Animate a "Take" with Monty

We've uploaded a new animation tutorial to our growing Vimeo Tutorial Channel.  One of the most common assignments a junior animator will be given on a feature film is to animate a reaction shot.

Reactions can be big or little, exaggerated or subtle.  In this short tutorial, I explain how to animate an exaggerated reaction shot (a "take") with "Monty", the green pea with legs.

How to Plan a "Take"

Timing for a classic "take" with Monty

In the series of videos, hosted at Vimeo, I explain how to go about blocking out an animated scene, this case a reaction shot, or "take", with a cartoony rig.

The series of short videos shows how to build and block the shot, how to imagine the scene, so that you start by making positive choices about the character's state of mind, carefully planning what is going to happen.  Animators are actors, and we need to create a memorable performance, but we also need a workflow that we can depend upon.

Animating a "Take"

How do student animators approach the business of animating a Reaction Shot? Reaction shots are the bread-and-butter of junior animators.  On a feature film, once you have graduated from walk cycles and crowd shots, you get given reaction shots to test your mettle.

A reaction shot is where animators first start to get to grips with acting and performance. Just like live-action actors, animated characters on a screen must listen - and react.

Animator's Survival Kit "Take"

Animator's Survival Kit
An exaggerated reaction shot is also sometimes called a "take".
There is a big section in the Animator's Survival Kit on takes; this is a great place to start before animating.

Thumbnail Your "Take"
The starting point for a "take" is always a series of rough sketches or thumbnail drawings to help plan out the key poses and the timing of the action. Thumbnail sketches help you think, and plan, and make mistakes quickly and cheaply.

Planning your animation

Animator's Survival Kit - Fox "Take"

One of the biggest challenges encountered by student animators is how to block out a shot from scratch, starting off with nothing but a blank screen and a character rig. In animation you get nothing for free. You start off with a digital puppet, usually in a stiff "T-pose", and you have to figure out the rest yourself.

Monty "Take" Tutorial
To find the tutorial, follow this link.

Vimeo Channel
To find the videos at our (password-protected) Vimeo channel, follow this link. Like all our videos, this one is password-protected, meaning it is only available for our current students and Escapees.

The Escape Studios Animation Blog offers a personal view on the art of animation and visual effects. To find out more about our new BA/MArt, now recruiting for September 2020, follow this link.  To apply, visit the official page here.