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Basilisk

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BASILISK by Ami Thompson (© 2013 Ami Thompson) goes to the outer edges of what is ‘believable’ since its characters and locations are both fantastic. She has made a film that could only be created in animation. Ami said of this film:

“My (main) character is referenced from the reptile called the Basilisk lizard. I searched for the clip of how the Basilisk lizard runs on water and after understanding the behavior, I wanted my character to have the same feeling to the lizard. Since the character is focused on action, I found it very helpful reading Animated Performance about the follow through, arc, silhouette and timing in order to apply stronger performance in the animation.

I designed the character "The Chaser" by combining the reference of Mudskipper, Ambystoma Mexicanum and Papilio Caterpillar together to create a bizarre creature. After I read Nancy's book, I realized the most important thing in animation and character design is to make the character "believable". So I studied the references of creatures and did a lot of sketches of their muzzles, body anatomy and did the rough animations of each creature’s movements.

What I have learned from Animated Performance is to have a clear statement for the design, character animation and setting. As an animator, I wanted to make every frame as appealing as possible, but it takes time and sometimes I over-think it. The book has the exercises to keep my idea simple for my film. Nancy's book is very specific and the book answers all of my questions. This book guided me throughout the whole process for my thesis film at the Sheridan College Bachelor of Animation Program.” (interview, March 2015)

CHAPTERS FOUR AND FIVE describe how animal characters and fantastic creatures composed of different beings can be developed in animation.