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Only 6 frames on this one. Sigh I just realized there is a continuity error. I need to add another pose in the previous scene

Wow this looks like it requires tons of work for one person but this test shows you know your stuff about animation. Cant really say much because your animating a music video so continuity doesnt matter. Good luck and I look forward for this release.

At 5/14/14 04:00 PM, protoAuthor wrote: No lie, learning photography and videography will also help immensely. You learn composition (Though your angles seem pretty neat), things like knowing about focal length and depth of field will help you simulate cameras and give depth to your scenes.

very true. Composition is a big thing for me so I am constantly trying to frame a good shot. I worry about composition before I add special effects such as blurs. I consider it the basic foundation of strong design. During gesture drawing lessons, its encouraged to adjust your drawing to have a better composition even if it is not like the model copy. I remember doing an animation lesson where I had to learn how to make a comic book-like story with just photos and I learned a lot such as the 180 degree rule.

These days most TV animations today are frame in the low to med horizon so the angles of the figure are always the same.

Anyway here is another WIP of a follow up of the previous scene.
Girl kicks wall because she is frustrated that it didnt break from the gunfire. The dude comes up with an idea.

At 5/18/14 06:24 PM, Mabelma wrote: On the side of my animated movie projects I'm also trying to build a small portfolio for game animations, thus here we have the wip for a mushroom character I'm trying to develop. Just a sketch for now. Wanted him to jump for his walk cycle. Any thoughts?

http://www.newgrounds.com/dump/item/d6382c5edf92f84f3261e8ca51e82c0c

overall it looks good. My only gripe is the anticipation of the jump. It looks like it lost some weight at that moment. Maybe you can use distort/warp tool to bulge the figure so it can retrain its weight and maintain that squoosh motion.

At 5/14/14 03:28 PM, Pkmn2 wrote: I'm gonna go ahead and say that I really admire your dedication and your rough sketches.
Seeing these actually give me a better view on different perspectives. It's something that truly lacks in my animations.

But that maybe due to the fact that I only make sprite animations.
Anyway, back to you.

I think rectangle references are perfectly fine as long you don't use it 1:1 and only just as guidance.

Thanks dude.

I think someone asked me this before in the previous post and I agree. While this approach is amazing and I learned a lot from it, I realize it make things stiff and I should take advantage 2D animation where it allows a lot of flexibility. Huge benefits I learn is how to keep things in perspective and consistent. This also helps drawing in different angles. I am planning a much looser approach in the next project.

I feel that I could do those amazing tracking shots in those action animes thanks to analyzing this approach . Its like a gained a mental tool. I want to try a more complicated action scenes in the next project.

At 5/14/14 02:47 PM, protoAuthor wrote:

At 5/14/14 02:46 PM, KhanhCPham wrote:

At 5/14/14 02:28 PM, protoAuthor wrote: So how much do your services cost?

sorry but as of right now, I am interested in making my own film. I am still honing my own skills. Thanks for watching this post.

You need a screenwriter? I'm trained.

not interested at the moment but I'll keep that in mind in the future.

At 5/14/14 02:28 PM, protoAuthor wrote: So how much do your services cost?

sorry but as of right now, I am interested in making my own film. I am still honing my own skills. Thanks for watching this post.

follow up of the previous scene. A reaction shot. it may seem strange looking because there are no background moves. I was planning this to be a tracking shot where its focused on the head.

Follow up to the previous scene. Zoom out camera-shot of girl pulls two handguns and shoots the wall. It needs a little more polish.

Looks messy on some spots here.

A follow up from the previous post where the guy is surprised and ran from the girl.

More rough WIP work. Girl walking away from a wall after knocking.

rough fig

Model I use to keep consistency and to help with detailing

Girl ready to knock a wall.

Rough animation so I can get the feel,timing, and composition of a scene. It still need in-betweens

At 4/12/14 12:10 PM, JKR wrote: (Sorry for the double post, wish there was an edit button!)

My thoughts exactly; this needs an edit button.

Toward the end of my previous film, I end up depending on the model and thought it was a perfect guide. Now towards the end of my current project, it needs those imperfections that make 2d animation so great. I’m setting a different game plan in the next project.

For this current project, I usually start first with a really really rough sketch on the keyframes and lay in the model to on top to check my proportions. I than just depend on model throughout while not thinking about the rough sketch much. In the future I am planning to do it like the way you said where I use a looser model but yet put more effort on the rough sketch and a trust my eyes more.

