Body Mechanics
A basic course of Body Mechanics
Movement is life! In this course trainees practice walk, running and jumping cycles of bipeds performing “Basketball” exercise. Special attention is paid to working with the character's body, analyzing the motion, physiology and anatomy of a person. No facial animation or lipsync here.
Demoreel
At the end of each course, the school supervisors review all the final work of the students. The best pieces are included in the annual demo reel of the course.
What you'll learn in the course
Learn the basic principles of animation.
The reference is the roadmap of the shot. Focus on making a great reference.
Design and construction of strong poses.
Key features of the body mechanics of the main movements.
The structure of the human body and why it is important to know.
“Violators of boundaries” or how to work with exaggeration.
Learn how to start with a spline instead of step blocking.
Study overlap as an important part of the movement.
Learn what music and animation have in common.
Learn how to make a demo reel employers will love.
Do polishing and get to the highest level of quality animation.
The supervisor goes through all the final shots. They highlight students’ strengths, comment on the parts that might need improvement and give advice on how to move on.
How is the course going?
At the online webinar, the teacher goes through the theoretical part, shows what the students will later repeat as part of their home assignment, and answers any possible questions.
The student watches the recording of the lesson and does his/her assignment.
The supervisor checks the assignment, analyzes mistakes, and gives ideas for improvement.
Who is this course for?
The course is designed for beginner animators who have skills in working with timing, spacing, overlaps, and building static poses.
Upon completion of the course you will learn:
- How to understand the fundamental difference between the basic movements;
- How to create beautiful poses;
- How to build an interesting rhythm;
- How to animate according to the principle of spline blocking.
Particular attention is paid to the details and polishing of the shot.
What will you learn?
Walking, running, and jumping are basic and common elements in the work of an animator. Furthermore these elements of movement are what employers are looking at in a demo reel. In the course, you will go through all the stages of working on a shot: from taking a reference to polishing.
After this course, you can consolidate and deepen your knowledge in the course of Advanced Body Mechanics or take a course of Game Animation.
In the course, we work in Autodesk Maya (the main technical tool for professionals in animation, film, and game studios). However the focus of the course is the principles of animation - the right way of approaching animation in a shot and specific skills for creating the movement of objects. Having that knowledge, you can easily make your animation using any other software.
Please note that OCA School does not provide Autodesk Maya!
Course Supervisor
Ivan used to be an artist at Soyuzmultfilm, has worked on Christopher Robin (Framestore studio), Jingliks season 1, and directed the animation "220 volts of love" (NTV television company). Now Ivan is an animation supervisor at Bazelevs film studio and a teacher.
OCA is Ivan's original project. The school was created with the aim to give students a solid understanding of animation and to consolidate the acquired skills in a real production. Course students have a unique opportunity to participate in the production of the show My Babushka smokes a pipe.
Studying in OCA school, you gain the most valuable experience from working industry professionals benefitting from smaller groups.
Feedback from our graduates
I started my career as an animator with this school and I never regretted it! I came to the course Maya Beginner and already finished the Body Mechanics. The group always has a pleasant atmosphere, appropriate humor, teachers know their job. Accessible lectures, clearly defined goals. In case of problems, I wrote to support. They respond immediately, enter the situation and find a solution. I will continue my studies in this school. I recommend it.
I completed the course completely, it was informative and exciting, at the beginning I even thought that this craft is not for me, but now I have become more confident in my abilities and I will definitely continue my studies at this school.
Our students work in
Certificate
In 2022 the school started issuing certificates of successful course completion. The certificate is received by those students who have completed their shots and received an “Excellent” mark from the supervisor. You can check the authenticity of the document on the Alumni page.
Enrol on the course now
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Pay for the full 3-month course and get 10% off!
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