Links!
http://nickytwoshots.blogspot.com/2007/07/some-face-stuff.html
http://www.justinanimator.com/mel-tweenMachine.php

glemboski shot from last term - His line wins

http://2danimationacademy.blogspot.com/2008/04/ken-duncan-jane-rough-animation-from.html

http://www.cartoonthrills.org/blog/Moderncartoons/Disney/Janecleanclipsml.mov

can we record our own?

where do you get clips?

dirt in dialogue - pauses and hesitations.

no famous clips that instantly identify the source

idea - batman interrogation

http://nickytwoshots.blogspot.com/2007/07/some-face-stuff.html

http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/

http://characterdesign.blogspot.com/

http://www.aintitcool.com/

http://john-nevarez.blogspot.com/

http://www.theastonishfactory.blogspot.com/

http://www.kunkelshazam.blogspot.com/

http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog

http://carlosbaena.com/index.html

http://www.sabudesign.com/cattywampus/?cat=22

http://handdrawnnomadzone.blogspot.com/

desktastic

http://www.leifjeffers.com/ramblings/2006/06/hands.html

http://www.leifjeffers.com/ramblings/2006/08/more-hands.html

acetate

Lol, my notes are just random jots. Don’ worry about it.

Here are the notes I got from my crit and this week’s Q&A:

• Basically, it’s not timed well. It’s timed really spread out as if I’m trying to get everything in by 250 frames (the limit).
• I need to pull back the exaggeration of poses in the insignificant moments. It’s getting too noisy (visually).
• Tone it down and then really exaggerate the timing of 4 specific moments: The Attention-grab, the drink, the reaction, and finally, the convulsion.

Come back when you have more.

Well, here it is:

Be prepared to fall flat on your face. A LOT. You will, so don’t get discouraged when it happens. Learn and roll and come up with new ideas. Don’t marry your ideas. Be free to drop it or change it at any time.

Your thumbnails suck. You need to explore more ideas and concepts and really try to nail the poses and approach before you take it into maya.
http://nickytwoshots.blogspot.com/2007/01/my-thumbnails.html

You’re ideas are ok. But not great.

Story and Character are what separate from Ok with GREAT.

Your shot needs to have a beginning, middle. and end.

That model needs to be more than just a character. He needs to be a personality. You should be able to tell a difference from one stewie personality from another stewie.

-

As for my shot. If you go into it feeling like “Fuck it, I’ll cut my losses and just push through.” You gotta want to do your shot. If you can tell the story and it sounds interesting and if it’s interesting to you then do it.

Whatever your setup is. It has to sell. With the fewest amount of ideas.

—

So, I think that I need to come up with more meat for my shot. Basically, there’s just a gag (if you can even read it), but no personality.

The following are the random notes I typed while in the Q&A. It’s not a super-comprehensive list of advice. Only rough notes.

Animation school is like learning to ride the bike. Once you get out into the real world, studios will be starting you on Wheelies and stunts. Best to get the basics NOW. Learn to just stay upright first.

The Mentor is the Director. He will simulate what it’s like at work. He gives you a note, you make the change.

There may definitelybe times where you will make a change, then another, then another, and ultimately come back to the first example of the shot. It happens, but for a reason. Sometimes the director needs to just feel it out.

Use student notes!!! No notes means no trouble!

Turn in on time! If you dont, you wont get a crit till next Friday.

Use public reviews! The best students are the ones that ask questions and use PRs. You dont post finished work. Put up the bad stuff. If something doesnt work, post it and ask for help. No one gives a shit about your finished shot.

The mentor will not frame-fuck you. You must be able to fly on your own. No hand-holding.

If you get A’s in Nick Bruno’s class, you will get a job.

Biggest hangups: Mechanics, weight, clarity. Thought-process is HUGE. It’s hard to make the animation dissapear and leave behind a real, living character.

Make the pantomime stuff be at least as entertaining as a silent film. Because that’s all you get.

To get ideas: Say things. say a sentence… like… “making toast”. Then say another… like… “in a volcano”.

Make a connection. “You like to brush your teeth! I like to brush my teeth!” Make the connection, then turn it, “But I brush my teeth wacky!”

Timing. Timing. TIMING. TIMING!! TIIIIIMMMMIIIIIIINNNG!!!

Try getting an audible rythm in your animation. Baba-da-da-tada-BAAM! And get it stuck in your head. Get your animation to move to a catchy beat. It’s a sure-fire way to make a successful shot.

There needs to be so much more time spent on enhancing the contrast and rhythm in animation. The action from pose to pose is just as important as the key poses themselves.

Really work with timing as much as possible before splining. If you need to hold a pose, make sure you duplicate the keyframes for the end of the pose from the beginning.

The Lecture references tonight:

• Animator Glen Keane lecture part 1
• The Monk and The Fish
• Aaron Hartline
• Pyrats
• Burning Safarie
• Team Fortress 2 on CG Society

Why does the timing of my animation feel right during the blocking pass but feel completely wrong when brought into splines?

Here are the answers:

• Don’t do blocking passes*. They give you a false sense of timing because each key is held until the following key. This gives you a false sense of timing. Once you spline, nothing is held that didn’t have two keyframes in a row with the same value.
• There aren’t enough keys in your blocking pass. You need more keys and more breakdowns to really give yourself a right sense of timing.
• Use “Copied Pairs”. This is a technique not taught until Class3, but here’s the basics: When you character needs a held pose, go ahead and set the keys in your blocking pass. Before splining, copy the key frames for the poses that need holding and paste them ahead after the appropriate duration.

*Ignore this. You do what your director tells you to do. In this case, Steve Cady (my mentor) is ALL about the blocking pass.