Page 1 - George
Page 2 - Serra
Page 3 - Final Video

TERM 2 & 3 – George

Week 1

This week marked the beginning of our storytelling journey, and I was immediately thrown into one of my favorite things—creative brainstorming. We were tasked with developing three story ideas using Dan Harmon's Story Cycle, which closely mirrors the classic Hero’s Journey. I appreciated the structure the cycle offered; it helped me think more deeply about character motivations and the overall arc of a narrative.

I came up with three distinct concepts:

The Bronze Crown – A tale about a fake princess attempting to steal the crown of a real princess, driven by envy and ambition.

ARFID – A more serious, internal story about a character struggling with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder, exploring themes of control, fear, and self-acceptance.

Dream Pastries – Inspired by my Dungeons & Dragons campaign and elements from Curse of Strahd, this one centered around a dark windmill that has drawn the group towards, only to find a very perturbing old lady.

Each idea had its own strengths and challenges. The ARFID story felt important and personal but was harder to frame within a classic hero structure. The D&D-inspired one was rich in world-building, but a bit too abstract at this stage. Ultimately, I chose to move forward with The Bronze Crown. It felt the most cohesive in terms of plot, character arc, and emotional payoff. The story had natural conflict, clear stakes, and a satisfying potential resolution.

Overall, I’m feeling excited. This first week helped me reconnect with my creative instincts and reminded me how helpful structure can be when shaping a raw idea into something more refined.

Week 2

This week was a major turning point in the development of our animation projects—we officially moved from ideation to visualization. Our main task was to create the storyboards for the stories we developed last week using the Dan Harmon Story Cycle. It was a shift in perspective: instead of just thinking about plot and character, we had to start thinking in shots, angles, and visual storytelling. That transition was challenging at first but incredibly rewarding.

Before diving into the storyboard, we had a review session to revisit the three concepts we pitched last week. George gave insightful feedback on all of them, but he was especially drawn to The Bronze Crown. That story—about a fake princess trying to steal the real princess’s crown—stood out to him as the most cohesive and visually rich. Hearing that was encouraging. It confirmed what I was already feeling: that The Bronze Crown had the strongest arc and the most cinematic potential.

With that in mind, I chose to move forward and storyboard The Bronze Crown. It was my first time really thinking in terms of visual frames, so I had to slow down and consider how each moment would be represented visually—what a scene would look like, not just what would happen. I broke the story into key beats: the imposter princess sneaking through the palace, the tension of the confrontation with the real princess, the symbolic moment of the crown changing hands. Every frame needed to convey emotion, tone, and movement, all while keeping the pacing fluid and readable.

What surprised me the most was how much clarity the storyboard process gave me. Certain scenes that felt vague in my head started to take on new life once I sketched them out, even roughly. I started noticing opportunities to build suspense or heighten drama that weren’t as obvious in text form. It also helped me identify a few gaps in the story—like transitions or motivations—that I’ll need to tighten in the next phase.

Overall, this week felt like a big step forward. Moving from abstract concept to visual narrative made the project feel real. I’m excited to keep developing The Bronze Crown, now with a clearer sense of how it might look and feel as an actual animation. There's still a lot of work ahead, but for the first time, I can see the story.

Week 3

This week was all about diving deep into the visual storytelling process as I worked on drawing the full storyboard for The Bronze Crown. After last week's rough planning, this was the stage where everything started to take solid form. The final count? 107 panels—a number I’m honestly really proud of, especially considering how much thought and effort went into every frame.

I started the week by revisiting the feedback George gave me during our last review. One of his main suggestions was to develop the male character more, to give him more presence and depth throughout the story. I realized that he had been more of a plot device in the original version, so I went back and gave him clearer motivations and a more active role in the narrative. It made the story feel more balanced and helped strengthen the emotional stakes.

George also suggested making the real princess more villainous, which at first felt like a risky shift—but it ended up working beautifully. By showing more of her cruelty, arrogance, and entitlement, the audience is more likely to root for our main character, the imposter princess. It created a much stronger contrast between the two and added layers of tension to their interactions. This adjustment gave the story more emotional clarity and gave me opportunities to push the visuals—facial expressions, body language, and lighting—to reflect that dynamic.

