RESEARCH

While Matt was doing the prep work such as character design and creating the Storyboard. I was assigned the role of modelling one of the props. However before I started this I wanted to do some research to see if I could find any interesting existing 3D animations with characters playing guitars. This would give me an incite as to successful techniques that we could adopt or expand on and unsuccessful techniques that we should avoid. This research would also hopefully give us some inspiration.

Below are some of the videos that I found.

Band Playing

I thought that the video in the link above was good. As soon as I watched it became apparent that it is vital the sound matches the playing of the instruments. I think that this video did this extremely well. I like the background and setting as it is a place where you do not often see a band playing their music. Which showed me that the possibilities are endless. This has encouraged me to think about not limiting our setting however the setting that we have in mind does already fit in perfectly with the idea that we currently have. Most of the colours used in this are very plain and bland. So it has become clear to me that colour is key. I think we will have plain, bland colours when our character is playing a basic guitar badly. But when he flips the 'Crunch' switch the colours are going to become a lot more lively which will hopefully portray a more 'rock and roll' feel. This video is very interesting but it feels very calm which is down to the music and the animated sequence at the end. I think that our idea is the opposite to this video, instead of finishing calmly our idea will end more excitingly with a rock n roll edge. So another thing that this video has shown me is that music choice is key.       

Girl Playing Guitar

The video in the link above is very similar to our idea, this is due to the fact that it has just one person in a basic setting playing guitar. I personally felt that the animation such as the lip sync and the playing of the guitar was not in sync with the music of the piece. So it was again made clear to me that the animation of the piece has to be in time with the music. If it is not in time then it just makes it look like the character is not playing the song. However I do like the bright colours of this video, I think that the character and guitar stand out and are clear to see, this makes the animation stand out. It is important for the animation to stand out as it bring the piece of work to life. So it is vital that we think about this when creating our work. The genre of the music and how the character is playing guitar is very different to how our character is going to be playing. So it is important that we think about gestures that the character makes whilst playing and make sure that they fit the music. This is something that I think the animation in this video did very well. Overall I felt that this video was good however I also thought that it was a bit too basic.

Slash Playing Guitar

I thought that the video from the link above was even more similar to our idea than the others. It has one character with a simple plain background and just an amp behind him. Exactly like what we have in mind. I liked the Slash model a lot and I thought that the guitar models and model of the amp also looked very good. I thought the whole look of the piece in general was very nice. The animation works fantastically with the music and it actually looks like Slash is playing the music that we hear. I was confused at times as there are bits of music playing and Slash wasn't moving but I interpreted that there was another guitarist playing off screen and Slash was having some kind of music dance off. This video also has a very 'rock n roll' feel, the animation includes rock star gestures that fit the music and the playing of the guitar perfectly. This has given me some ideas as to how I would like our character to be playing the guitar when he is playing really well. Overall I thought that this video works really well and was especially impressed with the timing of the animation and the music. I think it is a piece of very believable animation.     

Hasbro Power Tour Guitar Novamotion

The video from the link above is one of the best videos that I found. I like its style a lot and I think that it includes some very nice animation. It has a similar style to the style that we have in mind. I like setting, I like the white circle platform with the cool wavy blue background. It is simple yet effective. Again showing great similarities to what we have in mind. I think that the animation is very believable and matches perfectly with the soundtrack. The characters colours are simple yet the character stands out. The environment ensures the character is a lead focal point. This is a technique that we want to include in our work. This animation includes some cool effects and ideas that really make it stand out and ensures that it fulfills it purpose. All these key factors add to the success of the piece. In my opinion this is not the most extreme piece of animation that I have ever seen, but it is basic and effective and it fulfills its purpose. This is something that myself and Matt need to ensure we do with our work. After all our work is trying to promote something.        

After some searching I found an advert for an iphone app called Rockin Ted. The description for Rockin Ted on the itunes preview on the apple website states this "Rockin Ted talks and plays the guitar! Featuring more than 10 playful animations and 6 custom guitar solos along with an original song users can play and then solo over using Rockin Ted’s original guitar licks." Below is the advert for the app along with some video's of the animations that Rockin Ted does.

Rockin Ted Advert

Rockin Ted and Some Of His Animations

Rockin Ted Playing Guitar

Rockin Ted Guitar Solo

Overall I think that animations on this app are perfect as this Rockin Ted similar to a part of the character that we are trying to create. These videos show some rock star gestures that have inspired me to include something similar with in our piece. The animations relate a lot to our idea and are therefor very inspiring. The animation fits perfectly with the sound so it actually sounds and looks like Ted is playing the guitar. The environment is basic so our eyes are glued to Ted playing. The colours used are also fairly basic yet they work very well with each other. I am a great fan of the models, I think they have a style to them that is similar to one that I have in mind.   

When thinking about an animated 3D character playing guitar I remembered playing The Beatles rock band game. This game included 3D animated Beatles playing their instruments. Below are some videos of the animations from the game.

The Beatles Rock Band Trailer

The Beatles Rock Band Trailer 2

I think the animations and models are the most prestigious out of the video's that I have found so far. I think our idea is more basic mostly due to the fact that their is only two of us in the group. However I think that basic ideas are often work the best. The animation works really well with the sound and the colours compliment each very well. The thing that Rockin Ted and the Beatles Rock Band Game have in common is that they are both fit for broadcast and that is something that brief requires our work to be. So looking at both of these has been extremely beneficial as it shows me the sort of standard that our work needs to be. If our work turns out to be any where near as good as either of these standards then I will be ecstatic.