Click here for a copy of the brief document in Google Docs
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Search For A Star & Sumo Digital Rising Star 2018
Games Animation | Stage 2 Brief
Core Brief
Create a game-ready 3D character movement sequence comprised of four connectable assets. All stylistic, thematic and aesthetic considerations are at the artist's discretion, as is the rigged model you choose to work with. The full development process must be evidenced, from pre-production, production, post-production to final presentation.
Objective
The goal of this piece of work is to demonstrate your ability as an animator to conceive, develop, create and present an innovative and creative movement sequence. The process that leads to the result is as key as the final composition itself, the creativity and motivation of the final piece should be evident from the foundation work.
Fixed Conditions
The scene must contain a series of movements typical of character animations in games environments that work both as isolated animations and as a chained sequence. The final animation must be presented both as the individual looped movements and as a complete sequence beginning and ending in the idle state.
Movements must include:
One ‘idle’ state
One ‘powering up’ state
One ‘release’ state
One ‘recovery’ state
Thematic and Stylistic Suggestions
A strong animation piece tends to allude to some sort of narrative, sense of mood, tone and place. The theme and tone should act as strong motivators toward your choice of model/rig, render style, execution and your personal strength, as it’s your artistic judgment in these areas that will be on show.
The choice of theme and complexity of movement are at the your discretion, but to help here are some examples to encourage a range of creative interpretations around the brief: -
A fearless, ancient warrior bravely charging into battle
Idle; Calmly surveying a battlefield, locating a threat
Power up; clambering forward, weapon drawn
Release; a heavy attack strike
Recovery; victory shout / gesture
A comical & frenetic scientist creating a dangerous concoction
Idle; tentatively poking at a held object
Power up; excitedly mixing up a solution
Release; Explosive burst, flailing movement, recoiling from danger
Recovery; dusts self down and checks for damage
A tense, dynamic explorer traversing rugged terrain
Idle; assessing location, checking equipment
Power up; crouching down, maintaining balance while coiled up ready to leap
Release; a leap, grab and scrabble for purchase on the rocks
Recovery; Lift over ledge & roll to safety
Concept & Design
The pre-production phase is there to help solidify a vision and decide the motivating factors for the animation being produced. Whilst reviewing the final piece, the journey, influences and creative choices along the way will be taken into account.
Evidence of reference gathering, moodboards, collation or collage of specific designs, concepts or reference points will need to be produced and presented. Boards should also be used to demonstrate investigation into particular movements, techniques, tone, cultural influences
The use of video reference, photo or concept art relevance when consolidating your design depends on the creative direction you choose, as long as the vision and compositional elements can be clearly communicated.
Storyboarding should give a feel for the structure, timing and storytelling before starting production, acting as a template for your initial animatic sequence. This could take the form of simple sketches right through to beautifully painted concept art, but the key is for the frames & annotations to be clear and solve as many pre-production questions as possible.
The pre-production phase is an integral part in both outlining and defining your objectives, as well as giving a reference point for your artistic and creative progression throughout the project.
We cannot understate the importance of good research, development, planning and documentation.
Presentation of materials
The final piece will need to be presented alongside all the preliminary pre-production works, the layout and composition of all pieces should be well considered and clearly communicate your creative intentions.
Often strong animation work can be mis-represented when not demonstrated or composed effectively. Your ability to show good judgment when focusing your creative effort and techniques towards specifically composed areas will be taken into account. Give consideration to the framing of your scene to maximize your efforts and the impact of your final render(s).
Also consider the format and framing ratio of both your final renders as well as the preliminary works. Often panoramic ratios invoke a cinematic grandeur, or perhaps a tighter and more confined composition suits your tone and mood? Do explore and consider your dimensions and relative composition and layouts.
In addition to video of the final scene and individual loops, you will also be required to present the scene as a rendered scene in Sketchfab.
