colorway team at The Foundry is that new team that I play for, and even as an intern, I believe even the smallest person can make the difference. There is a sense of support for one another and believe me, we had some pretty rough times when we were trying to get a build stable enough to launch for a new beta version to the community; and though we sometime didn't hit our mark, we would always regroup and planned he best possible step that we can take.

Marira and Leandro - Two wonderful teachers where I have been learning Tango lessons

I really enjoy working as a QA Engineer, I mean sure, I need to knuckle down and learn more about the technical side i.e python and Mel scripting, which is something I'm learning now but overall, I enjoy working with the developers. Being able to look back at a particular old build and compare, how far we have come as a team to making Colorway a much better product, really gives that extra pinch of sparkle of what we have acheived together and make us wonder, what's the next step for Colorway.

What I had said so far, is an outcry of what my personality is like and I really love being part of a team. I can say however, this blog post is very biased as I have never worked as an animator before, and therefore can't throw in the towel of being an animator just yet. But the truth is, I want to contiune working as QA Engineer and maybe even pursue this path. I find that I may've walked into a forked road that I must take and in all honesty, I want to take that route that could be a bit more a gamble and could potenitally give me a future that I could be happy with.

I must admit they're other factors involved that is affecting my decision with all this such as, where I'm currently living, the potential of seeing that girl and the fact that I want to break away from my past and make a fresh slate here, in London. I would like to say that I should be careful but, I think I need to take that extra risk because what's more worst than not trying is, living with regrets and wondering what could've been.

Carpe Diem a new oppurtunity- for Robin Williams

Hiya guys, I have big news to share and its something that I feel truly excited about and at the same time  it hasn't really hit me yet of the opportunity that I was able to receive. So, unfortunately I don't have anything new to show but bare with me for a moment.

I was fortunate enough to have been messaged by my cousin boyfriend a couple of weeks ago and he stated that there was going to be an intern role at the place he was working in, The Foundry. I remembered that I kind of bowed out from this last year as I didn't feel that I was capable of meeting to their expectations, plus the fact that I was learning from an animation mentor at the time and wanted to really focus on just animation. My showreel wouldn't have stood a chance.

The Foundry

The intern role however would be more technical, rather than a creative position, though that's not to say that it wouldn't be beneficial to myself as it would be a unique chance for me to work at a place like The Foundry. Plus, you have to remember that like John Lasseter said "technology inspires the art, art challenges technology" and I fully believe without this equilibrium, we wouldn't have such dynamic industry.

So, receiving this news, I thought heavily about my future as, yes I do want to become an animator as that is my dream and in the future I would love to give back and teach my skills to future animators. But, what struck me most was what my animation mentor had once said from his experience and that was, "sometimes you have to zig-zag your way to where you want to be"- which is very true to how he eventually got to where he was.

After a few days sending my work and CV my mind never thought that I was able to get the position, let alone an interview. But then however I got one, an interview.  So I then headed down and prepared  to the best of my ability and with the great support of my family, friends and co workers.

It was so daunting walking towards the interview room as I was in such awe from the fact that these are the people that makes VFX studios like MPC, Blue Sky studios and so on, to fully utilise their potential and their ideas on screen from the softwares and tools that they are creating.

I messed up the interview so much and it left me feeling so stupid after a handful of questions were answered incorrectly, and in a manner that was embarrassing to think back on; that, I left a bit annoyed with myself and wishing that I had done better, and had the thoughts of just continuing at my part time job and slowly update my portfolio, to go back to where I was.

You may now be wondering as to how this may relate to Robin Williams himself, well the fact in Mrs Doubtfire, he faced not being able to see his kids again as he cared for them so much, that he never gave up on letting them go. Seeing that from a young age, to never give up on the things you love, really resonates to how I worked on showreel over the last year, to improve and believe for the future.

I got the internship.

