Animation Fundamentals ✦ FINAL PROJECT ✦

14.12.2024 -30.12.2024 (Week13-Week15)

liuziyu/0367533/Bachelor of Design (Honors) in Creative Media

Animation Fundamentals

Task: FINAL PROJECT

INSTRUCTIONS

FINAL PROJECT / Animation Action Sequence

Assignment Requirements：

Using your characters from previous Project 1, create a 5-10 second animated action sequence.

Choose an action sequence that involves physical movement, such as a fight, chase, or sports-related activity. Have a good idea of ​​the desired outcome, key actions, and the emotions you want to convey in the scene.

Create a storyboard to visualize the key moments, actions, and emotions of the scene. Incorporate various shots, angles, and visual continuity to enhance the visual storytelling.

Create a project in Adobe Animate. Set the settings to 24fps, 16:9 aspect ratio, and 1280 x 720 (HD720p) resolution.

1. Storyboard (pdf) - 10%

2. Final animation (mp4 format) -20%

3. Electronic portfolio (exercises, Project 1, 2, and final work) - 10%

Inspiration：

My creative inspiration comes from the assassin character I created. I hope to show the assassin's unique agility, calmness and strength through animation. When I was conceiving, I imagined a tense scene: two assassins competed with each other in an open space. They moved quickly, dodged flexibly, and fought with swords, fists and feet. I wanted to show the skills and wisdom between the assassins through this dynamic confrontation.

The action design of the assassin is the core of the creation. I borrowed a lot of classic fighting actions from movies and games about assassins, and incorporated my own ideas. For example, in the animation, I will let the character have fast jumping and rolling actions, and use smooth knife light effects to show the power of the attack. In addition, I plan to add slow-motion clips to highlight the tension and visual impact of the key moments.

My goal is to show the fierceness and artistry of the battle between the assassins through this animation, and also let the audience feel the uniqueness of the characters and the background of the story. This animation of assassins fighting each other is not only a technical challenge, but also a way for me to express my creative ideas.

Creative process：

When animating the assassins fighting each other, I first defined the design and personality of the two assassin characters. This step is very important because the character's personality will directly affect their fighting style and action design. For example, one assassin is calm and precise, good at close combat; the other assassin is agile and good at long-range attacks and using the environment to hide himself.

Next, I designed the action script (storyboard) of the entire battle scene. I planned key scenes with simple sketches, such as the assassin's sudden appearance, rapid attack, dodge and counterattack. To make the battle rhythm more compact, I studied different combat action reference materials and added my own ideas to ensure that the movements were both smooth and tense.

Then, I started to create keyframe animations to determine the extreme poses of the characters in each action, showing the power and dynamic beauty of the battle. By adding in-between frames, I made the movements more coherent and enhanced the realism of the animation. To enhance the visual effect, I added subtle details to the characters' movements, such as the swing of clothing and the reflection of light from weapons.

Throughout the creation process, I kept adjusting the interactions between the assassins to ensure that the movements were not only full of impact, but also showed their skills and the tension of the confrontation. Finally, after this animation was completed, it successfully expressed the fierce confrontation between the assassins.

Storyboard：

Final Design：

REFLECTION

Through creating this assassin-themed fight animation, I learned a great deal about character dynamics and motion design. This project pushed me to think deeply about how movement can convey personality. Each assassin’s fighting style reflects their unique traits: one is precise and methodical, while the other is agile and unpredictable. Crafting these differences taught me the importance of individualizing characters through their motion.  

One of the biggest challenges was designing fluid, engaging combat sequences. I had to pay close attention to timing and pacing, ensuring that every attack and counterattack felt natural and impactful. Researching reference materials and studying fight choreography helped me improve my understanding of body mechanics and dynamic poses.  

Additionally, working on the visual details, like the swish of a cloak or the glint of a weapon, gave the animation more depth and realism. Feedback from my peers and instructor was invaluable in refining these details and adjusting movements for better clarity and expression.  

This project also deepened my appreciation for the iterative process of animation. From initial sketches to the final polished sequence, every step required constant adjustment and problem-solving. Overall, I’m proud of the final result and how it showcases both the tension of battle and the personalities of the characters. It’s an experience that has greatly enhanced my animation skills and storytelling abilities.