The basics of animation, we have that. An intermediate 3D version of the animation process, we watch that. An in-depth look into the animation process for Naruto the Movie: Ninja Clash in the Land of Snow, we love that. Below, we show three ways to describe the animation process for anyone willing to pay attention!
Basic –
Intermediate –
Advanced –
Mahnaz Soleymannejad is an Iranian illustrator who worked on the Parvaneh animation piece. Full of colorful splendor, her blog reflects the personality she intergrated into her backgrounds and color keys for the animation!
Here is the teaser. Be sure to check out more of her work below the video.
PARVANEH from azarangstudio on Vimeo.
http://www.mahnazsoleymani.blogspot.com/
Eric Goldberg has some electrifying words of truth for all contemporary animators. Simply put, animation is missing expressive posing. But don’t fret! Following the poison of his truth comes the antidote of legendary tips.
The usual process is: Idea, shooting reference, blocking, splining, and polish.
Goldberg’s process is : Idea, pre-timing, reference (maybe), etc.
Most contemporary animators create their timing throughout the blocking and splining stages. DON’T DO THIS PEOPLE.
Instead, predict the time it’ll take to perform each step of your animation while it’s still an idea (pre-timing).
Don’t destroy your expressive poses by animating one limb at a time.
Glen Keane, Paul Wells, Joanna Quinn, Allison Abbate and Jordi Bares explain what drew them to Animation, as well as what keeps them there. Glen and Joanna also reveal why sketching is basically the life blood of great animation. The secret to Disney animation as well as Glen’s best reasons for sketching are found below:
This idea of animating with sincerity is believing in the character you animate. Literally believing them.
Observation (sketching) becomes the well spring of [your] ideas. They become the measure of truth in your drawings.
– Glen Keane
Here, Paul Wells explains that while today’s films use old gags and classic (innocent) designs, they also combine those elements with the darker truths of life that most people today tend to focus on. This creative collaboration now bridges the gap of entertainment between both old and new generations in the context of film making.
We live in, of course, what some call the post modern world. The impact of films like Shrek have been very powerful in that sense. The gags are knowing, everybody’s going to be self aware about these things. We have to know where everybody stands about their own ironies, about their own position in the world. In a certain sense, this mitigates a little bit against the same design strategies, and the same kind of looks of princesses. In the sense that it at least offers us the idea that there’s a “knowingness” in this. Yes the world is a cynical place, but it’s all playful isn’t it?
– Paul Wells (paraphrased)
Follow the link, watch the video, and like this post!
Tadeo Zavaleta de la Barra is a Peruvian fine artist who specializes in surrealism, figure painting, and mixed media masterpieces. This snippet from his bio is the best explanation as to why Zavaleta should be observed:
“His paintings are a window to an intelligent and creative mind; his strokes are the voice of a true artist. His art transcends hyper-realism exposing the observer to a surreal and delightful experience.”
View more of his paintings here: https://artavita.com/portfolios/5471
Here is a video about Tadeo Zavaleta de la Barra: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XyjgQweawsI
Walter Mazoyer is french. His passion style is Anime. If you don’t believe me, then watch this incredible rough pencil test of a super-powered heroine battling a giant shapeshifter.
Now follow this link to see the pencil test in final color, along with the rest of his reel: https://vimeo.com/86521245
I’ve discovered only 2 of these fantastic lectures online, so as long as they exist I will keep them on Regurge for all to see!
Lecture 1 has incredible tips Richard Williams learned while watching Ken Harris, Art Babbitt, and Milt Kahl; the originators of many techniques all animators strive to accomplish everyday.
Lecture 2 covers the elements of timing and spacing in animation. This one does come off as rudimentary, but you will obtain profound knowledge by watching how he teaches it; what he skims over and what he highlights.
John Truby breaks down elements found in the most successful film concepts we know of today. He could be talking about Christopher Nolan’s Cobb character from “Inception”, or Bob Parr from Brad Bird’s “The Incredibles”. Hopefully, my animators out there will understand that the most successful animations (whether features, short films, or 11 second club entries) are the ones who present characters that live outside of the screen time we give them. Once we have that, we can move on to making sure they’re characters that actually entertain other people.
Important tip to note: Allowing the plot to come from the character means giving the story writing to your character, while you just try to copy everything he describes. Don’t force the character into a pre-planned scenario; They’ll never really come alive.
Have you ever given a critique on your friend’s animation and wondered why your excellent suggestions weren’t applied? Maybe you were saying the right things, but at the wrong time. Often times, the following phrase has rung true whenever my peers (including myself) were found on the chopping block:
The closer you get to being finished, the less critiques you want to hear from other people
So you can wish your friend chose your “Zombie Apocalypse alternate ending” idea, but the probability of them going back to 1st keys for your concept may be a bit too much to hope for. As a result, I’ve assembled the Animation Critiquing Poster for anyone to download, apply, or re-use.
Usually, the best way to help your peers is to:
1) Assess what stage they are in
2) Apply critiques that will help them finish the project, without slowing them down
If it’s not good, oh well! It’s better that they finish, so they can move on to another project and make that one into greatness.
I was ecstatic when I finally located the video that revealed the software used to create Beast Wars in 1996. SoftImage was the weapon of choice for Mainframe Entertainment (now called Rainmaker Entertainment), who previously created the hit show ReBoot. I also discovered that this was a pivotal moment in history for the 3D software. Us animators should know the history of our craft, so here are a few notes about SoftImage in ’96:
1)Inverse kinematics(IK) was introduced
2)Raytracing was introduced
3)Preferred software for companies such as Digital Domain, ILM, Blue Sky Studios, BUF, and R/GA
4)Used to create Dragonheart, The Mask, Twister, ReBoot, Beast Wars, Jurassic Park , Mortal Kombat the movie, and Tekken the game
The first video is Beast Wars – behind the scenes, and the second one is Softimage’s 1996 promotional reel:
REGURGE 