Why Animators Always Start With a Story

Storytelling animation by Sunny Asadi

Animators are story tellers; animation should always have an idea behind it, one that tells a story.

Junior animators focus on learning technique - and technique is important. But it is also important to think carefully about the story behind your shot.

Who is your character, and why are they doing what they are doing?  What is the scene about? What do they want, and what do they fear?  These things are important because if your shots forms part of an interesting story, it will be much more interesting to watch.

Why Animators Need To Hold Poses Longer

Animation by Sunny Asadi - hold that pose

One of the common mistakes made by junior animators is the “default face.” A character smiles, frowns, gasps — and then, almost instantly, snaps back to a bland neutral expression.  It’s as if the performance forgets itself. 

This also happens in lipsync; where the character will make a vowel or consonant; then snap back into a default mouth shape much too quickly. Much better to hold the vowel or consonant longer, and really get the most out of the pose. 

Why Animators Avoid Symmetrical Poses

Mickey Mouse from "The Illusion of Life"

One of the most common mistakes made by junior animators is for their character poses to be too stiff and symmetrical.  One of the fastest ways to make a character feel stiff and lifeless is to pose them symmetrically.  

Perfectly mirrored limbs, identical angles, and evenly balanced weight all scream “mannequin,” not “living being.” Real life — and good animation — is full of asymmetry.

Live Action Ref Shd Match Camera Angle in Maya

Anim Ref and Anim by Elin Berrio Pena

Most experienced animators know about the importance of shooting live action reference to create great animation. 

However, to get the best out of your reference, you should always be sure to match the correct camera angle in your shot. If you don't, the reference you shoot won't be nearly as useful.

Character Animation by Akasha Devlin-Clovering

We're enjoying this excellent example of character animation (above) by Escapee Akasha Devlin-Clovering, who graduates this summer with a degree in the Art of Computer Animation.  While at Escape Studios, Akasha worked on a number of award-winning short films, including the short film "Set in Stone", which she produced.  Akasha also worked on the award-winning short films Ongo, and Order Up!

"Ursula" Thumbnail Sketches by Ruben Aquino

With animation, you get nothing for free.  Animators have to fill this blank space with creative, entertaining animation.  

The secret of success is to plan your animation - start with sketches and scribbles ("thumbnail sketches") which create a road map of where you want to go. 

The video below shows how the master Disney animator Ruben Aquino planned out a dialogue shot with Ursula the Sea Witch in The Little Mermaid.  

"And now look at me...Wasted away to practically nothing!"

Stanislavski's 7 Questions For Actors (and Animators)

Konstantin Stanislavski

The Russian actor and theatre director Konstantin Stanislavski said that an actor should ask seven questions to understand the nature of their character. 

Animators are actors - but with a pencil or a mouse. To make our work believable, we need to ask these same questions, so that our work has authenticity.  Just like actors, we need to get into the heads of our characters, and understand them. 

Smear Frame Animation Tutorial in Maya

In this brief tutorial we show how to animate a "Smear Frame". Smear Frames simulate motion blur in super-snappy animation, in the style of the old Tex Avery or Chuck Jones cartoons.

But how do you do a Smear Frame in 3D animation, using Maya character rigs? Watch our free tutorial to find out.

Acting for Animators - With Michael Caine

 

Animated characters need to look at each other, so their eyes don't wander around screen.  Watch the short video above with acting legend Michael Caine for some tips from the master of screen acting.  The video itself is a little dated (1980s) but the lessons remain just as important today.  According to Caine, the number one lesson for stage actors is to "hold on to each others' eyes".  And, what is true for stage actors is true for animators too.  You can watch Caine's acting advice in the video above - the important part is all in the first 5 minutes.

Lipsync Tutorial with Marc Stevenson

Lipsync with Twigs the Cowboy rig

Undergraduate Programme Leader Marc Stevenson has created a series of Lipsync Tutorials for our students working on character animation. 

The tutorial uses the free "Twigs the Cowboy" rig which you can download here.  You can also find a copy of Twigs in UG Shares.  This tutorial is aimed at our animation students learning the art of dialogue and lipsync. 