Drawing the storyboard itself was intense but incredibly rewarding. I focused on making it very detailed and expressive, making sure every panel communicated not just the action but also the mood and inner world of the characters. There were moments when I was exhausted, staring at my sketches wondering if they were clear enough—but in the end, seeing the full sequence laid out was worth every second. It's the most cohesive visual piece I've ever created, and I finally feel like I can see this story becoming a real animation.

Looking back, this week felt like a turning point—not just in terms of progress, but in terms of confidence. I’m proud of the work I put in and how much stronger the story has become through revision. Can’t wait to see where it goes next.

Week 4

This week marked the beginning of a whole new phase in the project: bringing The Bronze Crown into 3D using Maya. After spending so much time in the storyboard phase, it was both exciting and a little overwhelming to shift into the technical side of animation. I’ll admit—I wasn’t entirely sure where to start. The scale of building a whole animated scene in 3D felt massive at first.

To ease into it, I decided to start by blocking out one of the castle corridors. It felt like a manageable piece of the environment that would still be central to the story. Once I got going, things started to click, and I eventually moved on to tackle one of the more dynamic early scenes: the moment when the main character bursts through the large double doors, coming face-to-face with a sleepy guard and the guard who’s secretly on her side.

This scene was a challenge to block. The timing, positioning, and character interactions all had to be carefully planned to make the moment land properly. I wanted the surprise and energy of the door burst to contrast with the drowsy confusion of one guard and the alertness of the other. It was definitely tough to get the initial poses and movement looking right.

I also ran into a few technical issues—most notably with hiding animation curves, which cluttered the workspace and made it harder to stay focused on the big picture. It slowed me down and got frustrating at times, but I reminded myself that this phase is about figuring things out. The good news is, I ended up solving the curve issue later on, which made everything much smoother going forward.

Even though it’s early in the Maya process, it feels really rewarding to see parts of the story take shape in 3D space. The corridor scene, even in blockout form, gave me a real sense of the world I’m building. There's still a long road ahead, but each piece is starting to come together.

Week 5

This week was all about digging into the atmosphere and visual identity of The Bronze Crown. With the 3D work in Maya just beginning, I realized how important it was to establish a clear sense of the world I’m building—its tone, textures, and history. So I shifted gears and focused on developing the characters and environments through concept art and moodboarding.

I started by drawing concept art for the two princesses—the real and the fake. This process helped me clarify their personalities even more. The real princess needed to have an aura of entitlement and elegance, while still appearing traditionally beautiful and refined. In contrast, the imposter princess had to feel a bit scrappier and more grounded, but still capable of moving convincingly in royal circles. Designing their looks helped me explore those contrasts through clothing, posture, and facial expression.

I also spent time building a moodboard to guide the look and feel of the environments and costumes. I included references for the dungeons, castle corridors, the princess’s bedroom, and the world outside the palace walls, as well as ideas for wardrobe design. Since the story takes place in a fantasy version of 1700s Europe, I wanted the style to reflect that—rich fabrics, elaborate embroidery, ornate interiors, but with just a slight twist of fantasy. The goal is to ground the world in something familiar while also making it feel slightly heightened and magical.

This part of the process has been really energizing. Even though I’m not animating this week, defining the visual tone makes everything else easier—it gives the project consistency and character. Now, when I return to Maya or storyboard revisions, I have a much clearer sense of what everything should feel like.

World-building can be a slow, detailed process, but this week reminded me how essential it is. It's not just about making things look good—it's about helping the audience fully step into this world.

Week 6

This week I focused on blocking out the dungeon scene for The Bronze Crown in Maya. Compared to the earlier castle corridor sequence, this scene had a much darker, more claustrophobic tone, which made it a fun but challenging space to stage. I wanted the layout and shot composition to reflect the tension and urgency of the moment—especially as the main character sneaks through the dungeon, facing both physical obstacles and emotional stakes.

