Demonstration Project

This is a demonstration project, where the focus is on practicality and insight into the world of 3D animation. The primary aim is twofold: first, to provide clients with a practical glimpse into the possibilities offered by 3D animation; second, to offer a transparent look at my workflow – an educational opportunity for both artists and clients.

Beyond the visual appeal, this project serves as a practical guide, unraveling the steps in the creative process. For artists, it’s an opportunity to understand the workflow; for clients, it’s about demystifying the complexities behind the scenes. This project aims to strike a balance between education and professionalism, offering a nuanced perspective on the potential that 3D animation brings to the table.

Join me as we explore the practical side of 3D animation, breaking down barriers and providing valuable insights for artists and clients alike.

Funny Backstory ‘Futureland’

When I was studying Media & Entertainment Management, Rotterdam I developed a fondness for experience marketing. Naturally, my thesis followed this path and because I chose to major in event management the two came together.

The hypothesis was simple: 

As the Dutch festival market (2014) reached the cusp of saturation, what could festival brands do to elevate their market value? Based on my learnings of the Progression of Economic Value (Pine & Gilmore, 1999) and Maslow’s pyramid, I delved into the dynamics of festival experience marketing.

The thesis proposed practical solutions for festivals to enhance brand experiences and subsequently, their market position. One standout idea was the integration of virtual reality (VR), a concept perhaps ahead of its time.

Imagine this: an extension of the festival beyond the grounds, directly into the homes of eager festival-goers. With VR implementation, attendees could transform their living spaces into an immersive part of the festival terrain. It was an audacious idea, allowing customers to contribute actively to their festival experience by bringing the festival vibe home.

I planned to create Futureland, a new festival, that integrated all my findings on experience marketing for festivals. Little did I know then, that my true passion was animation.

So naturally when I needed a promotional case for a demonstration project, futuraland sprung into my mind.

3D animation workflow

We all know that visual storytelling is a fantastic way to communicate with our customers.

So, when brands reach out to me, they usually have a problem. This almost always involves communicating to their customers their, complex ideas, abstract concepts, emotions associated with a new product, etc.

We like to work with an Animation Design Brief where the client introduces the company and their expected result. Also, it’s nice to get a rudimentary overview of the conditions of the assignment, like the objective, expectations, schedule, and budget.

This animation design brief can look like – but is not at all meant to be a template – the one below.

Animation Design Brief

Objective: To create a short, eye-catching video to promote Futureland’s VR experience and drive excitement for the virtual festival.

Target Audience: Early adopters with an interest in virtual reality who missed out on tickets for the live event.

Key Message: You don’t have to miss a beat of Futureland with the new VR Experience.

Key Visual Elements:

The futuristic festival environment includes vibrant colors and exciting visuals.

The Main Stage, with dynamic performance elements such as flashing lights and/or pyrotechnics.

Notes:

The animation should be attention-grabbing and leave a lasting impression on the viewer.

The video should effectively communicate the immersive experience of Futureland’s VR festival.

But shouldn’t reveal too much about stage design and other ‘surprises’ for the live audience.

End Result: A visually stunning and emotionally impactful video that drives excitement and interest in Futureland’s VR experience.

Of course, we are happy to visit the client to discuss in-depth every creative detail from the design brief and get to the core of what is needed for them to be satisfied.
Usually, the production process will be iterative, I prefer to work with an open line to the client. So we can shoot questions and other bits and bobs back and forth fast.

This will be important, particularly at the beginning of the project, to build a good foundation together. 
Once the ball starts bouncing (animation inside joke) things start to feel a bit more established the back-and-forth slows down a fair bit. 

We make sure to regularly check in for updates and green lights on important matters.

Contract

A well-defined contract is crucial for motion design artists, establishing a clear framework for collaboration and safeguarding the interests of both parties. While some artists may operate in a more flexible manner, having a written agreement ensures a shared understanding of expectations, timelines, and deliverables. This written “evidence” becomes a valuable reference point, preventing potential misunderstandings and providing a foundation for a smooth working relationship. A comprehensive contract can include details such as project scope, payment terms, revision policies, and intellectual property rights, creating a professional and transparent foundation for successful motion design projects.

Pre-Production

Reference boards

Reference boards for artists and animators serve as indispensable visual guides that consolidate inspiration, style, and key elements for a particular project. These boards are a curated collection of images, illustrations, and other visual references that help convey the creative vision for the project, ensuring a unified and cohesive output.

The components of Reference boards are:

Reference boards serve as a constant source of inspiration for artists, helping them stay aligned with the project’s vision and goals.

They become a valuable tool for communication within the creative team, ensuring everyone is on the same page regarding aesthetics and style.

