Chris Goodall Animation

Some stuff from Enslaved

2011-07-12T09:24:00.001+01:00

Greetings!

I'll be uploading a couple of things I worked on during Enslaved in the not so distant future. I've been sifting through a whole bunch of stuff with the aim of updating my demo reel ( the last one I made was in 2008!). So until then, here's one for ya...

Roof Collapse from Chris Goodall on Vimeo.

...and another

Interesting article on game animation

2011-04-13T14:38:00.000+01:00

This is an interesting read. Being a games animator myself I can totally relate to this.

http://altdevblogaday.org/2011/04/10/growing-game-animation-transitions-player-input/

Animation Insiders FREE ebook

2011-01-09T20:17:00.001Z

I bought the hard copy of this a while back and its a very interesting read...I love seeing how other animators approach animation because there's always the chance I'll find something useful that speeds up my work-flow, which can only be a good thing!

http://book.lesshamans.com/

Banana!

2010-12-10T09:32:00.000Z

Love this, had to post it!

Ninja Bloggers!

2010-11-23T23:20:00.000Z

A couple of super talented guys who I work with have just recently fired up their own blogs. It's not strictly animation related but if your interested in other areas of the games production pipeline such as rigging and modelling you should definitely give them a read!

TD Matt (very interesting read on his approach to rigging)

JB (who did the awsome rhino model above!)

So what are you waiting for? Check 'em out

The McGurk Effect

2010-11-05T09:28:00.004Z

Just saw this and thought it was really interesting how the lip sync your seeing can manipulate the sound you hear...crazy!

...wow

2010-11-04T09:19:00.002Z

I regularly check out the Pencil Test Depot as it never ceases to inspire me, so I thought I'd post a little something about it. This pencil test is done by Milt Kahl (Medusa) and Ollie Johnston (Penny). Amazing stuff...

Milt Kahl & Ollie Johnston from Jamaal Bradley on Vimeo.

Thursday Night Project

2010-10-25T09:44:00.000+01:00

So a bunch of us decided it would be cool if we could put our heads together and create a short film (and hopefully finish it!)

...and so the Thursday Night Project (TNP) was born!

It will mainly be a dumping ground for inspiration, tips, tutorials and crazy ideas (and any WIP once it's rolling)

http://thursdaynightproject.blogspot.com/

What is your name?

2010-09-19T21:49:00.000+01:00

...my name is Dante

Yep that's right! Just recently at TGS 2010 it was announced that Ninja Theory are working on the latest addition to the Devil May Cry series.

Latest Enslaved trailer...

2010-06-08T09:26:00.005+01:00

More on Enslaved

2010-04-27T09:15:00.000+01:00

Some pretty new screenshots here AND a teaser site

How To Train Your Dragon

2010-04-01T08:44:00.000+01:00

I went to see this last night and I've got to say, after reading all the rave reviews, it does live up to the hype. Definately one to check out!

Enslaved

2010-03-27T22:48:00.003Z

Get the latest on Enslaved here along with some cool artwork!

New WIP!

2010-02-01T09:44:00.003Z

This is last months 11 Second Club quote, and I know it won't be ready for the competition but it's been cool to experiment with and I like where it's going. It's been quite interesting so far not having the arms to animate and having to rely more on the head an torso to give the performance.

It's still quite rough but I want to get the main acting choices and timing locked down after this so I can start cleaning it up.

So anyway...drop me a line if you have any c+c's, no matter how small,

Cheers!

11 Second Club Jan Blocking from Chris Goodall on Vimeo.

I'm alive!

2009-12-02T09:35:00.000Z

Wow I've not updated this blog in a while. Is this because i'm lazy? Well maybe a little bit...BUT it's mainly because I've been an animation intern for the past 3 months (and I don't have internet at home :0( ) I do however have a WIP I'll be putting up shortly with relevance to the festive season - which is something!

Anyway, back to work...:D

2009-07-31T01:05:00.000+01:00

Hey I'm back! I've been on holiday for a bit which was looooong overdue, but I had an ace time.

