Shots 12-17 represent a shift in the emotional tone of the animation, moving from tension to calmness to joy, and ultimately leading up to a high-energy soccer kick. Personally, I’m not very skilled at creating subtle body movements that reflect emotional shifts, so I made a lot of adjustments.
In the initial blocking phase, I didn’t use reference material or shoot any reference footage. Instead, I relied on my own ideas to pose a few key positions. I felt the timing was close to what I envisioned, so I considered the early stage complete.
However, upon reviewing the initial blocking, I noticed many issues, including the camera rotation, as well as the rotation and follow-through of Harlow’s spine and arms. To address this, I decided to record my own reference video, which significantly helped me in refining the animation.
This is a comparison video showing the differences before and after recording the reference footage.
Shot 017 was primarily based on the reference video I recorded, combined with curve adjustments. For the reversal part, I used frame-by-frame keyframing to ensure smooth animation. During the soccer kick, since Harlow and the ball were positioned far apart and there needed to be a quick camera movement to showcase the power of the kick, I specifically adjusted the waist controller. This helped me achieve the desired effect and meet the ideal standards for the shot.