While primarily for internal use, elements of reference boards may be shared with clients to provide a visual representation of ideas, fostering a clearer understanding and reducing miscommunication.

Especially crucial in collaborative projects, reference boards help maintain consistency across different aspects like character design, color schemes, and animation styles.

In conclusion, reference boards are like visual roadmaps that guide artists and animators throughout the creative journey, promoting a harmonious blend of creativity and coherence in the final output.

The choice of character styles

Character style plays a pivotal role in the production pipeline of animated or 3D-modeled projects. The chosen style not only defines the visual appeal of characters but also has significant implications for the entire production process, influencing factors such as modeling time, rigging complexity, rendering speed, and the overall time required to achieve believability and grounding them in this project’s reality.

Stylized Characters

Stylized characters, with their exaggerated features and vibrant colors, often tap into the realm of simplicity. This intentional departure from reality creates a visual language that is easy to comprehend and emotionally engaging. The bold strokes and simplified forms allow for quick recognition, making these characters memorable and accessible.

Psychologically, stylized characters can evoke a range of emotions. The exaggerated features, whether in expressions or physical traits, amplify the emotional resonance. Larger-than-life eyes might convey innocence, while elongated limbs express dynamism. This simplicity not only captures attention but also facilitates a swift emotional connection, drawing the audience into the narrative with ease.

Realistic Characters

In contrast to vibrant and exaggerated stylizations, realistic character styles can feel more credible, trustworthy, and authentic. Less playful yet still relatable.

Realistic styles don’t always have to mean photorealistic, this is a spectrum of realism.

Things such as realistic proportions, texture, movement, and acting can ground a frivolously designed character in realism too.

What I’m trying to say is there is quite a bit of choice between stylization and realism

Script and Storyboard

For me Script and storyboard usually go hand in hand, in larger productions, these might be separated more. 

In this stage, you define the story structure. Find the message of the animation with the client. And specify the important story beats. Things that must happen for the message to get across.

For this project, we use a linear storytelling approach, but there are good non-linear commercials and stories too.

Then there are levels of abstraction and tone. These are all things to consider and will inform the script and storyboards what direction to head in.

Script 

When we think of script we think of cinema-like film scripts, which are usually formatted like so:

Not all clients are familiar with this way of formatting scripts, it’s a very screenplay writer style of doing things. A more B2B way to approach is to separate spoken text and titles in 1 column and visual and action beats in the other. This is of course not meant as a template, but rather a simple way of structuring a script so it’s readable to all. Like this example:

Voice-over	Visuals
Get the package at home! <funky waiting music plays>	Establishing shot of an abstract cozy living room. The doorbell rings, and the Futureland VR experience package is delivered.
<funky waiting music plays>	The customer opens the package, revealing the sleek VR headset. They put it on, immersing themselves in the virtual world.
Enter the festival <EDM track starts playing>	The virtual festival unfolds with vibrant colors and electronic music playing in the background. The customer navigates through the virtual experience, exploring options and joining the party.
Find your way to the Main Stage <EDM track intensifies>	The customer arrives at the Main Stage, surrounded by a group of virtual festival-goers.
Feel the immersiveness	Show the customer being completely immersed, she is dancing with others around her. The night mode reveals flashing lights and exciting visuals
Get your tickets now	CTA screen based on the poster

Storyboard

Production

These various aspects of the production process are more often than not, nonsequential.

Staging/Layout

For this project, the location won’t be an actual living room or a festival ground. We built a colorful scene with shapes and primitive. Then fill that scene with attributes of a living room or relevant location.

We evoke the feeling of those locations rather than paint the full picture. This allows the viewer to visually merge the festival ground and living room like the VR experience does in real life.

I’ve drawn inspiration from images like these, which show colorful locations with nothing more than primitive shapes.

The layout is designed in a sort of funnel formation pulling the attention in toward the center.

Shading

When we talk about shading we mean applying color to our models and drawing. It doesn’t stop there. It involves the application of materials, textures, and shading properties. 

The poster of Futuraland 2055 was the main source here for the color palette. 

A range of purples and blues formed the base for this animation.

Directing the viewer with color and value, just like we’ve seen with the layout, pointing toward the center, toward the hero character. The spot she is standing on is a bright yellow, contrasting with the slightly darker purples surrounding it.

The contrast makes it jump out and creates a clear separation between background and foreground elements.

Character Design

We’ve talked about character design, but besides theory, we need to model the characters. They’re the stars of the show, we cannot cast them, we make them. 

Rigging

Rigging is where the technical meets the creative. Rigging is an art form in itself, allowing the animators to breathe life into our characters.

For the artist that read this post, take a look at this tutorial for a rigging example from this project.

3D Animation

For this project, the animation is a combination of repurposed motion capture data and original animations done by the animator himself.