Animation by MA Student Tanya Kerner

Check out the superb animation above by Escape Studios animation student Tanya Kerner.  Tanya is studying on our Master's Degree in 3D Animation, taught by veteran animator tutor Lee Caller. This complex and well-structure shot was completed as part of the formal assessment on her course.  Congratulations to Tanya on her excellent work.

Lamp Animation by Kamile Pranckunaite

Above is a very good example of First Year Character Animation created in the First Year Animation Module AN4001, in which Escape Studios' students learn to master the art and craft of character animation.  The "Pixo" Lamp Animation above was created by Kamile Pranckunaite, an animation student studying the Art of Computer Animation, who has just completed the first year at Escape Studios.  The shot was animated in Maya and rendered in Arnold.

2023 Animation Demo Reel

We're proud to release the 2023 Escape Studios' Animation Demo Reel. This latest edit of the best animation created by students Escape Studios includes work by our most recent graduating class of animation artists, including clips from many of our award-winning short films.  This latest demo reel was cut by Escapee Miguel Teixeira.

Character Walks with the Bio Motion Walker

Bio Motion Walker

This week our first year undergraduate students are studying how to animate a walk cycle, creating a successful biped walk and then giving it character and personality.

One very useful resource is the Bio Motion Walker from the Bio Motion Lab, located at York University in Toronto, Ontario.

The Bio Motion Walker allows animators to move a range of sliders showing how to make a walk cycle feel masculine or feminine, heavy or light, anxious or calm, happy or sad.  

Animators study live action, and then incorporate - and exaggerate - real life in their work . The Bio Motion Walker is a useful tool for analysing how people walk and move in different ways.  

You can find the Bio Motion Walker here.

Rianna Patel 33rd out of 241 Entries in 11 Second Club

Many congratulations to Escape Studios student Rianna Patel who came 33rd out of 241 Entries in the November 2022 11 Second Club Competition.  The 11 Second Club is a monthly character animation competition in which aspiring animators compete to win prizes and get their work noticed.  Animators from all over the world participate, animating a character speaking a line of dialogue, which is provided on the first day of every month by the club.

December 2022 11 Second Club - Time to Enter

This month at Escape Studios our second year undergraduate student animators are polishing their character animation skills by entering The 11 Second Club, the monthly character animation competition in which aspiring animators compete to win prizes and get their work noticed.   Animators from all over the world participate, animating a character speaking a line of dialogue, which is provided on the first day of every month by the club. 

Vimeo Channel - Character Animation Tutorials

Animation by Sunny Asadi

Our Vimeo Tutorial Channel is a hub for our animation and VFX video tutorials, making it easier than ever for our students to find tutorials to support their classroom studies.  

Tutorials begin with the basics, such as the bouncing ball, and progress through to complex character and creature animation.  Start at the beginning, and work your way though.

AN5001 Character Animation Starts 31 October 2022

Module AN5001 "Computer Animation Pro", our character animation module, starts on Monday 31st October 2022.

This year, AN5001 is the second animation module that our undergraduate students encounter in their second year of studies, in which our students study the art and craft of character animation.   In AN5001 our animation students tackle character actions, pantomime, acting, performance and dialogue, and enter the monthly 11 Second Club competition.  The Individual Portfolio Assignment is due on Wednesday 14 December 2022. The Retrospective is due on Monday 19th December 2022.

Escape Studios' Character Animation Reel 2022

We're proud to release our latest Escape Studios' Character Animation Reel. This latest edit of the best character animation from Escape Studios includes work by Sunny Asadi, Ella Grunberger, Alex Maynard, Paloma Zhu, Wiktor Brodoswki, Niki Varela, Maria Robertson, Joshua-Ibrahim de Guzman,  Eilin Berrio Pena, Elena Scala, Daria Zadecka and Rohnak Sharma.

Nine Ways to Create a Great Pose

How do you create a great pose in animation? Creating great poses is a necessary skill for all animators to learn. In the video above, we suggest nine ways that an animator can create a great pose - the key starting point for a great acting scene.