While working on the blockout, I also got some valuable feedback from George during our review session. He pointed out that some of the shots involving the guard who’s secretly helping the main character weren’t quite landing. The relationship between them wasn’t coming through clearly, and some of the staging made the guard feel a bit too passive or unclear in his intentions. George encouraged me to rethink those moments to make their alliance more readable and emotionally satisfying for the audience.

I went back into the storyboard and Maya scene to explore new angles and timing for those shots—bringing the guard more into the foreground during key moments and making his supportive actions more intentional. It’s a small shift on paper, but it makes a huge difference in how the scene feels.

Overall, this week reminded me how important blocking is—not just for getting characters in the right place, but for building relationships, tension, and clarity in every scene. There’s still a lot to refine, but with George’s notes in mind, I feel like the dungeon sequence is headed in a much stronger direction.

Week 7-9

These past few weeks have been all about continuing the previs work for The Bronze Crown. I’ve been steadily blocking out more scenes, refining the camera work, staging, and pacing as I go. The process is definitely time-consuming, but it's been satisfying to see the project slowly come together scene by scene.

One of the major goals during this period was to start assembling all the blocked scenes into one sequence, so I could get a sense of the overall timing and full run time. Seeing everything lined up—even in rough form—was incredibly helpful. It highlighted some scenes that needed to be trimmed or re-timed and revealed where transitions were too jarring or where momentum lagged. It also helped me confirm that the story arc is reading clearly, which was a big relief.

That said, progress did slow down a bit due to the Collaborative Unit running alongside this project. Balancing both has been tricky at times—there were definitely days when I had to shift focus away from animation work to meet deadlines or responsibilities in the other unit. Still, I’ve tried to keep some consistent momentum going, even if it’s just tackling one scene at a time or cleaning up earlier blocks.

Despite the slower pace, I’m feeling good about where things are heading. The previs is giving me a solid foundation to build on, and the structure of the film is starting to feel more real. Once everything is fully blocked and assembled, I’ll be able to shift into refining animation and bringing the performances to life.

Week 10

This week was a major turning point in the production of The Bronze Crown—I officially finished the previs. After weeks of planning, blocking, and gradually stitching scenes together, it was incredibly rewarding to see the entire narrative play out in a single timeline. Watching it from start to finish—even in its rough form—was the first time the story felt truly cinematic. All those abstract ideas and 2D storyboards I created weeks ago are now moving in 3D space, and it honestly feels surreal.

A big part of this week’s focus was getting final feedback from George. We sat down to review the full previs, and overall, he was pleased with how it was shaping up. One of his key notes was about the final scene, where the main character opens the door to what is essentially her new future. He felt the moment was a little rushed and suggested I slow it down—to let the weight of the story’s resolution breathe. I completely agreed. After adjusting the pacing, the scene felt more impactful. It gave the character's journey the emotional space it needed to really land with the audience.

With all the scenes now blocked out and assembled, I was able to see how the story flows as a whole—how each scene connects, how the tone evolves, and how the rhythm carries the viewer from one emotional beat to the next. The transitions are working better than I expected, and even though everything is still in a rough, unpolished state, the structure is solid.

What stood out to me the most was how closely the previs reflects the original storyboard. There’s something incredibly satisfying about watching the shots I sketched out weeks ago now come to life in a 3D space—camera angles, character staging, even lighting cues I had imagined back then are starting to take shape. It’s validating to see that the vision I had early on has held strong through the process.

Of course, there’s still a long way to go—refining animation, polishing transitions, working on sound and effects—but wrapping up the previs gives me a clear, tangible foundation for everything that comes next. It’s a huge step, and I’m proud of how far the project has come.

Seeing The Bronze Crown move from a pitch to a working visual narrative has been one of the most fulfilling parts of this course so far. I’m excited (and slightly intimidated) to enter the next phase of production, but this week gave me the confidence that the story is strong.

I very much have fallen in love with this story. It has been a joy to work on it, so much so that I am now wanting to take this project to be my FMP. This will mean the story needs some changes to make it more cohiesive but other than that, I look forward to moving onto the next project.

