when you point out details in your own animation shot, loved all of them! wow, I would expect such talents taking your workshop! great. Imagine JD doing collaboration with all the other great animators and create a video or UA-cam short series :D After almost 9 years I can say that I totally agree with you. Thanks for sharing JD!
I think it would be better for starting animators to have smaller goals. More realistic. If someone has your example as a goal then it would be extremely difficult to achieve it and most likely will fail and get disappointed. The one you gave a "B" is perfect for a starting animator. It's got imagination, some nice arcs and squash/stretch.
3Dcowboy Absolutely! That’s why I say that your main objective needs to be rock solid. Focus on getting the main objective done and don’t carried away. In terms of things being “realistic”, that’s another topic I’m going to talk about. But in short: too many students take on shots that are too long (he’ll, I’m guilty of that too). That’s more unrealistic to me. Stick to 3-5 seconds. That way you can go through the whole process including polish and explore ideas that can challenge you. That being said, the “B” example should always be your goal. But you can still think about “A” elements that you could implement in the future. Thanks for the comment! I appreciate different point of views!
I didn't expect that out of the A :o, but I think it's a inspiring and accurate mindset to have if you really want to make a career out of this. It's interesting to see how different teachers approach assignments, since I've had some that would discourage you from attempting anything above a C (as some have mentioned with the intention of making sure students capture the basics), but I've also had others that let us go nuts with assignments and it almost turned into a friendly competition between classmates of who could approach the assignment in the most creative way.
Carlos Mejia Yeah it’s a balance. It’s also up to the teacher to see who might be overwhelmed with it. I want to encourage it but also look that the basics are there first.
I think this video makes a strong point. Going above and beyond is something I need to learn both in my professional animation and my personal work, and your channel is currently serving as a great inspiration to that. That being said, back in uni the examples you give as being A and B grades, while fantastic animation, would actually result in an F. One thing students need to learn early on is to follow a brief. While there are some places where you can have creative freedom depending on where you are in the chain, for the most part - at least in a professional setting - we don't get to pick what the client wants, and you have to complete the brief no matter how great your ideas are. When I was going through school they tried to teach professionalism alongside skillsets, something I'm grateful for, and something that has worked as an advantage being in the industry. But, like you say, going for average makes average shots, and being able to complete a brief, I'd say my work is average for it. Long story short, there are arguments for and against doing this, and it's nice to see this perspective.
Tessa el Miligi That’s an interesting perspective and I couldn’t disagree more HAHAHA! If the assignment is “Do bouncing ball” in a class environment and you’re handing in the B and A examples I’d love it. Of course in a client environment you have to stick to the actual notes. 😁
I think students like to bite off more than they can chew. So often they might pick an idea that they don't have the skills for, (I know I do that) and then also aren't aware that they don't have the skills for their idea. I think C level work is more helpful for beginners when they aren't even doing the skills right for the little they are doing, without the extra added B+ A+ complications. It's hard to get the composition, staging, physics, acting and clarity working. I really feel like adding extra stuff should start to come during the second or third time around taking a course. Hopefully a student has learned enough of the basics of what they are doing the first time, that by the second or third time, they have so much more energy to spend on doing something a little more advanced. I think a lot of beginning animators fail because they aren't simple enough, and then the simple stuff isn't done well, and that seems to indicate the student hasn't learned that step yet. Points for ambition, but demerits for skill & execution. Or because of the difficulty and the vertical learning curve, they spend so much time on a shot, the shot starts to defeat them (which is itself perhaps a good lesson to learn). It's certainly a tricky thing, but I think each level should be done at least twice: Once to be familiar with the basics, twice to explore what the basics + extra might be able to produce.
queue09 Great comment! Totally agree! Master the basics! Gain confidence! Work on speed! All the while keeping an eye on how you could plus it in order to stay competitive!
I think Richard Williams said it best: "If you want to save work, what on earth are you doing in animation? It's nothing BUT work!" On that note, discovered you on the Animation Mentor campus, love your tips and the content on your channel. Would love to get more of this!
Great channel, a lot of usefull tips and advices for animators straight from the big industry shark :D I've recently found this channel and I cannot wait to watch ( or rather hear ) all of the vids . Keep it up ! Greetings from Poland
Like me who is new to animation will never think to do A/B work, we wouldn't know how to do it. I want to be able to do A once I'm done learning animation, lol maybe my expectations are to low haha. I subbed! Your channel us underrated!! How do I train my eye and mind to think about those details and nuances to add to differentiate myself ?
SORRY! Totally missed your comment! Thanks for subscribing! And good question! I think it comes with focus and experience. I didn't really think about that stuff back when I started, I was too busy trying to learn the animation principles. But after a while I wanted to know more and paid more attention and some things then become a habit and things are easier to spot. But that's very subjective and just my process.
Thanks! And I would say I’m sure it’s a good start but then there are a ton of stop-motion things to think about and I don’t have that experience. I would check with Justin Rasch and Kevin Perry for more stop-mo info.
