Explore the process of how I animated and came up with the idea of Mr Buttons stealing a huge diamond. This animation features a premade rig, courtesy of Animation Creation, and plays around with rubber hose style animation to create an over the top performance as Mr Buttons sneaks towards his goal.
Inspired by old cartoons such as "Looney Tunes" and "Tom & Jerry" I set out to create an animation that I could practice exaggerated movement. Since I didn't want the focus to be on any dialogue I looked at some silent films and slapstick comedy for further inspiration.
Knowing I needed a robust rig, I looked to the Mr Buttons rig which had the appeal and technical design I needed to achieve the style of animation.
With the idea of a heist, it was time to begin staging and create the environment for Mr Buttons to sneak and heist in. I decided that I wanted to keep the Diamond always in frame and have both Mr Buttons and the camera dance around it.
When animating in this style I made sure to play with the timing and rhythm of the movement, holding the key poses and make sure the silhouette was clear and exaggerated.
With the animation completed, all that was left was to render the scene. This was an interesting challenge as I had to light the scene bright enough so you can see the action whilst also making it look like night. By using multiple fill nights coloured a deep navy blue and various dim spotlights I could give the scene a midnight feel whilst also highlighting the materials. In addition, it contrasted nicely with Mr Buttons orange palette to ironically help him stand out.
Don't be left out of getting your big score. Character Animation is a great way to engage your audience and create a memorable video! There is no need to be sneaky when getting your idea made, reach out and send an email!