Leap of Faith, Bunny Jump, and Head Turn are three animation studies created to explore 3D character animation and camera animation through different types of movement, performance, and staging. Across these exercises, my goal was to better understand how body mechanics, facial expression, timing, and camera language can work together to create more dynamic and believable character-driven shots.

​

In Leap of Faith, I downloaded a character model and its materials from online sources, then placed the character into a matching cyberpunk-style environment. The animation was inspired by the kind of dramatic rooftop-leap shots often seen in films featuring characters such as Spider-Man or Batman. To make the shot feel more cinematic and theatrical, I designed the camera to continuously follow the character’s movement through space, while also incorporating rotational motion to enhance the sense of height, momentum, and drama.

​

In Bunny Jump, I shifted toward a more fundamental character animation exercise focused on a basic jump action. The character and concept were inspired by Officer Judy Hopps from Zootopia. I built a simple scenario in which she is standing in the middle of a road when a wheel suddenly rolls quickly toward her. She reacts with surprise, then times her movement and jumps to avoid the obstacle. Compared with Leap of Faith, this exercise was less focused on camera movement and more focused on the character’s jump itself—particularly the posing, timing, and clarity of action.

​

In Head Turn, I approached the animation more like a moment from a Tom and Jerry-style scene. The main character, Jerry, initially faces the camera, then suddenly looks toward the upper left of the screen with a startled expression, as if something off-screen—most likely involving Tom—has surprised him. The main purpose of this exercise was to practice facial animation and body performance, using carefully designed keyframes to make the character’s expression and motion feel lively, expressive, and full of personality.