I want to dedicate this post to the late Robin Williams as he was one of the very few people that I admired growing up and I genuinely believe that he contributed to my decision, of becoming an animator. From his heartwarming voice as Genie in Aladdin to portraying the most human being in Good Will Hunting. A person who inspired me to be different and not conform to what other people perceive to be the norm and live life in a quiet desperation only to wish, that they had seized the day. And I hope to emulate at least just one percent of his personality, so that I may never forget a wonderful person. You shall greatly be missed.

Cat personality animation and thoughts

Hi guys, the last week or so has been quite unusual I guess, as I have to slowly revert back to my normal routine. Balancing part time and animating has not always been easy but I feel that ever since my time off, I have that much more fresher approach as I'm able to focus a lot more on the task ahead rather than getting distracted.

I have then been able to finish an animation which I have unfortunately kept closed doors on but don't worry, it's down there below. I feel that this animation means so much more than just adding an extra few seconds to my showreel, the reason for this is because like I said from my previous post, that I started to get the feel of the creature which I never understood from the books, interviews that I had listened to. Until now.

My creature personality animation

Sure they're mistakes that are found from the video, like when I asked my brother on his thoughts, his initial answer was that "there should be a pause for when the creature sees the ball that is floating in the air", just this simple answer had so much volume and it really triggered my thoughts onto the next animation which I will work on next. 

However with that said, I can look forward to my next upcoming project and take into account all of these intricate details that would make a whole lot of a difference, when I show it to another person. 

Before my trip to Hong Kong, during my stay there for the month and when I arrived back; I knew that I had to start getting out of my room, to start applying to jobs or positions that would hopefully make me one step closer to achieving my goal for this year, which is to leave home. I had contemplated for far too long and after so many animations hiccups from this year, I knew that I can't give myself any more chances to delay this thought of mine. I will indeed be doing another animation or so but, I can't afford to waste anymore time. 

I will therefore start applying by the beginning of August and continue to hold my head up high but keep my head down to continue improving my animation skills. This will also mean that I will have to learn other skills like Mel scripting, Python and rigging. 

So, I'll see you guys next time. 

Creature personality animation and updates

Hey guys, I have returned from Hong Kong last week and I must say, it was a welcome break as there was no worries of work, animation or putting any further strain to my wrist from the RSI. I was there to relax and enjoy living at a place which I have not been to for the last six years. I was then able to look at my life with a much more positive attitude.

I miss Hong Kong

I did however miss my part time job as in a way it's part of my social life where I'm able to work alongside a team that enjoy working with. However, after working a shift or two, I now have a much greater desire to move on and to focus on the career that I would like to have.

I have then got back to working on an animation which I had not yet shared before I had left, something that I wanted to keep down low at the time, as I didn't want to have to show up empty handed or forget to post updates on it.

This animation below is about halfway done as I have yet to complete the rest of the poses. Progress was slow when I started on this project but one of the things that I have started to notice was that, I was able to animate the creature with a lot more feeling towards it. What I mean by this is that the movements from the Nico creature has that sparkle of life, weight and personality which I have never really seemed to grasp from previous projects; something that has eluded me and constantly puzzled me what Ollie Johnson and Frank Thomas (Walt Disney Nine old men) was talking about "feeling".

With this, I hope to implement this technique in future projects where it'll make my animation much more appealing to watch.

I'm currently happy with the progress so far and I'm predicting that I should have this animation completed by the end of the week or so. After that, I will then start to polish up my CV and begin to get out there of the job market because quite frankly, I can't keep thinking the old way, to keep improving my showreel content. I have by the way uploaded a fresh new showreel here: Andrew Mo Animation Showreel 2014

Anyway, I got a lot to do today, so I'll leave it as that and see you guys next time.

