Great setting!! The atmosphere was really strong in this film. Also the models were really excellent. The thing that bothered me the most was the running and walking animation. It was way off imo. Since the animation was used for more then 75% of the film it really stood out and annoyed me. Also the ending left me really cold. What is going on here???
Reviews for "PHASE ONE"
Let me first start off by saying well done, though I gave you a low score it is not without merit to the effort put in. I also want to point out I have a BFA in animation and graduated from SCAD.I agree with most of the points DamonandSky has pointed out but I will go a little further into explaining some ways to improve this.
First the environment is impressive and does give a feeling of a huge environment, but what it lacks is texture and proper backgrounds to break up the simple grey. Adding a little color is good to but another good idea is to use lights and sound in the open areas. I get that it is big but I don't know what it is. For example the Dead Space games if you mute the sound or close your eyes you can still get a feeling for the environment.
Second your character is well.......eh. I like the idea of the visor and its very Space Odyssey tech but it is too limiting to see and feels boring. Also I recommend looking up modeling tutorials because your characters hips are too square and don't have the proper spacing and vertexes. And a huge thing is his running is too uniform and too quick to stop. Nobody, even in Sci-Fi can run like that, unless they are a robot which he/she doesn't show the characteristics of. Also when animating put the feeling of the character in the run if he/she needs to get there with a sense of urgency show them running maybe tripping once or twice, and when they get to the elevator make sure they do the skip stop and not just stop abruptly. Also the way the gun is held, it is impossible to run hold a gun like that, too heavy.
Third the fadeouts should only be used in the case of an environment change. To many breaks up the story and the scene.
This that bad honestly I think you should take the advice given and go back and improve what you have. Great job fellow animator this is a "work in progress" and I can't wait to see more.
i like and i give the guy props but honestly i don't get it all that i get is a man running through a big atmosphere look around and thats it if someone gets the point of this good for them but like i said i liked it.
No affence but the story line sucks. But the graphics are awsome but why is he/she there? and whos the other guy?
I can tell a lot of work went into the modelling of the sets, characters, etc and I get what you were going for, but I have to be blunt about this - this was really boring.
While I can appreciate the enormity of the design, the fact that we watch one lone soldier running and running and standing and running and standing and typing and looking around makes for one really boring film. For starters, everything is desaturated and flat, boring grey. I understand you're establishing the setting as a big expansive factory/mega structure... but even then, there's no variety, just massive grey blocks that fit together. The music is slow and repetitive and the animation is floaty, weightless and also repetitive. It's a recipe of repetition and it gets boring really quickly.
I know I sound really harsh when I say all this, but I'm saying it to help you realise what's wrong with the short. I admire the effort you went to make this, it's clear this would have taken a long time, but if your intent was to show "a mysterious character explores the dark depths of a giant abandoned facility" - then it really didn't read. I honestly read this as a soldier going to work. At no point was he exploring, searching, pausing, looking around - he was simply running in a perfectly straight line like he knew where he was going. He had no intent, he felt like he was on rails.
For me, what this film really needs to help boost it in the right direction is establishment. Where are we, how big is the facility, who is the character, how did he get there, why is he there. These questions NEED to be answered well and truly at the beginning in order to help the film's pace, otherwise it becomes something entirely different, and we lose interest quickly.
Thanks for posting this. Regardless of what people say, you should be extremely proud at the amount of work that went into it, and eager to dive back in and make it even better.
Good luck with the next phase man!
Cam