Norma Chrysiliou

Being able to bring inanimate characters and objects to life is what made me fall in love with both Animation and Rigging. The technical side of Rigging is challenging, intriguing, and includes a lot of problem-solving, while Animation gives you means through which you can act, portray emotions, and tell a story. 
In my work, I tried to apply my knowledge of the 12 principles of animation, such as squash and stretch, and anticipation, as well as the mechanics of the human body, the forces which act upon it, and the psychology of facial expressions. 
Through intensive research, trial and error, and a lot of help from my tutors, I learned how to use a range of tools that Maya provides in order to be able to build better and more reliable rigs. These include, but are not limited to, Curves, IK handles, Ribbons, Nodes, Attributes, Deformers, and Blendshapes. I also understood the importance of researching and learning anatomy whether that's for a humanoid character or any other type of creature. 
Lastly, over the past year and a half, I had the opportunity to work with an exceptional team on the short film "Knitman", where I was responsible for rigging some of the characters and props, animating, and rendering. This experience allowed me to not only improve my technical skills, but to also work on team building and communication, organization, and responsibility.