non-character animation

#1

Like most creative disciplines, animation tutorials seem to fall into two categories; how-to technical tuts and conceptually driven creative tuts on how to use animation to best tell a story. Every animation tutorial of the second kind, that I’ve been able to find, whether on a DVD, online or in a book, is about animating characters; using characters to tell the story. I’m a product visualization artist, and I’m constantly required to build animations for my clients in which the subject is a product; an object or objects, no characters. I want to learn how to do dramatic camera moves and animations in which the subject is a thing, not a person.

Any ideas or sources out there for finding this type of info? I’m talking about tried-and-true professional techniques on how to tell an object’s story, with no animated characters, in a dramatic and compelling way using camera and animation techniques.

#2

Sounds like a bit of a niche thing to be honest, I’d doubt there’s much specifically dedicated to that. Traditional cinematography techniques are probably the next best thing though, there’s dozens of books on moving and positioning the camera. You might find some use in looking at information graphics in general as well.

One thing to look at is the Hollywood Camera Work DVD’s, they’re pricey and a bit dry but have some amazing information.

#3

Thanks for the reply, fig. Actually, I don’t think that it is a niche thing. For example, every car commercial you see on TV is exactly what I’m talking about, the action is by objects, not people. And there are many other TV spots for products that don’t use people or characters. Many of the shots in movies don’t use people or characters. I would imagine that in both the commercial and in the movie industries, a significant portion of the shots don’t involve characters.

Yet that’s all they talk about in any reference material I’ve been able to access, regarding animation or camera techniques.

I invested in the Hollywood Camera Work DVDs, and I agree; they have a wealth of amazing info on camera moves and techniques. And every single instance that they cover is about characters. Not a single move or technique using just objects.

#4

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