how to be animator?

[ntmonkey]

Are you looking to get started or have you already dabbled in animation?

[digiralph]

Actually i am studying digital graphic, and have some knowledge about animation.
So i want to know what i have to learn and work hard on to become a animator...

[adavies]

good observational skills and memory

[Goon]

why memory?

[Pinoy McGee]

"why memory?"

Example.....My animation task today (hypothetically speaking) is to do a walk cycle while lugging a bazooka in one hand and the other hand is free, i.e. not clutching anything.

When you walk without bearing weight with your hands, your arms have a cycle of their own, correct?

I have observed (as matter of fact) that if I'm walking and carrying, say, a case of beer, my free arm will still have some cyclical actions whereas my beer-clutching-arm is restricted by the weight of the six pack.

So....when I do my animation assignment....if I remembered what I have observed.....then I not only have the idea of the animation mechanics involved but also the feeling of carrying a heavy weight in one arm....and walking (this is where acting skillz come in).

These observation and memory skills also work in other artistic endeavors like drawing the figure or modelling. After observing from life a lot (maybe with the aid of a sketchbook) you'll be able to spot anatomy errors or bad proportions in your own work and others.

[digiralph]

really great ideas!!
thanks!!!

[adavies]

well if you don't have a memory, how the hell are you going to remember how that man in the bus station was walking? what effect did his shopping bags have to his arms as he walked? you need to be able to remember all this and all the other little things you notice around you - what is the difference between a duck's waddle and the way a sparrow hops around? why do they walk like that? one day you might have to animate something like that, of course you can use things to help you - i carry a digital camcorder with me everywhere i go just in case ;) if you don't want to study (and this includes using your memory) why do you want to be an animator?

[Goon]

I do constantly observe, i however have a memory like a sieve, so many things just slip away. I do my best to counteract this, but having it be critical portion of an animator's skill set worries me.

[adavies]

it's just practice, if you look enough and try and transfer what you've seen to your animation you will get better at it.

[ShakingColor]

Good Idea and good hobbies!

[adavies]

one other thing - and what i find is one of the hardest to learn - is to be honest with yourself about your work. it's hard, after working on an animation all day, to look at it and try and spot the mistakes. it's like you can see how it was done and you know how much work was involved so you either deny that thee are any errors in it or you try and forgive them and maybe you can see them but maybe you dont want to because you think it might take too long to fix or might mess something up that you really like in the animation.

one thing i've found that helps is that when you get to the stage where you think you're just about finished, try and imagine that you have been sent the animation by somebody else and they have asked you to crit it. that way i find that i'm not so protective over it and i can start to list everything that i can spot that needs to be imroved and then i can go on and do it.

[thesaint]

people skills about sums it up.

People skills because you have to work in teams, so communication through art, oration and writing are critical. Getting along with people who are diverse and stubborn! like me. hehe.

People skills because animation is a people field. You are telling people a story through characters with which they must identify or the story is void for them. No better way to be good at that than being good with people.

I filled book after book with sketches that i made at the DMV, the park and by watching places where people interact with machines, like vending machines. I still do it here at the knife and fiddle, watch people. I find i have develop a kind of instinct about movement, weight and body language which helps a lot. Which brings me to preperation.

Animation is all in the preperation. Know what you want to do, what the point is, what the characters motivation is. Tell the story. Forget apps and hardware, everything should be transparent to the story. Learn to sketch poses and board your ideas. It's amazing how much refinement happens before you even touch the computer, and when you do you know exactly what you need to do -- so it is faster, which means more spontanious, which means better.

More info than you were looking for, but thats what being at a 'big' studio is all about.

I would write more but i forgot what the question was... :-)

[Massoud]

LOVE + TECHNICAL = A good animator
ok?

[Massoud]

LOVE + TECHNICAL = A good animator
ok? :thumbsup:

[Massoud]

but it is my theory and i don't know how you think !!

[digiralph]

Thanks all of you!!!
I 'll be hard working to archive the goal~
:applause:

Massoud:
I agree with your formula, but how "technical" is needed?

adavies:
Your suggestion is new to me !!!
IT'S GREAT!!!
thank you very much
i am going to use my memory ~~

[eek]

and belief in the character your animating. Trying to put that little sparkle of life into the character that jumps out at you, and you go WOW its really alive!

eek

[grury]

A girlfriend/boyfriend/wife/husband/whatever that understands what the hell you doing 12 hours a day seating in front of a computer also helps.. :)

[Massoud]

i am 15 hourse in front of computer
and now :eek:

[digiralph]

Is learing MEL and compositing usful for animator ?

[Massoud]

Do you meen me ? digiralph

[digiralph]

???

[hugo.m]

I don't believe anyone mentioned PATIENCE here.

Patience to master the software(at least the animation tools)
Patience to animate horribly boring scenes.
Patience with your supervisor's unjustified and plain simply dumb revisions.
Patience with your director.
Patience with complicated scenes.
Patience testing your patience.

If you have the patience, then you can ENJOY your work.

Besides all the negative things I mentioned(I'm not trying to discourage you) animation is a very fun career. Most of the time I'm as eager to get to work as I did the first day I started working in this industry 9 years ago...and still going strong.

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