Week 11

This week marked the official start of my project, and it was focused primarily on body mechanics — understanding them, experimenting with them, and deciding how to use them creatively. The initial challenge was figuring out what I wanted to animate. I spent time reviewing different animation types and movement studies, considering which would be the most engaging both for myself and the audience. After some brainstorming and sketching, I realized I wanted to create something dynamic, character-driven, and a little out of the ordinary.

That’s when the idea of a funny boxing animation came to mind. Boxing naturally has strong, exaggerated movements that lend themselves well to animation practice, especially for body mechanics like weight shifts, follow-through, anticipation, and impact. But rather than a serious or realistic approach, I thought it would be more fun (and visually engaging) to take a humorous spin on it. I imagined a character that’s maybe a bit overconfident, clumsy, or constantly surprised — the kind of boxer you wouldn’t expect to win, but somehow stumbles through each round.

Once the concept was locked in, I moved on to creating a reference sheet. This part was especially helpful, as it allowed me to visualize the mechanics behind the movements I’d be animating. I broke down the core actions into individual poses: jabs, uppercuts, dodges, footwork, and reaction shots. I paid close attention to how the character’s weight shifts during each motion, where the force originates from, and how the movement flows through the body. I also exaggerated the poses to emphasize the comedy — big windups for tiny punches, delayed reactions, wild dodges that send the boxer off balance, and so on.

This reference sheet will serve as a foundation for my animation in the coming weeks. Not only does it help guide the visual consistency, but it also forces me to think through the movement logically before jumping into motion. Understanding where the weight sits in each pose, how the hips and shoulders twist, and where the force is exerted gives the animation a sense of believability, even in a comedic context.

Overall, I’m happy with how Week One went. It was all about setting the stage — choosing the concept, defining the tone, and laying the groundwork through sketches and planning. It’s exciting to know where this is headed, and I’m already looking forward to refining the timing, expressions, and storytelling through motion in the upcoming weeks. This project has a lot of room for creativity, and I’m eager to push the boundaries of both humor and body mechanics as it evolves.

Week 12

This week was all about gathering reference material and diving deeper into how real movement can inform and enhance animation. After planning the idea and creating the initial reference sheet last week, it was time to bring the concept to life by studying actual motion. To do that, I went to the gym and filmed a series of reference videos that focused on the key movements I’ll be animating.

Filming at the gym gave me a much clearer sense of how the body truly behaves during boxing movements. I captured footage of myself (and others) performing punches, dodges, footwork patterns, and reactions. It was interesting to see how much more subtle — yet powerful — the real motions were compared to what I had initially sketched. The footage revealed small details I hadn’t considered before, like how the torso twists during a punch or how the weight shifts from the back foot to the front at impact.

A big part of this week was also about getting feedback. I showed some of my early footage and animation ideas to George, who has experience in both boxing and animation. His insights were incredibly helpful. He pointed out how certain punches weren’t landing with enough weight or how my character’s posture could be tweaked to better reflect real boxing stances. He also helped me understand how to exaggerate the right parts of the motion for animation without losing the sense of groundedness — like making the follow-through of a punch longer or playing up the reaction of a miss for comedic effect.

From there, I spent time reviewing the various shots I recorded and started developing them further. I selected the clearest and most dynamic footage to study frame-by-frame, breaking them down into key poses and in-betweens. I began rough sketching some of these sequences to test out timing, spacing, and how the force carries through the body. Some shots worked better than others, but even the less successful ones were valuable because they showed me what not to do — either the motion was too stiff, too fast, or didn’t read clearly enough for animation.

One challenge I ran into this week was translating real-world motion into a stylized, funny context. It’s not just about copying the reference exactly — it’s about understanding why the body moves a certain way, then amplifying or bending that logic for comedic effect while still making it feel believable. This is something I’m continuing to explore as I refine the movements and build out the key poses for the animation.

Overall, Week Two felt very productive. I’m gaining a stronger understanding of how to use reference effectively, and how to blend realism with exaggeration. The feedback from George helped ground my ideas in practical movement, and now I have a strong collection of visual material to work from as I begin blocking out the animation.

