In my blocking pass critique, some of the feedback I got was that my characters needed to be facing each other more, like they’re having a real conversation, and that I need to be more careful about making sure they’re looking directly at one another. I was also told to switch the Sophia rig out for Carla because the Sophia rig is not very advanced, and the hair geo being immobile makes it look rather unprofessional.
So, over the past week, I transferred my Sophia animation out onto Carla using Studio Library in poses, then went in and smoothed out the animation between each. I did my best to turn Carla more towards the male character and keep her facing him to make it look more like they’re interacting, but I’m not sure if it’s enough. I’ll find out during my feedback tonight.
I also went in and updated Carla’s poses a little, as well as changed the jump out from the wall to simply two steps. Despite my best efforts, I am unsure as to whether the balance is believable during this segment, and feedback on that will also be very valuable.
A big part of what challenged me during the spline pass was making sure that the timing is expressive and believable, while being comfortable holding the poses between dialogue, yet still allowing the characters to move enough in their held pose that they still look “alive.” Another struggle I had was with the FK controls on the Carla’s left arm. I’m not sure if that’s going to be a problem down the road.
I still have a long ways to go, and haven’t even done the lip sync yet. That being said, I’m actually proud of the stage this is at so far.