LIVE 2 D ANIMATION IN ADOBE CHARACTER ANIMATOR

LIVE 2 D ANIMATION (IN ADOBE CHARACTER ANIMATOR) BEN MANSUR

WHAT IS IT NOT? • Traditional 2 D animation Homer & June Bellamy [Image]. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http: //28. media. tumblr. com/tumblr_kp 6 teg. Gh. Ui 1 qzaiueo 1_500. jpg

WHAT IS IT CURRENTLY? • Essentially facial motion-capture for 2 D motion graphic animation with extra features Facial Motion Capture [Image]. (2015). Retrieved from http: //www. digitalartsonline. co. uk/news/motion-graphics/adobe-character-animator-this-new-animationsoftware-animates-characters-based-on-your-words-facial-expressions/

EXAMPLE OF WORK: • The Simpsons S 27 E 21 “Simprovised” featured a 3 -minute live-broadcast Q&A segment Animation on FOX. (2016, May 17). THE SIMPSONS | Homer Live: East Coast | ANIMATION on FOX [Video File]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Bz 0 Sh. Kb. YOuw

EXAMPLE OF WORK: • Made use of Adobe’s Character Animator in After Effects (lip sync & keyboard command triggers) • Simpsons director, David Silverman, was in charge of Homer’s on-air animation control (Failes, I. , 2016) • Homer’s voice actor, Dan Castellaneta, was required for live audio & lip sync • A stable lip sync update of Character Animator was produced specifically for the segment (Simons, D. , 2016) Homer Keypad [Image]. (2016). Retrieved from https: //twitter. com/tubatron/status/732279450277138432

HOW IT WORKS: • Webcam to recognise head & facial expressions (pupils & eyebrows, head rotation & scale) to animate puppet’s head • Microphone detects audio to sync mouth position • Can customise keyboard command triggers for set animations • Can set up click & drag sections of character (e. g. limbs) • Can set up physics for secondary animation & visual effects (dangle, particles, etc. ) • Can record a performance with multiple takes for different sections of the character • Not limited to standard characters Okay Samurai. (2015, June 15). Top 10 Tips for Getting Started (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) [Video File Screenshot]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 v. WEvjes 5 hc Okay Samurai. (2016, June 20). Making Your First Character (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) [Video File Screenshot]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_sm. LXODTd 6 U

MAIN CURRENT LIMITATIONS: • Doesn’t use a bone system (i. e. rig), it uses origin points instead, therefore limb deformation occurs • Limited to 5 head positions (Left, ¾ Left, Centre, ¾ Right, Right) (with no tweening) • Only 13 mouth shapes (with no tweening) Adobe After Effects. (2016). Character Animator Tutorial: Scene 01. Getting Started [Screenshot]

THE SIGNIFICANCE TO ANIMATION: • Very quick to begin motion-graphic character animation • Very simple to set up for custom puppets (layers simply need to follow naming conventions & ‘tags’ shown in example character files) (Warner, D. , 2015) • Aiming to incorporate Universal Bone System (i. e. 2 D character rig) for full body motion-capture (Simons, D. , 2016) • Could lead to smooth 2 D motion-graphic character animation with rotation • Could lead to real-world, real-time character animation in film & T. V. , amusement parks, etc. Anh Huyen Nguyen. (2014, May 1). Use After Effects to Motion Capture And Controller For Character 2 D Animation [Video File Screenshot]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Epwozj. HLDZE

References: ABC News. (2016, May 16). Homer Simpson Appears Live on “The Simpsons” | ABC News [Video File]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? time_continue=105&v=cr. Ak 8 b. L 0 q. CQ Adobe Creative Cloud. (2015, April 8). Bringing 2 D characters to life with Adobe Character Animator | Adobe Creative Cloud [Video File]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=lm. Po 0_WZy. PU Animation on FOX. (2016, May 17). THE SIMPSONS | Homer Live: East Coast | ANIMATION on FOX [Video File]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Bz 0 Sh. Kb. YOuw Failes, I. (2016). How ‘The Simpsons’ Used Adobe Character Animator To Create A Live Episode. Retrieved from http: //www. cartoonbrew. com/tech/simpsonsused-adobe-character-animator-create-live-episode-139775. html Intern Team. (2016, May 18). BEHIND THE SCENES: THE "SIMPROVISED' SIMPSON'S EPISODE. Retrieved from http: //shop. studio 44 productions. com/blog/Behind-the-Scenes-The-Simprovised-Simpson-s-Episode Kopriva, T. (2015, April). Adobe Character Animator revealed. Retrieved from http: //blogs. adobe. com/creativecloud/adobe-character-animator-revealed/ Okay Samurai (Warner, D). (2015, Octover 14). Making Your First Cartoon (Adobe Character Animator and After Effects Tutorial) [Video file]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=wk. DG 3 v. U 5 o. NE Vizrt NEWS. (2014). Fox Sports uses virtual graphics powered by Vizrt for Daytona 500. Retrieved from http: //www. vizrt. com/newsgrid/40045/Fox_Sports_uses_virtual_graphics_powered_by_Vizrt_for_Daytona_500

Image References: Adobe After Effects. (2016). Character Animator Tutorial: Scene 01. Getting Started [Screenshot] Anh Huyen Nguyen. (2014, May 1). Use After Effects to Motion Capture And Controller For Character 2 D Animation [Video File Screenshot]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=Epwozj. HLDZE Facial Motion Capture [Image]. (2015). Retrieved from http: //www. digitalartsonline. co. uk/news/motion-graphics/adobe-character-animator-this-new-animationsoftware-animates-characters-based-on-your-words-facial-expressions/ Homer Keypad [Image]. (2016). Retrieved from https: //twitter. com/tubatron/status/732279450277138432 Homer & June Bellamy [Image]. (n. d. ). Retrieved from http: //28. media. tumblr. com/tumblr_kp 6 teg. Gh. Ui 1 qzaiueo 1_500. jpg Okay Samurai. (2015, June 15). Top 10 Tips for Getting Started (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) [Video File Screenshot]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 v. WEvjes 5 hc Okay Samurai. (2016, June 20). Making Your First Character (Adobe Character Animator Tutorial) [Video File Screenshot]. Retrieved from https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=_sm. LXODTd 6 U