Week 13

This week marked a major shift in the project — I officially began blocking out the animation. After gathering references and planning out the movement in the first two weeks, it was exciting (and a bit nerve-wracking) to start translating everything into motion. Blocking is such a crucial stage because it’s where the timing, spacing, and storytelling really start to come together, even in a rough form.

Using the reference footage I filmed last week, I began laying down the key poses in my animation software. These are the most important storytelling frames — the punches, dodges, anticipation, impacts, and reactions. I kept everything rough and snappy for now, focusing more on performance and clarity than polish. The goal was to capture the rhythm of the scene and make sure the comedic tone I’m aiming for was already coming through in the poses.

I showed my initial blocking pass to George again for feedback, and his notes were incredibly valuable. He pointed out that in a few spots, certain body parts were moving independently — like an arm starting to punch before the hips had shifted or the shoulders hadn’t followed through. His advice was to make sure the entire body moves together, driven by the core. It was a great reminder that in boxing — and animation in general — movements are connected, and the power comes from coordinated motion rather than isolated parts.

He also encouraged me to twist the torso more during the punches and add stronger exaggeration to the key poses. At first, I had been holding back a little, trying to stay true to the reference footage, but his feedback helped me realize I needed to push it further to make it work for animation — especially with the comedic tone. Exaggerating the twists and follow-throughs not only made the character more expressive, but also added a sense of energy and believability that was missing in my initial pass.

I went back into the blocking and reworked several poses, focusing on stronger silhouettes, deeper rotations, and clearer anticipation. I also made sure each movement had a natural flow through the body — starting with the hips and core, then traveling out to the limbs. These adjustments immediately made the scene feel more unified and dynamic.

Week Three has definitely been about learning to balance realism with stylization. While the reference footage grounded the animation, the feedback helped me elevate it and bring in more character and life. There’s still a long way to go, but I’m feeling much more confident about the direction now that the blocking is in motion. Next week, I’ll start refining the timing and adding breakdowns to smooth things out — but for now, I’m happy with the strong foundation that’s been laid.

Week 14

This week I wrapped up the blocking phase and officially moved into splining — a huge step forward in bringing the animation to life. It’s been a satisfying transition, seeing the rough key poses evolve into more fluid motion, while still holding onto the energy and clarity I built up during blocking.

Finishing the blocking meant I had to make sure all the major storytelling poses were solid and that the timing felt right overall. I double-checked arcs, spacing, and body mechanics one last time before converting everything into spline. The key here was making sure the pose-to-pose flow felt smooth and intentional before I let the computer start interpolating between them. Once I was confident with the structure, I started refining the transitions — focusing on easing, overlap, and weight.

Splining, as always, brought its own set of challenges. Some of the movements that looked snappy and fun in stepped mode felt too floaty or robotic once interpolation was turned on. I had to spend a lot of time adjusting curves in the graph editor — cleaning up tangents, adding more breakdowns, and making sure movements followed natural arcs. It’s a tedious process but incredibly rewarding when it starts to look right.

I shared my updated progress with George, and he offered another round of helpful feedback. One of his main notes was to speed up the fall at the end. In my current version, the character's reaction and collapse after getting punched was too slow and lacked impact. George pointed out that the fall needed more gravity and should feel more sudden to really sell the weight and comedic timing. I adjusted the timing so the body drops more quickly, with just enough drag in the limbs to keep it believable and funny. The faster fall not only improved the realism but also gave the ending more punch (literally).

Making that change helped me realize how important timing is in comedic animation. A few frames too slow or too fast can completely change the feel of a gag. I’m now paying closer attention to the accents and rhythms throughout the shot, especially during exaggerated or comedic moments, where timing sells everything.

Week Four has been a turning point. The shot is really starting to feel alive, and the spline phase has helped me dive deeper into secondary motion and subtle details like follow-through, overlapping action, and arcs. The feedback from George continues to help sharpen my eye, and I’m excited to keep refining the animation further in the coming week.