Pixar Masterclass and having enough

Hey, I know I haven't put up anything new over the past weeks or so, but there is a reason for that and that is simply I've been working more shifts at my part time job. I feel that I have reached a point in my life where I have just got sick and tired of explaining where I am all the time, like how I'm just working part time and just building my showreel. It's kind of had a negative affect on my confidence on who I am, as it's slowly chipping away my mindset. I know that it may sound daft but I feel that this maybe the case for some other university graduates, that have still yet to find their ideal roles that they have worked so hard for.

I have therefore started thinking how I should stop updating my work for the next few months, firstly it's because I will be going abroad for a month soon and this will hopefully give my RSI and my mind a chance to rest, to achieve a zen like mode for me to unwind. Secondly, I have picked up a lot more shifts to cover for another upcoming event that I'm planning to go, where this will cause less free time to work on my showreel. 

I have however been working on an animation which I'm not yet ready to show as it's still in the early works.

Hong Kong for a month

I don't see this as a negative period in my life, just quite the opposite in fact. I feel that I'm accepting where I am at the moment and this will give me the opportunity to, bounce back. If you are ever an anime fan or superhero film, this would be like that brief time period where they train non stop and come back stronger. I.e Rocky V. So when I do come back from holiday I'll be refreshed to continue working on my showreel and I'll be at Pixar's masterclass to learn more about animation, the thing I live for. 

Some of you maybe thinking as to why I would attend a Pixar's masterclass even though I had learnt animation from university, that I had been taught by an animation mentor last year, you know, why on earth would I continue to spend more when I'm not close to achieving my goal this year. Let alone that Pixar animation is more orientated around characters than creatures which I have begun focusing on the early part of this year. Yes, it's true on all of the above but, having the opportunity to learn from one of the studios that I have grown up watching and just purely for their memorable story-telling is enough to counter all of those points. 

Pixar Masterclass - See you there in London

Like many previous social networking events, this time however, I will take a less expectations approach where I had in my mind of gaining a foot in the door of the industry where the employee would offer me a job and so on, and that would kickstart my career. No, this time I'll go in a different manner where I won't be filled up with anxiety and be nervous to talk to anyone. I'll be enthusiastic as usual but remain more calm. (I bet i will still panic). If I knew anyone that was going, it would help a lot. But forward into the unknown!

Anyway, I am excited to attend the masterclass and i'll keep on animating until then. Just a note that they'll be less updates till the masterclass, so this is my goodbye for now I'm afraid. Goodbye

Taking a step back - Foot slides

Hello all! I have decided to scrap the chasing tail animation now as to be honest, I really messed up the workflow of the overall project and it has proven itself to be too challenging. I have naively thought that this would be a simple task to do however, it just shows how little knowledge I have when it comes to quadruped rigs. Further more this has made me realise that I am still a beginner in this area as an animator.

So, my next question which I put myself in is, “what should I animate then?”. I had a lot of ideas running through my head the past few days and i’ve tried to keep them as simple as I can so that, I’m able to have include a shot that has a certain quality in my showreel. I was then watching a walk cycle tutorial that I had mentioned from a previous post about how to animate a quadruped walk cycle. As I continued watching, it struck my mind that I have yet to resolve a certain issue that I have yet to conquer, “foot sliding” in a cycle animation. 

I'd often at times searched the web on how to resolve this, but from what I had seen there wasn't much content on this issue, sure there was mel scripts which i could use, but I wanted to know the reason and find that formula on how to fix this.

I knew that this tutorial had mentioned how to resolve the problem but at the time, I was concerned that I would copy what this person has done and never learn how to animate myself; therefore I chose not to, take on board the tips he had suggested at the time. How foolish of me.

Anyway, I believe that I’m able to prevent any foot slides when it comes to making a cycle animation now, thanks to this tutorial. Feel silly not having mentioned this person name yet, but I’ll include this tutorial on the following link below, as he has really opened new doors in term of animation projects in the future for me. Plus, in case I might lose you guys with my wording on how to prevent the foot slides. Chris Sokalofsky - Basic quadruped cycle tutorial

Alright, so I have set a simple scene up, with a spider bot rig, nothing fancy as this is just to illustrate the steps to take to prevent foot sliding in Maya, with your animation. I've only just figured this out so please bear with me if this whole tutorial fail.