Anyway, down to business.

I've made progress with the shot I've been working on and got it blocked in Maya. Check it out below, c+c's welcome as usual

Cheers :)

Body Mechanics Maya Blocking 1 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Another Flipbook Update

2009-07-10T15:09:00.000+01:00

Well here's another update. I've implemented a few changes,mainly at the beginning, adding extra frames and a bit of character. Check it out and feel free to drop me a line :)

Body Mechanics Flipbook Planning 3 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Flipbook update

2009-06-30T22:50:00.000+01:00

Well here's the update. I've addressed the overlap problem and if it's all good I'll be taking going into Maya to start blocking it out.

Body Mechanics Flipbook Planning 2 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Short Body Mechanics WIP

2009-06-29T22:52:00.000+01:00

Hey,

I'm back with another WIP, this time for a short body mechanics/action based shot. The overall goal was that I wanted to make something quite energetic and fun to watch.

Here is my first Flipbook pass. I've had some cool feedback from the folks over at the 11 second club (see links), and the main point is just to add a bit more swing and overlap when the guy grabs the ledge. I gotta say I agree and will get to fixing it asap. Until the here it is :D

Body Mechanics Flipbook Planning 1 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Finished Short Dialogue

2009-06-18T23:58:00.001+01:00

Well I've had this done for a while so I thought I should put it up here. As you can see I've polished up a little more, mostly just adding overlap to the fish. Also moved the camera in a little so the characters face is easier to read.

Short Dialogue Finished from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Overall I had a blast doing this clip, and I didn't really get to that stage where I was sick of seeing it because the workflow I used (and will continue to use until I find one better) was so quick.

Anyway...what to animate next?

Hmmm...

Short Dialogue Body Polish/ Face Polish

2009-06-09T14:46:00.000+01:00

So here's some more updates. Here's the first body polish pass with face blocking, and the second with a more polished face. I'm happy with how this looks at the moment, not sure what else I can do so I'll be adding overlap and stuff to the fish then I think it's good to go (unless I get any suggestions).

Polish 1

Short Dialogue Face Blocking from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Polish 2

Short Dialogue Face Polish Pass from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Short Dialogue WIP - Maya Breakdown

2009-06-04T12:51:00.000+01:00

I've been busy working on this shot and it's taking shape. Here is the breakdown pass done in Maya. Not touched the face yet until I get the body nailed, but I'm pretty pleased at how it's turning out. Just need some feedback from fresh eyes then I'm gunna start the polish. Fun times.

Salmon Short Dialogue Maya Breakdown 1 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Flipbook / Short Dialogue WIP

2009-06-02T00:43:00.000+01:00

Here is a little something I'm working on at the moment. I've been looking at animator Jason Ryan's approach to planning shots out using Flipbook and I've gotta say I don't know how I lived without it!. It is so useful in that you can create the blueprints of your entire shot, including the timing and spacing, and the sheer speed at which you can work things out; compared to spending lots of time posing characters only to find out the poses are not working as you'd like. If you haven't already get over to Jason's page (in the links section) and check it out!

Anyway...Back to the work.

Here is the shot I'm planning. I'm just getting some C+C's before I take it into Maya.

Salmon Short Dialogue Flipbook Planning 1 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

2009-04-27T11:18:00.000+01:00

I'm back! Yeah it's been a while so I thought I'd give this blog a much needed update.

So, what have I been up to?

Well I'm currently working on an animated short with Mat Clark (check out some of his stuff at http://www.happymat27.co.uk/)a friend of mine that I'm really excited about doing this with - its gunna be awsome! Also I'm working towards a new demo reel, so watch this space for snippets on that...

Hmm what else?

Oh yeah I've just finished a 12 week job working at University of Bradford in an animation module which involved helping students out with any technical problems they have with Maya and also giving any help and pointers with their animation projects which was a lot of fun!

Now for some cool stuff I've been looking at:

Check out www.splinedoctors.com for their recent "Christian Bale Contest" competition (contains strong language!) for some really great and inspirational stuff...