Final Animation:

Week 15

This week marked the beginning of a new animation task focused on lip sync, shifting gears from physical body mechanics to the more nuanced world of facial performance and dialogue. It’s a very different kind of challenge, but I’m excited to explore how voice and facial expression can bring a character to life in a completely new way.

The first step was to choose an audio clip that was expressive, clear, and gave me room to experiment with timing, emotion, and acting choices. After listening to several options, I decided on a clip from The Incredibles — specifically a moment where Edna Mode is lecturing Elastigirl, who’s crying over Bob. It’s a fantastic piece of dialogue: dramatic, funny, and packed with personality. Edna’s delivery is sharp, fast-paced, and full of emotional contrast, making it perfect for an expressive lip sync animation.

Once I locked in the clip, I began creating a reference sheet to break down the dialogue. I transcribed the audio and analyzed it frame by frame, marking key phonemes, stress points, and emotional beats. This helped me understand how the dialogue flows — where it speeds up, where it pauses, and how the tone shifts. Edna’s voice is very stylized, which gives me the opportunity to exaggerate mouth shapes, eye movements, and head gestures in a way that matches her eccentric personality.

To support the planning phase, I also filmed a reference video of myself performing the line. Acting it out helped me explore the physicality and timing of the line delivery, and it gave me ideas for subtle gestures and facial movements I might otherwise overlook. It also helped me experiment with eye direction, head tilts, and breathing, which all contribute to making a character feel believable when speaking. Watching my own expressions in slow motion also revealed how much of lip sync is actually about the anticipation and reaction around the words — not just the mouth shapes.

The biggest takeaway this week was realizing how critical planning is in dialogue animation. Unlike physical action, where movement drives the scene, here the voice leads the performance, and every visual choice needs to support and enhance what’s being said. Timing becomes even more important, especially when syncing to quick speech like Edna’s.

Week Five has laid the groundwork for a new kind of animation challenge. I now have my audio clip, my visual breakdown, and performance reference ready to go. Next week, I’ll begin blocking out the facial animation and syncing the main mouth movements to the dialogue. It’s going to be a fun and expressive piece to work on — completely different from the boxing animation, but just as rewarding in its own way.

Week 16

This week brought an unexpected — but ultimately helpful — shift in direction for my lip sync animation project. After reviewing the Edna Mode voice clip with George, he advised me to choose a different audio sample — specifically, one that hasn’t already been animated professionally. His reasoning made a lot of sense: using a clip from a well-known animated film like The Incredibles can subconsciously influence creative decisions and make it harder to come up with a completely original performance. It was a good reminder to keep the animation process authentic and avoid relying on pre-existing visual interpretations.

After some searching and experimenting, I landed on a new voice clip from the YouTube channel SMOSH. The dialogue is casual, comedic, and more grounded in real-world speech, which gives it a very different tone compared to Edna’s over-the-top delivery. This new clip opened up new possibilities for subtle acting, facial performance, and naturalistic timing — all of which will be a great test of my lip sync and character animation skills.

With the new clip selected, I went back to the drawing board and created a brand-new reference video. I recorded myself acting out the line, playing with facial expressions, head tilts, blinks, and gestures that matched the energy and tone of the audio. I filmed several takes, experimenting with different interpretations until I landed on one that felt right for the character I’m imagining. This process was really helpful for testing pacing, emphasis, and emotional delivery — especially since the clip is more nuanced than the original Edna audio.

I shared the updated reference with George, who gave some solid feedback on both the performance and timing. He suggested a few small tweaks to emphasize certain words and adjust body language for clarity. After implementing his notes, I finalized the reference performance — which now feels tight, expressive, and ready to guide the animation phase.

At this point, I now have:

A new, original voice clip that’s clean and expressive

A refined acting reference that reflects the tone and intent of the dialogue

Clear breakdowns for the phonemes, facial expressions, and body language beats

With all of that in place, I’m ready to move into blocking in 3D next week, where I’ll focus on building strong key poses that match the vocal performance while keeping the character feeling grounded and believable.

