Old vs New Pendulum Animation: Review



The use of design principles and camera movements improved my animation in a variety of ways. I'll begin with the use of design principles.
  • Balance- Using formal balance in the beginning and end of my animation established a sort of order to it. This contrasted the informal balance I used while the pendulum was swinging and when In'myrr'zgg showed up to receive the sacrifice, representing an imbalance of power (between the pendulum and In'myrr'zgg-- or, perhaps, our hopeless struggle against a creature too powerful and hideous to fathom).
  • Emphasis- I used emphasis to show the pendulum as the main object of the scene (at least at first; later, it was In'myrr'zgg). I did this by using leading lines (via the texture of the floor).
  • Repetition- Before I modeled all of the background stuff, I found that the scene was largely a dark and unknowable void. That was okay-ish and all, considering the ominous tone I was going for, but it didn't truly tell a story. So I used repetition of vertical lines to make the room appear more lofty and even sort of religious, in the same manner as a church (since this animation, after all, features several cultists). 
  • Proportion- I used proportion in order to emphasize the elements I thought were important. This principle was used for the pendulum while it was swinging, as well as In'myrr'zgg's horrid form. By making them appear larger, they became not only the objects of importance, but also more imposing to the audience. And to contrast, I made the cultists appear smaller in the background, to represent how powerless they are to stop In'myrr'zgg. (Are we not all impossibly small, when compared to the rest of the universe?)
  • Unity and variety: I wanted to foreshadow the coming of In'myrr'zgg by having a similar (but less horrifying) tiny monkey idol above to hold the pendulum. This created a repetitive nature to his arrival, as if a prophecy had been told.
Next is my use of camera movements and how they improved my animation. 
  • Slow dolly in and dolly out: I used one or the other at the beginning and end of the animation respectively. This can give the audience a better perspective of the setting as well as the changes in it over the course of the animation. 
  • Crane high to low angle: I used this while filming the pendulum swinging during one of its widest arcs. This made the pendulum look more imposing and powerful as well as making it the object of importance.
  • Glidecam shots: I used these while the pendulum was swinging and while In'myrr'zgg was consuming the sacrifice pendulum. These helped to give these parts of the animation a more dreamlike and epic feeling, which is what I wanted to represent during the action.
  • Quick push-ins: I utilized these for the shock value in order to emphasize the horror of In'myrr'zgg's arrival and disappearance back into the Abyss. These shots were to create tension and shock in the audience.

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