What did I enjoy doing?
Well, I loved working in Toonboom. I have really enjoyed using it, and I feel that I am becoming a lot more knowledgeable about it. I haven't done 2D animation for a while now, and it was very refreshing getting back into it
What did I dislike doing?
To an extent, I found doing a 4-legged run cycle a lot of fun, but it was a bit tiring once I had done 3 of them. I didn't enjoy doing run cycles from different angles, but I feel that if I did more of them, I would get a lot better at it, and it wouldn't feel as annoying to do.
I didn't enjoy tracking the animations in After Effects either, though it was great seeing the animation in the film once I had done it. I guess I find compositing a little tedious and frustrating.
What did I struggle with?
I guess the tracking in After Effects. I also found it hard trying to animate something without being able to import a video reference as help. Unfortunately, Toonboom cannot import film documents, so I had to do a lot of my animation without a great deal of reference. Next time, I may concentrate on carrying out this sort of task on Flash rather then in Toonboom, since it doesn't support video files to be used as reference.
Have I worked well on my own?
I think I am really strong at doing 2D animations and drawings, and I feel that this was an area of that I did well in.
What have I learned during this project?
I have learned to manage my time better when dealing with animations, and juggling more then one project at once. There were times when I had to put this project on the back burner, so that I could progress with my group work. I think that I did well, but there is still room for me to improve.
I can now say that I can animate 4 legged walk and run cycles from different angles, which is something not many people at the same stage as me can say. I have also developed my Toonboom skills a lot more.
I now know how to track and green screen animations in After Effects as well.
What could I have done differently to improve my work?
Like I have said, I could use Flash for a tracking task next time, rather then Toonboom. I would also endeavour to start animating sooner, so that I don't run out of time do refine it and try and match the colouring and lighting to the film being used.
