Term 4 Week 5: Gestures and Body Language

This weeks lecture from Pixar's Andrew Gordon was about how to go about animating gestures. We also looked at the psychology of body language and how to incorporate those ideas into our animated shots. We looked at what is a gesture - like communication of an idea using head, hands, body to promote a point - in dialogue or pantomime. What certain gestures mean, if we touch our face it can show that we are uncomfortable and are seeking comfort. The meaning really delves into the subtext of a dialogue shot because what someone says and what they're body language is telling you can sometimes be completely different. This makes for very interesting acting choices. We also had a look at patterns, physicality and contrast in gestures.

For assignment this week, I 'final-ed' my shot and handed in. The final pass was adding some subtle polishing and cleaning up arcs following Davids critique and comments from my course mates. I'm happy with the final, having added in some aesthetic aspects of a back story to the character - having him in a shitty apartment that he can only just afford so when this handle breaks off, it's like the final straw that sends him crazy! Haha! Anyway enjoy  : -