DreamWorks Animation Exhibition

Yesterday I visited the DreamWorks Animation Exhibition at the ACMI centre in Melbourne. It was an amazing exhibition which demonstrated the immense amount of work put into their movies. Most interestingly it demonstrated the different types of animation they have used over the years though it is evident that 3D CGI is the more favoured type.

From sketch to screen - Kung Fu Panda Dumpling Scene

The exhibition showed so many from sketch to screen examples. One of my personal favourites was the dumpling scene from Kung Fu Panda played alongside the storyboard sketches. It demonstrated not only how the storyboard comes to life from the sketches but also the differences and similarities between the original sketches and ideas and the finished product.  The exhibit also showed a story board presentation of the Muffin Man scene from the first Shrek movie and it provided a great example how a storyboard presentation should work. As an aspiring animator these things help me to understand the process of making an animated film and also allow me to understand how presentations of work should be given with enthusiasm and passion. 

Muffin Man scene storyboard

One of the things I loved about the exhibition the most was the sculptures of the characters from the films. The detail was on par with the amount of detail put into the animation of the character and it really showed the amount of work put into each characters appearance and how it reflects on their personality. Perhaps one of the most significant examples of the character design process was the design for 'Po' the panda from Kung Fu Panda. There were so many different concept pieces for him that choosing any one of the others probably would have dramatically affected the overall success of the film not just because the one they chose is perfect for the character but also because it fits in perfectly with the art style and fits the voice actors voice perfectly.

This all coincides with the 3D animation pipeline. There were many demonstrations of sketch to screen and even videos that showed the process from the sketch to screen. The videos showed the different designs for each character and why they were changed. Some showed the process of acting out what they wanted to animate. It showed how the stories were developed and the amount of research that went into environment design.

Research examples for  King Julian from Madagascar

This exhibition was such a good opportunity to learn more about the film animation process as that is what I hope to one day be doing.