Ani 115

January 24

You must have the ability to sell your work. No one else will.

Look for a voice rather than look for a job role. Finding a voice will help you adapt to industry changes.

Student must have trouble with texture of timing and their timing is also too fast.

There is also the problem of inauthenticity/cliches. Students usually use symbolic gestures.

Observe people.

Even if the execution/animation of it isn't authentic, in observing, students will have built a visual library.

Having a large library allows recall of more things.

If you get the details right, people will believe the concepts. Basically, do research.

Films are where the best talent goes.

Have:

• Gesture
• Volume
• Timing
• Motion/Arc
• Emotion

January 29

Waiting Critique:

• Story
• Props should help clarify things.
• Think of an ending.
• Background should add to story.
• It's difficult to stage from the back view.
• Find the best angle or set-up. Easier to find it with someone else doing the reference so that the artist may direct.
• If the audience is arguing over what is happening, they have authority. The artist should not relinquish that. The audience should not have to wonder what the story is.
• Worry about story first and then the animation. The class can help with animation. Story is more of a student's choice.
• Show it to other people.
• Entertainment
• The animation should be more interesting than its reference.
• Don't choose the easiest thing to animate. Choose the most interesting.
• References
• Have many. Compositions. Observation notes. Sketches.
• Have good presentation of reference. Don't post them upside down and such. Clean up.
• Character
• Need to show thinking. Use eyes for this.
• Additional characters must be animated well or they become a distraction.
• Either the eyes/body convey emotions. Bunny/Courtney disagreement.
• Character at airport taking a luggage. It was unclear that the bag belonged to her. Show clear relationship between a character and their object.
• If an inanimate object can move on its own, they should have full range of human capabilities. Sweating. Lying down. Running.
• Who is this character? What are they waiting for? What is the ending?
• Don't glue feet to the ground.
• To have the audience care about a character, have them do something nice.
• Cube heads allows for too much error.
• Misc
• Have a long shot if needed.
• Watch for text kerning. 2 cups of jello in between each letter.
• Treat as a job interview.
• Don't show a clock to represent time. Cliche.
• There is a difference between reacting to a story that moves the audience by having us care about the character and a story that m
• Perspective
• Put thought into the title.
• Have reaction shot be proportionate to the action.
• Cycles should not be obviously so.
• Remember volume, gesture, simplicity.

January 31

Growing

• Stand on the shoulders of those before you.

Time management

• Utilize time outside of class to gather feedback on artwork.

Analyzing

• Do not be in awe of work. This diminishes the critical eye. 
• Analyze how a show is composed, the story, how it is told, and the order it is in.
• Watch other's artwork with respect. It is rude and unprofessional to laugh at others' creations.

Story

• Show history in characters' relationships.
• Acting is usually very subtle.
• Never let the audience go. Make them believe they are on their own.
• Don't have distractions.

Editing

• Though we cannot cut out raw footage as commercials can, we can do extra thumbnails to ensure that we have only the necessary scenes.

Character

• Straightened tie shows character.
• How are you going to establish a character in their action?
• Learn how to separate the gag from a character. For the internet speed miniature pony commercial  there is only entertainment due to juxtaposition and comparisons to reference but there was more pity for the ponies.
• Who is this person before what they were doing.
• Follow cliches for truth but build upon it for depth.
• The audience roots for the underdog. Because that could be us.
• In advanced shots, show where the character is going and what happens if they fail or their obstacles.
• Have traits we can identify with. Spidey instead of Superman.
• Solid shapes are easier to animate than flat.
• Are they courteous? Do they push in crowds? Do they gloat? Do they talk to their horse or do they do what's best? Clydesdale.
• Tyler Crotty
• Having a mother embrace a dad shows their family isn't broken.
• Mom looks at dad and dad looks at mom but they don't do it at the same time. This way we get to see both of their thinking.

February 5

Reference

• Recalling things from memory, proportion is the first thing to go.
• You are only as good as your reference.
• Take multiple shots of reference and compile them.
• Norman Rockwell would use string to make clothes stretch.

Story

• Norman Rockwell. 1 frame tells the entire story.
• Set up the background.
• Have a nice payoff. Exaggerate.
• Don't make it too complicated.

Authenticity

• Have dirt. Have weathering. It's more believable.

Composition

• Upshot is a threat.
• Don't do first person. It's confusing.
• Don't change camera angle unless you have to.

Don't

• Have phone.
• Have clock to show time.
• Have signs to explain things. Maybe it's international.

Design

• Characters to have come from the same world.

Presentation

• Have a nice title screen. Shows care. Like at book lettering.

Character

• Have different emotions. Even if it's not cycling, having the same emotion will seem like it's cycling. The same goes for even movements.

Watch As the Rain was Falling