Final Product Evaluation

As a final entry to this blog, I will evaluate the finished animation and reflect on the module in general.

Scene 1 - Laser
This first scene looks good, particularly the animated laser and character equipped with a biped system. The sound effect accompanying the laser is also effective along with the particle system making the smoke.
TV screens can be seen right at the start of the clip playing the 007 intro from the films. Due to the camera angles, the TVs can't be seen very much. I would either move the objects or aim the camera towards them a little more. If I had more time, I would have also added a bit more detail to the characters in the observation room.


Scene 2 - Title and Glass
The gun animation and accompanying sound effects are good, as is the soundtrack increasing in volume as the word 'Goldfinger' appears. The daylight system required for the ocean made the text, gun and character bluer than I would have liked, but looks alright. There is a nice effect on the glass shatter, but more segments would be better. I was purposely going for the effect of a bullet being shot and the glass shattering in slow motion, but it is too easily mistaken for incorrect animation.


Scene 3 - Ocean
The daylight system makes the light reflect off the water surface very well and the motion blur is good on the bullet. The boat floating in the middle was a bit out of place, but I wanted to add some character to an otherwise straightforward scene.


Scene 4 - Coastline
The angle of the camera which reveals the mountains is effective, yet necessary. If the camera was above the ocean and facing the mountains, the point where the two objects meet is very obvious. This scene has pleasing aesthetics, but little happens in it to comment on.


Scene 5 - Car
The mountains and modelling of the car are the main focus of this scene. The animation of car could be improved by adding more points in the path constraint, making the movement smoother. Another way would be by using Reactor's toy car system. I tried with it, but couldn't get it to work well enough to include it in the final piece. Perhaps more motion blur could have been added to the bullet as it passes the camera.


Scene 6 - Car Corner
The superspray particle system worked OK for the car skidding around the corner, but could be better. The system could be improved by adjusting the parameters so the snow falls more naturally and looks less clumped.


Scene 7 - Final Credits
This scene works well and think it is a more creative way of showing the text. Using the car to reveal the Photoshopped image worked well and using reactor to drop the gun and bullets was a nice touch.
What I like least about this scene is the way one of the dropped bullets comes to rest right over the word 'Sean'. This wouldn't be acceptable for a commercial trailer as it blocks key information. This would be fixed by increasing the length of time reactor animates for before clicking 'create animation' on the toolbar. The short length of the reactor animation also made the bullets stop rolling too abruptly.

Overall I have enjoyed this module and I think I have produced a satisfactory animation that I am pleased with. I have definitely worked my way up a steep learning curve, but feel on top of it and ready to continue learning. Hopefully the work produced and experience gained through the module can help in future modules and career pursuits.