KoponkMarley I’m not super 100% what you mean but I think you’re asking how new animators can put Details and polish into their shots under tight deadlines? That’s a good question. All depends on the production. Things get better with experience so there’s going to be a limit since they have limited experience. They should trust the guidance of their leads and supervisors who will give them the necessary notes. Sometimes (a lot of times) there isn’t enough time to put in all the details and polish, exactly because there is a tight deadline. That means that sometimes “done=good enough”.
I can answer this because we have pretty tight deadlines currently. The productivity goes something like 6 to 8 seconds per day, And a bit extra time (half a day or so) to get the approval from Leads and Supervisors. Planning is the key to do more polished animation in tight deadlines. Its better to act out as many shots as possible even if it is a short shot , kind of like someone is opening his/ her fingers. I do thumbnails if acting is not possible- in shots like a creature is flying or someone jumping up in excitement. The main thing is to know the most important thing in the shot. For example, A guy just stares to a girl.....Because she has broad beautiful eyes. So, plan for it in advance - before opening maya. What is the more important thing here to show. May be its her eyes - so eye darts and blinks - her eyelids, how do they open and close- the timing of the blink. May be its how the guy stares - is he creepy, normal, bored, falling in love or just stares in amusement . May be its none of the 2 things I have said - so what is it - the most important thing. I block in a mixed way of 3s and 4s and then keep my concentration to that most important part. That part should be super polished because it sells the shot. Other things can be done by just checking the timing and double checking the arcs. I hope it helps you. Thanks to Jean Denis to share this clip. These kin of ideas helps a lot!!!
Mindset and motivation is key! But that's easier said than done! What do you do to keep pushing forward? Me? Chocolate helps!! 😋
when you point out details in your own animation shot, loved all of them!
wow, I would expect such talents taking your workshop! great.
Imagine JD doing collaboration with all the other great animators and create a video or UA-cam short series :D
After almost 9 years I can say that I totally agree with you.
Thanks for sharing JD!
Giuseppe S Thanks!!
Chocolates does help, no kidding. No sir!
I think it would be better for starting animators to have smaller goals. More realistic. If someone has your example as a goal then it would be extremely difficult to achieve it and most likely will fail and get disappointed. The one you gave a "B" is perfect for a starting animator. It's got imagination, some nice arcs and squash/stretch.
3Dcowboy Absolutely! That’s why I say that your main objective needs to be rock solid. Focus on getting the main objective done and don’t carried away.
In terms of things being “realistic”, that’s another topic I’m going to talk about. But in short: too many students take on shots that are too long (he’ll, I’m guilty of that too). That’s more unrealistic to me. Stick to 3-5 seconds. That way you can go through the whole process including polish and explore ideas that can challenge you.
That being said, the “B” example should always be your goal. But you can still think about “A” elements that you could implement in the future.
Thanks for the comment! I appreciate different point of views!
I didn't expect that out of the A :o, but I think it's a inspiring and accurate mindset to have if you really want to make a career out of this. It's interesting to see how different teachers approach assignments, since I've had some that would discourage you from attempting anything above a C (as some have mentioned with the intention of making sure students capture the basics), but I've also had others that let us go nuts with assignments and it almost turned into a friendly competition between classmates of who could approach the assignment in the most creative way.
Carlos Mejia Yeah it’s a balance. It’s also up to the teacher to see who might be overwhelmed with it. I want to encourage it but also look that the basics are there first.
I think this video makes a strong point. Going above and beyond is something I need to learn both in my professional animation and my personal work, and your channel is currently serving as a great inspiration to that. That being said, back in uni the examples you give as being A and B grades, while fantastic animation, would actually result in an F. One thing students need to learn early on is to follow a brief. While there are some places where you can have creative freedom depending on where you are in the chain, for the most part - at least in a professional setting - we don't get to pick what the client wants, and you have to complete the brief no matter how great your ideas are. When I was going through school they tried to teach professionalism alongside skillsets, something I'm grateful for, and something that has worked as an advantage being in the industry. But, like you say, going for average makes average shots, and being able to complete a brief, I'd say my work is average for it.
Long story short, there are arguments for and against doing this, and it's nice to see this perspective.
