One of the most pivotal moments in “GrownUp,” is when it is revealed that our child hero is actually, well, a grownup. I knew I didn’t have the skills to draw changing perspectives of the characters in this shot so in the spirit of embracing 3D assets as a reference, here’s how I set up the shot.
BACKGROUND
A big part of my life is running a loop around Central Park. Seeing Central Park fully decked out in autumnal hues was one of the core inspirations for bringing my characters out in the open for the final scene.
I reverse-engineered how we take panorama shots on our phones - the way we pivot around an axis (our body) to capture the scene 360°. I took a panorama shot of the reservoir in the park and used it as a UV texture on a sphere, in which I placed my characters and my camera. Using the photograph as a reference, I painted the background.
I reverse-engineered how we take panorama shots on our phones - the way we pivot around an axis (our body) to capture the scene 360°. I took a panorama shot of the reservoir in the park and used it as a UV texture on a sphere, in which I placed my characters and my camera. Using the photograph as a reference, I painted the background.
CHARACTER ANIMATION
For the purpose of blocking out the camera movement and having a reference for the changing perspective of the characters, I made comically crappy 3D models of Nick and Frank. I wasn’t concerned about the details or making them look like decent 3D models, since I just needed the silhouette of the characters as a reference to ensure their volumes stay consistent in my character animation. After I locked down the camera movement, I traced over the characters frame by frame at 12fps.
