My thesis for my Animation Master of Fine Arts is fundamentally about exploring the relationship between reality and the animated film. All aspects of the animated medium are, in some way, a lie - and in many cases, layers and layers of lies!
My thesis is based on this suspension of disbelief, from the design, to the material, to the rigging and animation, I wanted to "play" with every aspect of production to make the contrast between what is real and unreal as wild as possible.
The story was initially inspired by a simple three word, random selection prompt for an Animation Aesthetics class. I got the Police Officer, the Bottle of Alcohol, and the Clumsy Man. The story quickly took shape into an absurdist comedy, with an emphasis on the slow beginning, contrasted with the rapid, frantic middle, and ending with a return to the calmness of the start.
All designs, models, rigs, and textures were completed by myself during the production phase of this project. All models were created in Maya, and then rigged with the Advanced Skeleton Plugin. Textures were either created procedurally in Houdini, or were crafted in Substance Paint. In total, not only were two full humanoid rigs created for this project, but several other animal and prop rigs, ranging from crustaceans, to birds, to machinery, as well.
Next, all animation and camera work was completed in Maya. Emphasis was given to dynamic camera angles and strong performance. From there, the animation was exported and re-imported into Houdini for simulations, lighting, and rendering. This split pipeline made it possible to create believable fabrics and textiles - truly vital when one is emulating stop motion and handcraft!
Finally, the finished film was color corrected, composited, and finished. In the end, no other person touched this project, and I feel it represents all the different areas I have experience in to this point.
Ranger Dave Enjoys a Quiet Evening is currently doing its Film Festival run, and so cannot be published publicly. Please reach out directly to view the finished film.