Escape Studios AN5002: Video Reference
To create my animation, I first needed to find suitable live-action video reference for the actions that I intended to show. Due to the specificity of the actions depicted in my storyboard, I decided to use multiple clips from multiple sources. These would be edited together to create a rough video, mirroring the motion of the final animation. For the sake of consistency and fluidity of the overall motion, it was important for me to use as few different shots as possible, and for the motion/position to match between shots. I was able to create a suitable reference with 3 clips: One for the jumping motion and the subsequent slowing down of the tiger's momentum, one for the tiger turning towards the camera, and one for the act of the tiger showing interest in his meal. These are shown below:
After this, further action was needed to make these clips suitable for use as animation reference. Firstly, the video needed to be stabilized. This was done by exporting each individual clip (which had been cut from a larger video) as an individual MOV file in Premiere Pro, and opening the clip in After Effects. For each clip, I used the Stabilize Motion feature of the Tracking tool to stabilize each clip. Each clip was also scaled down by 50% and realigned within the frame to account for the motion created by stabilisation. The stabilized version of each shot was then imported back into a new Premiere Pro file as a clip.
After importing the individual clips into Premiere Pro to create a full reference video, it was necessary for me to reposition the clips within the frame so that the position matched up between them. The clips did not line up exactly, simply due to the nature of using multiple different sources for reference. However, I was able to align them to a degree that felt suitable for their purpose. Any small inconsistencies in the tiger's position or scale would not impact the overall animation too greatly: I could acknowledge and omit them from the animation. My priority was that the poses themselves had continuity between clips.
This continuity was assured with the use of a free online tool called Epic Pen. This tool allows a user to draw over any window displayed on-screen, and then continue to use the windows with the sketches displayed over them. I used this tool to assist with placing the clips within the frame such that the position matched as best as possible. I used the tool to outline the position of the tiger on the last frame of a clip, then I would position the beginning of the next clip to match the position via the drawing on-screen. Not all clips could be matched perfectly, so I prioritized three main factors: Foot Position, Head Position, and Body Length.
Once all the clips were stabilized and positioned, this was the final result:
I was not happy with the pacing or length of this draft though. 18 seconds was considerably, higher than the recommended 7-12 seconds for this project. While a longer project was potentially permissible, I did not feel that this added length was justified. I decided to remove the section where the tiger is walking towards the camera, as it was not necessary to further the (admittedly basic) story, and would not be particularly engaging to watch when animated either. Upon removing this section from the reference video and repositioning the clips, I was left with my final reference video, at a much more suitable 11 seconds.
