View source for BlizzCon 2011 Panel: Making of the "Black Soulstone" Cinematic

==Animation==

Blizzard has the best animators in the world. They have these awesome rigs that the production tech made. But they've got to make Azmodan move believably. They look to nature to see how something moves. But Azmodan is an abomination; nothing in nature like him. So they pull from the best things they could. 

Video of a crab walking, for the lower legs. For the upper body they used sumo wrestler. He's like a sumo crab-man. 

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Video side by side of a human crawling around, rising up from hands and knees, to the standing. Make Azmodan movement labored, since he's so huge and heavy.  They use the real person reference, even though he's slender.

[[File:Cinematic-panel-57-squatting.jpg|center|thumb|400px|Azmodan animation study.]]

The point of reference isn't to copy. It's inspiration that you should make something new from. Add in your own ideas to the video. Process it in the making of, and create something new that's never been seen before.

Video of Azmodan talking, with his bullfrog cheeks bulging out. And his weird double tongue flickering. First in a rough model, next in the final compared.

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He has no lips. How does he speak without lips? They had to put something creative in to make a convincing voice. So they used the teeth and cheek movements to match the "lip" synch. It's unsettling when he talks and moves his weird mouth. Uneasy feel to it. 


Video of the animation and walking of Azmodan's Army. Just countless numbers of chaotic, marching demons. A primordial mass that's coming out of the mountain. Demons walk very differently; some straight upright bipedal, others hunching more, dragging weapons, etc.  They have some higher definition ones, "hero animations" near the camera.

[[File:Cinematic-panel-60-walking.jpg|center|thumb|400px|Walking demons.]]

Hi-def showing a winged demon walking with two legs and the long wings with claws on the tips.

[[File:Cinematic-panel-61-winged-walking.jpg|center|thumb|400px|Winged demon walking.]]