Even though switching audio mid-process was frustrating at first, it turned out to be a valuable learning experience. It pushed me to take more ownership of the acting choices and lean into originality. I’m now feeling much more confident about this new direction and excited to see how the animation starts to take shape from here.

Week 17

This week was all about the blocking for my lip sync animation and tightening up the performance based on feedback. After last week’s pivot to a new voice clip and the creation of a solid acting reference, I began refining the key poses and timing in 3D, focusing on clarity, exaggeration, and emotional impact.

I shared the blocking pass with George, and overall, the feedback was really encouraging. He was pleased with the energy and how exaggerated the performance had become — it showed confidence in posing and a clear commitment to acting choices, which was great to hear. The physicality and facial expressions helped sell the humor in the SMOSH voice clip, and it felt like the character was starting to come alive.

That said, he also gave me some important notes: while the exaggerated posing worked well in places, some of it was pushed a bit too far, to the point where it started pulling focus away from the dialogue. His feedback helped me recognize that exaggeration isn't just about making things bigger — it’s about emphasizing the right moments in the right way. He suggested holding certain poses longer to let them read more clearly, and shortening others to keep the rhythm snappy and natural. That balance between overacting and subtlety is something I’m still learning to fine-tune.

One moment I was particularly proud of — and glad George liked — was the goofy frog-eyed expression at the end of the shot. It was a playful exaggeration I added to match the comedic beat of the line, and I wasn’t sure if it was too much. But George thought it worked well and encouraged me to keep it, as long as the transition into it felt smooth. That bit of positive reinforcement helped me feel more confident about trusting my instincts with comedic timing.

By the end of the week, I had made a number of adjustments to the blocking:

Held key poses longer for better readability

Reduced unnecessary motion between some transitions

Smoothed out the pacing to better match the voice clip’s tone

Retained key stylized elements (like the frog eyes) to preserve personality

The scene is feeling much stronger now, with a clearer rhythm and more purposeful movement. The next step will be transitioning into splining and secondary animation, where I’ll focus on refining arcs, easing, lip sync precision, and adding subtle eye movement and blinks to support the character’s thoughts and emotions.

Week Seventeen was a valuable lesson in restraint and timing — learning when to push and when to pull back. The feedback loop with George continues to be a huge asset, helping me sharpen both my technical and creative decision-making. I’m looking forward to bringing this piece even closer to final polish in the weeks ahead.

Week 18

This week was a continuation of the blocking polish phase, with a strong focus on refining facial animation — especially lip sync and emotional clarity. After last week's feedback from George, I dove back into the scene to adjust and improve the posing, timing, and mouth shapes, making sure the animation supported the performance more effectively.

The first step was addressing the blocking notes George gave me earlier. I spent time fixing up the poses — holding some expressions longer, smoothing out transitions, and reducing unnecessary movement that was muddying the read. These small adjustments had a big impact in making the acting feel sharper and more confident.

After implementing those changes, I brought the updated version back to George for another round of feedback. This time, the notes focused in on the lip sync and facial details — areas that are especially important now that the body performance is mostly locked in. One of the key pieces of advice was to avoid subtle or weak mouth shapes, especially when conveying a strong or exaggerated emotional shift. For example, I had a few mouth positions where the lower teeth barely peeked out — and it just wasn’t reading clearly.

George suggested I be more intentional about showing either just the upper teeth or both sets fully, depending on the vowel sound and emotional intensity. That clarity made a huge difference in how readable the dialogue felt. I revisited several mouth shapes to push the contrast between emotional beats — especially during moments when the character flips from sarcastic to surprised or frustrated. These drastic changes needed to be reflected not only in the facial expressions but also in the size, shape, and openness of the mouth.

I also spent time fixing up expressions and refining transitions between them so the character’s emotional arc felt more natural. Rather than just snapping from one emotion to another, I added some overlap and anticipation to give the shifts more weight and believability.