Development Process / Assessment Milestones
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| MS1 | Pre-Production | Written intro, outline the tone and artistic motivations |
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| MS2 | Curated references, mood board, influences |
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| MS3 | Concept design, Compositional exploration |
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| MS4 | Storyboarding |
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| MS5 | Production | Rig preparation, advanced simulations |
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| MS6 | Initial animatic, keys and sequence blocking |
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| MS7 | Review & revision of animatic sequence, detailing & aesthetic inclusions |
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| MS8 | Final sequence in full, complete with detailing and facial animation |
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| MS9 | Post Production | Rendering of final sequence and post render edits |
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| MS10 | Presentation | Present and discuss Pre-Production documentation and assets |
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| MS11 | Present and discuss Finished piece |
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Assessment Criteria
Concept design & development
Technical
Creative
Documentation
Presentation
Recommendations & Considerations
Industry professionals have been consulted throughout the SFAS process. Below you’ll see a list of common threads and feedback points that occur. Each point is worthy of consideration when defining your own brief, subject matter and executing on your own works: -
Aim for high quality - your best work
Show Concept Development
Researching & Purposeful Mood boards
Know your strengths and build upon them
Show full process documentation
Demonstrate Compositional sense
Understand and Define your Style
Showcase of artistic ability
Showcase of creative ability
Showcase of technical ability
Dev Diaries
Use industry standards / pipelines
Selection of character / rig
Scaling & proportion
Fluidity of movement
Weighting & balance
Deformation of model
Use of supporting props
Use of appropriate space
Background scenery
A well selected Colour palette
Detailing of aesthetics
Layout and arrangement
Use of mixed tools
Complimentary lighting
Consider use of post-prod’ FX
Leverage Post Processing
Summary and Goal
Design and create a game-ready animation sequence based on a single low-level concept
Define your own setting, theme and tone & a model/rig to reflect this.
The sequence must contain animations of the following states : -
One ‘idle’ state
One ‘powering up’ state
One ‘release’ state
One ‘recovery’ state
Format and present your final renders and supporting assets
The goal of this exercise is to create a brief or framework that focuses your attention and skills into a single piece that demonstrates both industry relative abilities and your own personal creative judgment.
Submission Details
You may use any additional tools that you have access to (e.g. Maya, Substance etc.)
Finished projects must be presented as a series of videos, images, sketchfab models, and as a self-contained downloadable PDF project.
Projects must be submitted using the Itch platform (see submission guide below).
Submission Guide
All finished projects are required to be published on the itch.io platform and submitted to the Search For A Star 3D Environment Art Challenge 2018 by 28th January 2018 at 11:59 PM
You must join the SFAS Animation page to take part : https://itch.io/jam/3d-game-animation-challenge-2018
We advise that you set up an Itch account & a draft of your project page ahead of the deadline.
To create your art project page, go to your itch.io Dashboard and select the ‘Upload New Project’ option.
Complete the submission form, in line with itch.io’s Quality Guidelines
Set Classification to ‘Asset Pack’.
Set Kind of project to ‘Downloadable’.
Set pricing to ‘Disable all payments’ - You can change this once all projects have been marked by the judges, if you wish.
Include an appropriate cover image, your key screens as screenshots, video content, your full downloadable project file exports & PDF documentation as required.
The ‘Description’ text box will contain your copy of your written intro & final written summation, as well as your embedded Sketchfab sequences. It may contain further documentation if you choose.
When your project is complete, set ‘Visibility & Access Settings’ to ‘Public’. If you choose, you may also tick the box for ‘Unlisted in search & browse’.
To submit your project, return to the Search For A Star 2018 page and press the ‘Submit your jam’ button
Select your finished project, fill in your name and challenge tier details and press ‘Submit’.
You may create, update & make changes to your project page at any point, but please do not make further changes after submission to the game jam.
Support & ResourcesSupport information, FAQ & resources, as well as a copy of this project brief, can be found on the itch.io community forum pages for the project. Additional help & guidance may also be posted here throughout the challenge, so it’s recommended you check it regularly. Community Forum : https://itch.io/jam/3d-game-animation-challenge-2018/community We’ll also be active in the community forum to help you out & answer questions. If you have any questions about the project or competition contact Aardvark Swift / Grads In Games at dan@gradsingames.com or call us on 01709834777 |