And also the amazing replay of the "Planning and Workflow" webinar featuring Wayne Gilbert and Keith Sintay (also I just got Wayne's book "Simplified Drawing for Planning animation which I definitely recommend to any animators out there, you can check it out at http://www.anamie.com/ ) over at animation mentor's website - http://www.animationmentor.com/webinar/past.html

Well that just about sums things up, now I'm gunna go grab a much needed coffee and knuckle down, adios!

11 Second Club Feb 2009

2009-02-06T16:17:00.000Z

So I've been neglecting the old blog lately

So I thought I'd start by saying I'm working on this month's quote - "but you didn't finish the December one!" I hear you say, well fear not! It's still in the works but I haven't got round to really polishing it off just yet. It's undergone some pretty big changes in the acting choices, having scrapped a few poses I thought were too much and not to my taste (the guy between 100 - 170 and the girl between 130 - 180). This month's competition should take my mind off it and hopefully allow me to have another look with fresh eyes.

11 SC Dec 08 Blocking update

2009-01-07T14:28:00.000Z

Here's the update to the problem I was having. I reduced the movement and think it fit's in better, looks less busy...still needs some work though! Will hopefully be ready to set the curves to spline after my next pass!

11 SC Dec 08 Blocking 3B from chris goodall on Vimeo.

11 SC Dec 08 ...and a little more blocking

2008-12-30T21:09:00.000Z

Well here's some more progress, it's starting to come on quite well I...

11 SC Dec 08 Blocking 3 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

I'm fairly happy with it but I'm not sure about the guy's action between frames 70 and 140. I think it's a little too much to squeeze in, and maybe a little unnecessary? It's always said that "less is more" and I think I could achieve the same emotion I'm going for with a much smaller and subtle movement. Furthermore this may add some more emphasis on the female character, as his attention is on her, thus adding to her awkwardness with her stuttered response.Hmmm well I'll give this a go and post up the results!

11 Second Club December 08 Blocking

2008-12-29T00:00:00.000Z

Hello again, it's been a hectic month (with all the festivities and what not!) and I've not been able to spend as much time animating as I would have liked, so it doesn't look like this will be finished for the deadline, but it will be finished! I think it's coming on quite well (any comments and feedback,drop me a line!). Anyway here is the blocking...

11 SC Dec 08 Blocking 2 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

11SC Quote Analysis

2008-12-05T13:47:00.001Z

Well I've got started! I've listened to the clip many times and created this rough little chart to try and map the beats and inflections of the voices. Next I'll be putting up some of my thumbnail ideas for key poses...

Website's Up!

2008-12-03T12:20:00.000Z

Well my portfolio website is up at last! It's just a quick sort of online business card type thing, but it works!...aaah success!

Showreel...in progress

2008-08-28T09:43:00.000+01:00

Woo first post!...Anyway, with this being my first post and all I thought I'd fill you in on what I'm doing at the moment, which is working on my animation showreel. It's going slow, but fun!(which is the important part) and I'm learning tons as im going on ,which is always a good sign! So what have I done? Well I had a quick recap, sort of some back to basics tests (bouncing ball anyone?) which won't be in there, as they are tests. Then I went on to play around with walk cycles and came up with this, jolly fellow...

Walk Cycle V2 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

Also I tried my hand at some quad walk cycles, not quite happy with those completely yet but you can check them out at http://www.vimeo.com/chrisgoodall/videos (along with anything else I may be working on) I'll go back to pollishing them up soon, although I've found a new quad rig to play around with so maybe i'll do something with that..who knows?

Then there was some weight tests, which I will be focusing on next after I complete my current piece...which is a dialogue piece which you can watch below (this was my last internet update, I've progressed a quite bit since then, update soon!)

WIP Dialogue Crit 4 from chris goodall on Vimeo.

So yeah thats about it!

In the mean time check out the links section, feel free to leave me any feedback on my work, either via my 11 Second club threads or over at CGtalk (links on the right!)

Laters!