So below, I have animated the front left leg where it starts at frame "0" and moves forward at frame "8" , where by frame "16", it'll go back to it's original position on frame "0". At the moment from the graph editor, the splines are flatted out. We would then need to change this.

Translate Z - Front Left foot 

 I then had to identify which area of the spline we would need to turn "linear" as this will make the foot move forward at a constant speed, with no curve to influence the timing. So below, I have then highlighted frame 8 and 16 keys and turned them linear.

Translate Z - Change flat to Linear

 With that done, I then highlighted all of my key frames from the translate Z and from the graph editor select, curves, pre- infinity, cycle. I then did this again but selected "post infinity", cycle. This would then allow the animation to cycle continually for "X" amount of frames. (Note, that I would bake this, but that's another subject for next time). I would then copy and paste all of this to the other legs for this rig, make sure you do this.

Checking infinity 

Afterwards, I then highlighted the linear curve from the feet and then copy and paste this to the global/ world curve on the Z axis.

Copy the linear curve

 Now the tricky part in my opinion. Depending on the linear curve, and the direction you have been animating your rig, you may need to mirror the curve (scale the curve to -1). So, for example from 0 to 8, at frame "8" the translate Z is "-87". But we don't want this as the rig is going the other way now. We simply add a positive from that negative, "-87=+87", this is scaling to "-1". The rig should then move in the correct direction. Make sure that the curve is travelling in linear mode. To do this highlight the key frames, select curves, post infinity, linear.

Paste onto the world/ global curve

I would like to mention that you should research before animating and this is just a tutorial on how to prevent foot slides. Pay close attention to detail on your foot placements and the principles. I have not mentioned any but be aware of them.

After learning and taking all of this in, I have grown a new confidence with what I should animate over the next couple of weeks. So again, I apologise with the lack of content I have been churning out lately. I hope however, that you've found this useful. 

Chasing Animation- Postponed

As I'm typing this latest blog post, I am feeling quite annoyed and a bit disappointed with myself. The reason for this is because, over the past couple of weeks my RSI has finally caught up with me. Even with the Wacom, that has no doubt eased my pain when I was animating quite relentlessly from a few months ago, it's just become a slight of a headache to try and mentally focus on animating my projects with the pain. If you don't know what RSI here is a link to a previous blog post that I did, current and future animators should take heed : What is RSI?

I believe however, the main cause for such pain was due to my job at the restaurant that I'm currently working part time. I would lift these tray of glasses with my right hand and would take them out to the front of the bar, where normally others would use both hands due to the weight. With the increase pressure I put on my right hand, I woke up the next morning with agonising pain.

Hoping that this would subside over the couple of days with rest, my hand just never seemed to be the same again. It has made me think about my career more deeply than ever as I have yet to enter the industry. With the horror of such a consequence that I may end up losing out on my dream job as an animator because of this, I've decided to postpone this project.

However, this doesn't mean that I will give up on building up my showreel as i intend to break into the industry this year. So, I will start on another project that I have already lined up but only work on the references, early thumbnails sketches and research, not the animation itself (animating). This will then hopefully give my hand to recover as the workload will be less intensive as well as giving the chance to share my work on this blog.

After I am fully sure that my RSI has subsided, then will I go back to this chasing animation project. Again, I feel a bit frustrated with how another medical condition has cropped up from just a couple of months ago when I had those chest pains.

 I really do wonder how other people of my generation are coping with the level of competitiveness of achieving their dream job based on their university degree. But, I guess that is what life is about, sometimes you aren't dealt the favourable cards. Anyway that's enough of my rambling, I'll see you guys soon. I'm sorry also for the lack of content as it's just paragraph after paragraph of jargon.