Tessa el Miligi That’s an interesting perspective and I couldn’t disagree more HAHAHA! If the assignment is “Do bouncing ball” in a class environment and you’re handing in the B and A examples I’d love it. Of course in a client environment you have to stick to the actual notes. 😁
I think students like to bite off more than they can chew. So often they might pick an idea that they don't have the skills for, (I know I do that) and then also aren't aware that they don't have the skills for their idea. I think C level work is more helpful for beginners when they aren't even doing the skills right for the little they are doing, without the extra added B+ A+ complications. It's hard to get the composition, staging, physics, acting and clarity working. I really feel like adding extra stuff should start to come during the second or third time around taking a course. Hopefully a student has learned enough of the basics of what they are doing the first time, that by the second or third time, they have so much more energy to spend on doing something a little more advanced. I think a lot of beginning animators fail because they aren't simple enough, and then the simple stuff isn't done well, and that seems to indicate the student hasn't learned that step yet. Points for ambition, but demerits for skill & execution. Or because of the difficulty and the vertical learning curve, they spend so much time on a shot, the shot starts to defeat them (which is itself perhaps a good lesson to learn). It's certainly a tricky thing, but I think each level should be done at least twice: Once to be familiar with the basics, twice to explore what the basics + extra might be able to produce.
queue09 Great comment! Totally agree! Master the basics! Gain confidence! Work on speed! All the while keeping an eye on how you could plus it in order to stay competitive!
I think Richard Williams said it best: "If you want to save work, what on earth are you doing in animation? It's nothing BUT work!" On that note, discovered you on the Animation Mentor campus, love your tips and the content on your channel. Would love to get more of this!
C.J. Paghasian Hahaha, yeah, he is right! And thanks! That’s encouraging to hear! And there’s a lot more coming!
Great channel, a lot of usefull tips and advices for animators straight from the big industry shark :D I've recently found this channel and I cannot wait to watch ( or rather hear ) all of the vids . Keep it up ! Greetings from Poland
Adam The Slav Thanks for watching! Glad to hear you like it!
Like me who is new to animation will never think to do A/B work, we wouldn't know how to do it. I want to be able to do A once I'm done learning animation, lol maybe my expectations are to low haha. I subbed! Your channel us underrated!!
How do I train my eye and mind to think about those details and nuances to add to differentiate myself ?
SORRY! Totally missed your comment! Thanks for subscribing!
And good question! I think it comes with focus and experience. I didn't really think about that stuff back when I started, I was too busy trying to learn the animation principles. But after a while I wanted to know more and paid more attention and some things then become a habit and things are easier to spot. But that's very subjective and just my process.
Awesome stuff.. I'm doing stopmotion animation, my question, can I learn all the principles etc this way and transfer that knowledge and skills over..
Thanks!
And I would say I’m sure it’s a good start but then there are a ton of stop-motion things to think about and I don’t have that experience. I would check with Justin Rasch and Kevin Perry for more stop-mo info.
Animation should bring pleasure and joy to animator. This, I guess - is the main point!
😁👍🏻
Nice advice !
Depend on tight deadline, how to put/ learn detail and polish for new animators ? Since they have diverse shot to be done, faster way
KoponkMarley I’m not super 100% what you mean but I think you’re asking how new animators can put Details and polish into their shots under tight deadlines?
That’s a good question. All depends on the production. Things get better with experience so there’s going to be a limit since they have limited experience. They should trust the guidance of their leads and supervisors who will give them the necessary notes. Sometimes (a lot of times) there isn’t enough time to put in all the details and polish, exactly because there is a tight deadline. That means that sometimes “done=good enough”.
you got the point, thank you !
KoponkMarley Sure thing!
I can answer this because we have pretty tight deadlines currently. The productivity goes something like 6 to 8 seconds per day, And a bit extra time (half a day or so) to get the approval from Leads and Supervisors. Planning is the key to do more polished animation in tight deadlines. Its better to act out as many shots as possible even if it is a short shot , kind of like someone is opening his/ her fingers. I do thumbnails if acting is not possible- in shots like a creature is flying or someone jumping up in excitement. The main thing is to know the most important thing in the shot. For example, A guy just stares to a girl.....Because she has broad beautiful eyes. So, plan for it in advance - before opening maya. What is the more important thing here to show. May be its her eyes - so eye darts and blinks - her eyelids, how do they open and close- the timing of the blink. May be its how the guy stares - is he creepy, normal, bored, falling in love or just stares in amusement . May be its none of the 2 things I have said - so what is it - the most important thing. I block in a mixed way of 3s and 4s and then keep my concentration to that most important part. That part should be super polished because it sells the shot. Other things can be done by just checking the timing and double checking the arcs. I hope it helps you. Thanks to Jean Denis to share this clip. These kin of ideas helps a lot!!!
Thanks for all the info!!
Thanks! Im about to block my next shot and my instructor says spot on the same things you are on mindset.
Val W Nice!
I just feel much better about my C's and B's from your class after watching this! :P
Saloni Jain Hahahah ooooohhh..
Are you a teacher of any of the online classes at AAU? I’m going into my senior year there in fall
Henry Sorren I can be, just depends on how many students request me and if the Academy gives the green light.
Jean-Denis Haas that would be great. What’s the best way to go about it? Should I email my advisor with the request?
Henry Sorren Yep yep, the advisor can get the ball rolling.
Thanks.
Magnificent Sure thing!
ROBOCOP!!!
indelaxiom YES!! Hahahahaha!! I was wondering if someone was ever going to comment about that!! :)