animating as a break from animation

'Midterm' in our animation class today. 

3 hours, a model sheet, 40 frames, two random words.

My words were naughty and cough.

Didn't quite finish, but I hope to polish it up soon. Animating nonfilm stuff is great


sidenote: holySHIT animating in Flash feels so good. I chose to animate my film traditionally this year, and while it's forcing me to be more strategic and generally to think more about animation before I do it, it's way harder, I'm way crappier at it, and  and it's a hell of a lot less fun. Next year, digital baby

[insert cryptic film post here]

To all of my dear friends wondering just where the HELL I've been cowardly hiding -

I appreciate the concern. But there has been no hiding - only the ceaseless, soul grinding march towards April 19th.

Films.

And maybe perhaps a little of the hiding.

NINJAPOCALYPSE

Blog, it's been a little while. Sorry, I've been working on my film and stuff. You know.

Here's an unrelated little CG test to keep myself from going crazy. Motion blur sort of broke him when I rendered it, and at first I was like 'aww' - but then I was like 'aww YEAH.'

Sometimes when Maya breaks it makes things cooler.


Ninja Test in Maya from Michael Piazza on Vimeo.

OH GOD HOW DID I GET HERE?

I am not good with computer.

(Best viewed in conjunction with this guy and this other guy too.)

CalArts gallery show.  ~ 7 feet tall of weird.

SPACE

Film layout?

Perhaps I have said too much.

Silhouette Insanity

what is this i don't even

For those here from Facebook wondering what the hell this is, it's actually five sheets of black paper, taped together. Each spot of white I cut out with an x-acto knife. I photographed the whole thing on white paper and made it all pretty in photoshop. I still don't think I've completely recovered my sanity.

Walk of the Lonely Spaceman

Spaceman Walk Test from Michael Piazza on Vimeo.


This was my latest assignment for 2D animation. We had to animate another walk cycle, this time with arms. I really hate inbetweening my animations, but it always amazes me how much more character and life those extra frames bring. It's the difference between something reading as an animation test, and something that seems to live and move under it's own volition. And that's what we all  trive to make, right?

As a side note, my goal for the film this year is to hit this caliber of refined animation as much as possible. It's going to be made traditionally in pencil, but I'm going to plan everything out in Flash first, to hopefully speed up my process. It's totally a crutch, but I can live with that if it'll help me get my shit done!