OUAN404 - Visual Language, Flow, Form and Force, Life Drawing Animations 1

OUAN404 - Flow, Form and Force:

A good few months ago, a fellow Animation student showed us a beautiful piece of work by a very talented man named Ryan Woodward. He created "Thought of You" in remembrance of his wife when she was away from him and he couldn't be with her. This animation actually made me cry a little because I'm an emotional wreck at times when something so amazing pops up out of the blue. I relate very heavily to this animation and it was ever so sweet that this was a tribute to the person that meant the most to him. I often go back and watch it as it's very comforting.

In terms of how it relates to the brief and not just Grace moaning about how she's a blubbering mess when watching this, I absolutely adore the way he draws his characters in such a soft and delicate way. He really thinks about flow, form and force and the animation itself is full of fluidity. I really aspire to make something as heart-stopping as this as not only does the soundtrack get you, but the way he captures figure and movement with such simple detail is astounding. He does not have to give the characters facial features or specific clothing to give them personality and appeal, the way they move with one another and work together creates that emotion and character instantly. It's full of passion and that's why it works!

I then watched the "Making of Thought of You" and learned how Ryan Woodward made this astonishing animation! It took over 20,000 individual drawings on what looks like Adobe Flash. He had over 20 different layers for something that looks so simple in the make-up of the characters. The backbone, hair, feathers, every different part had a layer and took a lot of hard work, choreography and emotion to make this.