Collaborative project initiated and created by Jeremy Shuback:
Forgotten Beasts of the Medieval Ages
The goal for this project was to create a looping animation of an illuminated manuscript basilisk that would be used in a collaborative project focusing on medieval bestiaries. Each animator was responsible for the animation of a specific historical image and was given full creative freedom.
The concept for this project was inspired by the design of the primary source materials that were used in construction. The main image of the basilisk came from the illuminated manuscript catalogued as Royal 12 C XIX. Using the portrait of the basilisk as the key image, I wanted to create an animated scene that would dramatize the seconds leading up to the final static image.
"The basilisk...[a]ll flee from it, for it can kill a man with is smell or even by merely looking at him."
-Isidore of Seville
After researching the written history of the basilisk throughout the 7th to the 13th centuries, I decided to focus on a narrative scene that explained the relationship between the basilisk, weasel, and human from the hero image.
All of the design assets for this project were digitally separated from various illustrations from the Royal 12 C XIX illuminated manuscript. They were then combined together to create a 3D cut paper diorama through which the three characters move.
The primary animation for this piece was the character animation of the basilisk, weasel, and human. This required learning to digitally reconstruct these characters in order to build jointed and puppet tooled rigs from 13th century artwork.
This project gave me to the opportunity to learn to build my own IK rigs, as well as to gain experience animating walk cycles and dramatic performances using these rigs.
"Universal rules are for lackeys, context is for kings."
