special effects and bouncing balls galore

Here's a little something I'm currently working on for college:

http://www.truploader.com/view/514567

Let me know what you think!

The assignment is called "Conditional Design".
This means you have to create something based on a set of rules you think of before you start working.

My rules:

- After laying still for 1 second, a ball spews a beam of matter up until the ceiling, which affects the bouncing balls, which are in the air at that moment.
- Every second, another balls is added.
- Balls have different materials.
- Gravity affects the balls differently.

I've been adding to the animation today, here's what I got:

http://www.truploader.com/view/889886

Guys, I'd really like some feedback on this thing!

the only thing i can discern is that the beam lazor thing wasn't on par in detail in comparison to the rest of the effects which makes it seems off
other than that its a neat concept

in what way did the beam look off compared to the others?

That beam looked fine to me, mayne! Also, smexy bubble. It moves as if it has conviction and it wants to go somewhere, specifically, forward and against gravity.

...elements...Fire 'splosion. Good schitt. Water splash. Lacking schitt. Water is Dat fucking Element. It's like the girl that needs hella attention if you want to maintain its smexiness. Planning/storyboarding water animation is not a bad idea. ...after all, water is constantly moving and rippling and schitt; we need to plan out every kinetic reaction that is has in each of its splashes. It's not something that I'd animate while mental freestyling. We, when immersed in our individual framecraft, often don't stretch our minds over the broader picture. Water needs that awareness of the bigger picture. It's Dat fucking Element.

...about the balls, you said that gravity affects each one of them differently, but I'm still sensing the unnatural kinetics in the bouncing, specifically the two issues of:
-bouncing higher than it should as if more force was applied
-rolling to a stop too abruptly.
Suggestion: Try a more slow motion approach and exaggerate the motion arcs while still keeping them natural, the exaggeration being a way to pay closer attention to them.

The last ball that fell out into the water, for example, should have gone much farther. Even if gravity dragged it down hard, the horizontal velocity does not decrease ('cept for the miniscule air resistance). Your arc of its fall looks like the latter half was beaten into compression with a hammer. The arc is asymmetrical.

...Pre-mapping and preparation sounds like a deadly weapon to have when fighting these kindsa animations.

^
Psuda now has its own fucking lingo.

The effects are very good. They look much more impressive and educational than the actual balls' bouncing. Always remember that horizontal momentum is conserved.

I got fire-advice: Try letting it all linger a little longer. Towards the base of the flame, try making the fire spread out horizontally more and have it linger much longer, so that's the last bit fo flame to disappear. This might not sound like the best idea, but just fucking do it before you complain.

The blue liquid really is very impressive, it's obviously the best part.

You're a madman to have the balls stop moving before engaging their effects. Have one of them burst while still moving, and have its effect carry along its old path.

Don't listen to Hitoro. FX are meant to be made strait-ahead. He's just jealous, and trying to steer you wrong.

Damn, I was found out. >.>

Creativename, I agree with the fact that effects should be animated straight ahead.
by keyingthem, it is very likely that the movement gets very ugly, while it should be organic, the movement will become very static and unappealing to watch.

I'll definitely try your idea about the fire, it seems to make a lot of sense to make it linger and push out from the bottom, although it should be more upwards and less sideways.
I'm digging the idea of making balls show their effects in mid-air, it'll make this anim look more alive.

The rules I set up were only to please my teacher here at animation college.
He was pleased with the results `i showed him, so that means that I can now just freely continue the anim in any way I feel is fun and will benefit my growth as an animator.

I don't have to abide by my own rules anymore, so bring on the ideas!

Also about the movement of that ball you guys mentioned:

Some balls actually lose their forward momentum. ( balloons, anyone? )
Try hitting a balloon full force, it'll show you how drastically it loses forward momentum and, depending on what type of gas is inside of it, will start to float up or down.
This however, is no excuse to the lacking movement in that ball.
I actually noticed the movement was wrong right after I animated it, but didn't have time to correct it.
I'll work on that when I have some more time left, right now I have a lip sync to work on.

Tom wrote:

Creativename, I agree with the fact that effects should be animated straight ahead.
by keyingthem, it is very likely that the movement gets very ugly, while it should be organic, the movement will become very static and unappealing to watch.

I meant doing a mini-storyboard or somethin', not keying them. Just planning what it'll look like before hand to avoid cutting corners as far as kinetics go.

yeah but I already have pretty much everything planned out once I start animating a new ball/ effect. it's just in my head, lol.