Animation Tips & Tricks, Volume I - Animation Mentor

IT AIN’T OVER TILL THE CHARACTERS LIVEJust a reminder, if you have a special topic request for next time, or just want to get your favorite cocktail tried out, then be sure toemail me at: tipsandtricks@animationmentor.com right away! Something else I'm toying with is a "lightning-round" of questionansweringfor questions that I've received that don't need a giant article-long answer, so if you have even a tiny topic suggestion orquickie question, send it along!Ok, and now back to our regularly-scheduled newsletter article...Today's topic was suggested by Avner Engel, who emailed to ask a really great question. Basically, he's wondering how you knowwhen you stop working on a shot, call it done, and move on to the next one. It's a tough question, and one I've heard pretty oftenwhen talking to students, so I figured it'd be a good one to tackle!I mean, it *is* something that we all have to wrestle with, to one degree or other. Obviously all of us have our own particular situationsand set of circumstances. Some of us have directors to contend with, some have teachers to follow, some are just animating athome, or working on a piece for their demo reel. But no matter the circumstances of where we're at in our career (or hobby), we allat some point have found ourselves leaning back in our chair, watching our animation looping over and over, and wondering, "So...am I done?"That's such a HUGE question, isn't it? How many times have you asked yourself that? If you're an animator, I guarantee it's in thethousands. Every time you render your work to take a look at where you're at, you're asking that question. Am I done? Is this goodenough? Does it work? What do I have to change?In a way, this is the most basic primal question that an animator constantly wrestles with. When are these characters finally, truly,alive? When can I set this aside and move on with my life!?There's really no easy answer to this, but I'll give it the ol' college try...*TIP 23: It Ain't Over Till the Characters Live*In my mind, it seems like there are three times that you know when you're finished with a shot:1) When there is nothing mechanically wrong with the movement and the performances truly LIVE2) When you're out of time3) When the director says soObviously, the first one is the one that we should all strive for with every single shot we do. This is the ideal in animation. A believable83Copyright 2008 by AnimationMentor.com. All rights reserved. This ebook may not be reprinted or distributed in electronic, print, web, or other format withoutexpress written permission.