If there’s a bunch of people in a scene, simulations make them move like a real crowd, adding to the coolness. 

It’s like making stuff in animation follow the rules of the real world, whether it’s things hitting each other or falling. 

And, of course, simulations help with those extra cool effects, like big explosions or magical elements. 

So, in a nutshell, simulations are the magic ingredient that brings the imaginary and real together, making animation both awesome and believable.

Lighting

Lighting sets the mood too. Warm lights for coziness, cool lights for suspense. It’s not just what you see; it’s how you feel. 

Colors dance with lighting. Sunlight makes them pop, moonlight gives a gentle glow. We’re not just flipping switches; we’re painting emotions, crafting stories, and guiding your eyes through a magical world of light and shadow. 

The time of day matters, just like in real life. A sunrise brings hope, a sunset evokes nostalgia. It’s like a magical clock changing emotions in our animated world.

Ever been to a concert with a spotlight on the lead singer? Lighting guides your eyes in animation, making sure you catch the hero’s triumph or that mysterious object in the corner.

Lights sculpt the details, adding depth and making characters and settings feel three-dimensional. 

Also, they help separate objects of interest from their surroundings.

Rendering

Rendering for 3D animations or exporting your 2D animations for editing is sort of the bridge between production and post-production.

Preview approve before Render! This saves you and the client a lot of time.

Exporting and rendering can take quite a long time since all light data needs to be calculated and decoded. 

Make sure that everything is approved by the client before rendering.

I hear all you artists thinking, but what if some effects don’t show up in the viewport but just in the render?

When needed accompany each new shot with a rendered still, so the client can better visualize how the preview will turn out.

Post-production

Compositing

It’s not uncommon to render multiple passes as that is cheaper to achieve some expansive visual effects in post, rather than ‘in-camera’. It’s like bringing all the instruments together for a harmonious melody. 

Compositing in the animation world involves combining different layers or passes. With each pass containing specific elements like shadows, reflections, and highlights. This process allows for greater control and flexibility, letting us fine-tune each element separately before creating the final, polished image.

Imagine rendering a scene with separate passes for characters, background, and special effects. Compositing lets us tweak each element independently – adjusting the lighting, intensifying colors, or even adding that extra touch of sparkle.

Not only does compositing enhance the visual appeal, but it also streamlines the production process. It offers the freedom to make changes without going back to the rendering stage, saving time and resources. So, think of compositing as the finishing touch, where every visual element comes together to create a seamless, eye-catching animation that captivates the audience.

Editing 

Film editing is the art and process of selecting, arranging, and manipulating visual and auditory elements to create a cohesive and engaging cinematic experience. It involves assembling individual shots or scenes into a sequence and determining the pace, rhythm, and overall structure of the film. Editors play a crucial role in shaping the narrative, enhancing storytelling, and influencing the emotional impact on the audience. 

Moreover, editing brings efficiency to the production process. It allows animators to experiment with different sequences, rearrange scenes, and refine the pacing without redoing the entire animation. It’s a crucial step that streamlines the storytelling, ensuring the final product is a polished, cohesive masterpiece.

Sound design

Sound design is not just a finishing touch; it’s an essential part of the entire creative journey. From collaborating with voice actors to seamlessly weaving sound effects into the final edit, sound designers contribute significantly to crafting an immersive and impactful audio-visual experience for the audience.

Revisions

Revisions are an essential part of the creative process, ensuring that the final product aligns with the vision and goals of the project. It’s crucial to establish clear communication and expectations regarding reasonable changes at each stage of production, emphasizing these as the “green-light moments.”

In the initial discussions, define the parameters for revisions. This includes outlining the acceptable scope of modifications during key milestones such as script development, storyboarding, animation, and post-production. By setting expectations upfront, you create a framework that guides the collaborative process, preventing misunderstandings and minimizing potential delays.

Export and Delivery

Confirm that all expected deliverables, as outlined in the project agreement, are included in the export. This ensures that the motion designer has fulfilled all aspects of the agreed-upon scope.

Access to Source Files: If applicable, discuss the availability of source files for future edits or modifications. Clarify any licensing or usage restrictions related to the delivered materials. This should be negotiated upfront, written in contract, normally source files stay with the motion design studio.

Discuss any post-delivery support or assistance that may be required. This could involve additional explanations, troubleshooting, or guidance on implementing the motion design in various contexts.

Client referrals are a testament to the success of a collaborative journey in motion design. When a client willingly shares their positive experience and recommends a motion designer, it speaks volumes about the quality of work and professionalism.

Get in Contact

I’ve tried to be transparent about what the process of creating animation is and how we both are needed in this journey.

Are you interested in working together, contact me now.