Here is a test of the wave system I’ve devised for long shots of the tug Ready upon the sea. The waves are cylinders plastered with spiral ridges. When rotated frame by frame the structures take on a screwy wave-like motion, abstracting yet still describing “the motion of the ocean.” The following animated gif loop is a test without lighting or final paint. The ship also needs its second boom attached so it can lift the bathysphere into the briny sea.
This mysterious clip “activates” forthcoming animated sequences. “… And there was darkness on the face of the deep.”
The former H.M.S. Ready was the vessel used as a platform for the bathysphere descents. Due to the tug’s retrofitting for the bathysphere, another ship, Beebe’s faithful Gladisfen, was called in for towing duty. For the sake of time, yet woe to historical accuracy, I’m eliminating the Gladisfen from the scene and letting the Ready propel itself into action.
This model is actually a bas-relief sculpture. The ship is flat on the back making it ideal for animating the contour diving scene on a layered animation table.
