This week, we started working on the Advanced Animation Shot (Blocking) assignment. The focus was on creating the first clear version of the animation, where the most important poses and acting choices had to be visible. At this stage, the animation did not need to be smooth or polished yet, but the main idea of the performance had to make sense.
For my blocking, I focused on placing the key poses first. This helped me understand the structure of the shot and where the important acting beats needed to happen. I tried to think about the character’s intention, body language and timing, instead of immediately focusing on small details. The goal was to make sure the movement was readable from the start.
This stage was useful because it showed me how important strong poses are in animation. If the blocking is unclear, it becomes much harder to improve the shot later. By working in blocking first, I could test the timing and the general performance before adding more breakdowns, in-betweens and polish.