By the end of the week, here’s what I had accomplished:

Polished blocking based on earlier feedback

Adjusted mouth shapes to show clearer articulation and emotion

Ensured better visibility of teeth (top or both, never vague)

Smoothed out pose transitions and emotional timing

Strengthened lip sync to better match the voice clip’s tone

Week Eight helped me dig deeper into the subtleties of facial animation, especially how mouth shapes, timing, and clarity work together to sell emotion and intent. The scene is really starting to feel expressive and alive, and it’s rewarding to see all the small tweaks come together.

Next week I’ll start refining the spline more seriously, including secondary motion in the face and eyes, and locking in the final lip sync.

Week 19

This week marked the official start of the spline phase of my lip sync animation — and as expected, it was a bit of a reality check. After weeks of working in stepped mode and refining the blocking, turning everything into spline revealed just how janky some of the movements looked once interpolation was applied.

When switching to spline, the timing and spacing of the poses changed drastically. What once felt snappy and expressive in stepped mode suddenly became floaty, awkward, or overly mechanical. It was a clear reminder that splining isn’t just about smoothing things out — it’s about preserving the intention of your key poses while making the motion feel natural and believable.

The biggest challenge right away was the mouth movement. With interpolation on, many of the lip sync transitions became either too sharp or too slow. Some shapes were popping in too early or blending too softly, which weakened the performance. I went back into the timeline and adjusted the timing of the mouth shapes, making sure each one landed on the correct phoneme and had enough hold time to be readable. I also cleaned up the spacing between frames to give the mouth a better sense of weight and flow — especially during moments of emotional contrast.

In addition to fixing the mouth, I also started reworking the timing of the main body and facial poses. Some of the overshoots and follow-throughs from blocking didn't translate well into spline, so I adjusted the tangents in the graph editor, cleaned up curves, and started layering in overlap and ease-in/ease-out to add more believability to the motion.

Key areas I focused on this week:

Cleaning up the mouth shape transitions to avoid jitter or mushy blends

Adjusting pose timing to restore the rhythm and comedic timing from blocking

Smoothing out facial animations, especially blinks and brows, to sync better with the lip sync

Fixing janky movements caused by stepped-to-spline conversion, especially in head and shoulders

Although the shot is far from final, it’s beginning to feel more cohesive. The rawness of the initial spline pass reminded me how important finesse and attention to detail are in this stage. Every curve, hold, and in-between has to serve the performance, and right now it’s all about shaping those moments into something polished and emotionally clear.

Next week, I’ll continue splining the secondary elements (like eyes and subtle head shifts), clean up arcs, and really push the timing to bring everything together.

Week 20

This week was all about polishing the spline, and it finally feels like the animation is starting to come together in a meaningful way. After the rough transition into spline last week — with all the awkward timing issues and janky movement — I focused on cleaning up the curves, refining the timing, and introducing more moving holds to bring subtle life into the character’s performance.

One of the biggest improvements came from adding those moving holds. Instead of letting the character freeze between actions, I added slight motion to keep the energy alive — whether it was a gentle head drift, a breathing chest, or a subtle shift in posture. These small adjustments made the animation feel much more natural and connected, helping smooth out transitions and avoid that "stepped look" that can sometimes linger after blocking.

I also tackled the timing problems from last week, especially in areas where movements were too floaty or too quick after switching to spline. I went back into the graph editor and adjusted spacing between keys to tighten up the rhythm of the performance, focusing on making each pose read clearly while keeping the overall pace consistent with the voice clip. It’s not perfect yet, but there’s a noticeable improvement in flow and clarity.

That said, I still think the ending needs more work. Some of the final movements feel a little rushed or unresolved — particularly in the facial expression and how the character exits the shot emotionally. I’m planning to revisit that section with fresh eyes next week and possibly add another beat to let the performance land more effectively.

Even with its imperfections, I’m feeling pleased with where the shot is heading. The polish phase has revealed what’s working and what still needs attention, but overall it feels clean, expressive, and fun to watch — especially in the middle section, where the acting and lip sync feel well-timed and full of personality.

This week helped reinforce the idea that polishing is where the performance really comes to life. It’s not about making everything perfect on the first pass, but about slowly shaping each moment until it feels intentional and alive.