Motion study of traditional martial arts as visual inspirations for character design style

Abstract

Watching action flicks, which feature some martial art fight between characters, can be very entertaining. The martial art fight and movement is usually the primary appeal and selling point. In the animation media such as movies or games, the animator does not necessarily have to be a practitioner of any martial art system but the animator will certainly going to need materials to study as references. This study aims to create alternative styles and poses of character design inspired by traditional martial art styles that often appear in various pictures, comics, and movies. Other goals are also to provide the animators a comprehensive and easy to use reference, for an easier and more effective level of animation production. Method of research is through the stages of observation and demonstration of the movements in the form of digitized data captured from a practitioner of traditional martial art movements, dissecting every meaning, purposes, and philosophy behind movements of the martial arts style. Finding and understanding the core concept of martial art body mechanic and philosophy behind its movements is crucial before turning it into re-illustration art of design. The result is a distinctive visual style and motion with unique traditional martial art poses. This method is expected to be a guide that makes animator has better understanding in the traditional martial art unique and distinctive body mechanic poses.