On learning animation
So this is my learning journey with stop motion. I have no experience with it except for one video I made which came out quite strange. I did it all straight ahead. I was just antsy to make one and did so on a whim. My amateur video:
I have the Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams which is known as the bible for animators. These are my notes from the first lessons:
Animation is based on imitating life. It is not copying life itself but using it as a foundation to learn from and then experimenting to expand upon it but without that foundation, you have nothing to work with. Just like building a house. A strong foundation is necessary to add the walls and then lastly the details of design like furniture and decor. However, we want to learn the rules to be able to bend them and use them to do with animation what a camera cannot do. Do not strive for realism but believability.
Reminded me of a quote I read from Robert McKee's book Story: "Anxious inexperienced animators obey rules. Rebellious unschooled animators break rules. Artists master the form." (In his case he was talking about writers but I think it applies here as well)
Figure drawing is key to growing as an artist. Learning to draw, not by copying surface details, but by understanding mass and expression. You’re animating masses, not lines.
The art of timing. Masters of timing include silent comedians: Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Laurel & Hardy. An animator's job is to have a natural feel of timing & an understanding on how to space it well.
Lesson 1: UNPLUG! Turn off your distractions. Music, podcasts, etc. (I personally tried this and could not take it after 30 minutes of silently animating.)
Extremes are where there is a change in direction - the ends of the action where the direction changes.
Not everything is a rigid motion. Think of the arc of action.
extremes
breakdown (passing position) *most important
in-betweens
Keys are the important positions that tell the story. Like a comic or storyboard.
Approach: Think of your action. (Thumbnails) Time it. Set your keys. Make a plan for extremes, breakdowns & in-betweens. (Pose to pose animating)
In stop motion, you have to animate straight ahead. Planning it out is good but you get one go at getting the shot right there is no redrawing. Only redoing the entire take. The main concept that raises a lot of questions is spacing. I animated some videos of the diagrams he demonstrated which helped, like the coin rolling and the swinging pendulum. I think it would be good to break down some videos of action shot by shot to comprehend spacing a bit better. (may post on that in the future)
