Advanced Animation - Final Project: Action Animation
25/06/2025 - 27/07/2025 / Week 10 - Week 14
Wang Yifan / 0368363
Advanced Animation / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media /
Taylors University
Final Project: Action Animation
In the final project, we are required to animate a 5 to 10 second physical action sequences. We have to choose an action sequence that involves physical movement, such as a fight, chase, or sports-related activity.
First, we need to find a video reference for that action. Then, create a storyboard that visualises the key moments, actions and emotion of the scene. In the storyboard, we have to incorporate variety of camera shots, angles and visual continuity to enhance the visual storytelling. From our observation, we should animate a BLOCKING pass animation (Progression 1) by keying the extremes and breakdowns with “Constant key” interpolation. From the progression 1, convert all the “Constant key” into “Bezier” or “Spline” interpolation as we call it as “Splining” for POLISHING pass (Progression 2). We have to fix the timing and polish the animation curve using a graph editor. Then, add the flexibility to that action to make it more believable. Based on the staging camera, light and render the animation into an image sequence as Final Animation.
Reference & Inspiration
For this project, I referenced a sword attack animation that shows clear body mechanics and strong anticipation. The movement is fast but still readable, which helped me understand timing and weight shift in action scenes.
What inspired me the most was how the character uses the whole body to create power and flow. I tried to bring that energy into my own animation. The exaggeration in key poses also gave me ideas on how to make the action feel more impactful.
Key Poses Planning
To plan the animation, I selected 9 main key poses from the reference video. These include the starting guard stance, a strong power draw, and dynamic actions like aerial slash and spin blade. I also added poses for transitions such as landing recovery, slide sweep, and ending with a retreat turn back to guard. These poses helped me understand the flow and rhythm of the action, making sure the movement feels natural and readable
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| Screenshots of key poses |
The storyboard helped me visualize the rhythm and emotional beats of the animation—from tension and power to recovery and readiness. It also gave me a better idea of how to stage the camera and make the motion feel continuous and intense.
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| Storyboard 1 |
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| Storyboard 2 |
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| Storyboard 3 |
Animation process
Blocking stage
At this stage, I used the "Constant Key" interpolation method to set the key action poses of the character. This process helped me confirm whether the overall rhythm and action structure were smooth.
I referred to the swordplay tutorial video, extracted the key poses, and then applied them to the Snow character to build a complete Blocking draft.
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| blocking keyframe |
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| Left and right hand keyframes |
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| Waist and chest keyframes |
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| Head and torso keyframes |
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| Camera motion keyframes |
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| Facial expression adjustment |
Using the Graph Editor allowed me to adjust each control’s motion curves across the X, Y, and Z axes for both location and rotation. I focused on fine-tuning the timing, spacing, and easing of the action to create a believable sense of weight, momentum, and anticipation.
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| left foot position |
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| Left foot spin |
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| Right foot position |
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| Right foot spin |
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| hip rotation curve |
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| chest rotation curve |
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| Overall waist movement changes |
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| Head control rotation |
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| Torso Dynamic Control |
Fill Light – Placed on the opposite side to soften shadows on the back and arms.
Rim Light – Placed behind the character to create separation from the background and accentuate the silhouette during the spin.
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| Lighting myopia layout |
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| Lighting top view layout |
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| Depth of Field |
For the background, I used a minimalist concrete interior scene with strong lighting and shadows. The slanted windows and sharp architecture helped create a tense, cinematic mood.
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Scene Environment |
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| Fire Sword Effect |
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| all keyframes |
Final Physical Action Sequence Animation
Feedback
The sword glows nicely and suggested I try using warmer colors like red or orange to enhance the mood. The idea is to create a stronger, more dramatic mood, especially with the blade.
REFLECTION
This project was one of the most technical and rewarding tasks I’ve worked on. It was my first time animating a full-body physical action using Blender, starting from blocking to final output. I chose a sword-slash motion inspired by real martial arts references and focused on capturing the timing, weight shift, and energy behind each pose. I also experimented with camera movement, facial expression, and lighting to enhance the dramatic impact. It was both challenging and fulfilling to bring everything together into a short but powerful sequence.
Observations
Throughout the process, I realized how important pose clarity and curve polishing are in physical animation. At first, the blocking looked stiff, but after adjusting the keyframes, easing curves, and overlapping motion, everything became more fluid. I also noticed how slight adjustments in rotation curves—especially in the chest, hips, and feet—could change the whole rhythm and balance of the movement. Camera angles and lighting also played a big role in selling the weight and emotion of the strike.
Findings
I learned that physical animation is not just about movement, but about storytelling through timing and motion arcs. Each keyframe should have purpose and flow. Using the Graph Editor gave me much more control over the rhythm, and depth of field helped focus viewer attention on the character. I also found that referencing real-world footage gave my animation more believability. In the end, feedback from my lecturer helped me realize how lighting and color tone can further enhance the mood. I feel more confident now in planning and executing complex action animation in Blender.
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