I will use the strict box model only to set up composition and check my proportions. It also helps out with those pesky foreshortening poses.

I am experimenting a work balance where I can animate efficiently

Thanks for watching the post dude.

At 4/12/14 02:14 AM, Mabelma wrote:

At 4/12/14 01:39 AM, KhanhCPham wrote: Thanks for the input dude.

Fair enough, looking forward to the full film :)

And sure mate, don't even mention it, keep on posting!

Thanks. You go on animating too. =)

I am trying to achieve the anime style where I see it use solid strict shapes but yet utilize every little detail movements like makes it so noticable. To me there is actually less squish and squash in anime. It is a bit realistic but I have to reminded that is still just an illusion that should have flexibility.

You are right though, this method i am using is making thing too linear and a bit robotic. I am plan on being less depended on the "squares guide" in the next project. It was a good practice for me though because I think I can now animate camera moves without resorting to those post-production zoom shot that makes it look like a cut out.

As for this scene, I have a storyboard planned out so I am choosing when to over-exaggerate movements. I might cut this scene in half because it might be a little long because these are the comedic parts of the film so it needs to timed carefully.

Thanks for the input dude.

messy sketch animation

Little girl eating from a box of cookies. I'll post my box models and the really messy sketch that helps me with the composition. Nothing is final here as I am more concern of how things moves. It needs in-betweens at some spots.

I had trouble with the arms at first but I think its working now(I hope)

Box models

I remember analyzing an anime film doing a frame by frame snapshot of a 24fps anime and it’s timed using all 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s in one scene. It was overwhelming to analyze. Heck I'd say they just placed drawings to see if it looks right without thinking whether to use 1s, 2s, 3s, and 4s.

Then again where JKR argument of animation that is strictly working with 4s is going to get unpleasant choppy results is understandable and a lot of people do criticized the look of an animation that is working strictly in 4s. Personally I wouldn’t work strictly on 4s myself.

By observation on specific well done scenes, it uses mostly 1s, 2s, and uses of 3s, 4s is used minimal. I find these break away of making the scenes looking systematical. Point is they use ALL frame types.

Another thought just came up to me is how to judge an animation. It’s the idea of judging the overall film as a whole or just one specific scene.

I know that in Studio Ghibli calls for a specific animator to do keyscene to bring out a specific emotion. There can be another scene where the studio called another specific animator to bring a different emotion. With great direction, the film can be amazing while working with a lot of different type of animators. This bring variety to the film.

Would it hurt if it is done in one specific way?

What happens if the studio uses an animator that provides a great visual scene but just simply doesnt work for the direction of the film but that same scene worked great in another film where it is directed differently.

Should we blame the direction? the animator?

Because of this, it is hard for me on how to judge an animation as it can vary.

Again this is just my opinion I admit I may have a bias toward anime so it may retract some people.

This is a place to share ideas and if someone has an opinion, I cant deny him/her to having an opinion. Its great to gather information.

So if I rate on what frame types to use in ONE scene, it would be:
Using all 1s-4s= awesome
Using just 1s=awesome
Using just 2s=awesome
Using just 3s=okay
Using just 4s=meh

I agree its an interesting chat that provides a lot of information while keeping it civil. Personally I animate in 2s, 3s, and rarely in 1s (takes too much time), 4s (I always get choppy results). I do use 4s in some cases though. An example in 4s is a slow motion scene where I did it in 2s but it moved so slow I didnt notice it was moving at all. My mind automatically registers the animation as "not moving." It was like a really slow morph. I changed to 4s and it looked much better because I was noticing the changes instantly.

Again it’s just a preference I use. Several animators have their own style and I enjoy a world where I can witness and learn these styles.

I guess if I summarize Dylan's comment is while the studio has a standard to keep, the animator also has a standard to keep. A lot of today's anime also have this standard where the studio allows a professional animator have their own take animating a specific scene.

Personally I enjoy when a studio allows the animator to have free reign because it makes the animation more surprising. If an animation has the same one direction throughout, the novelty seems to wear out.

I agree with Dylan comments with simply in-betweening don’t really provide emotion. It comes out looking like puppet moving in strings in my opinion.

An anime sakuga panel here discussed the difference between “in-betweener” while having an experience animator having there own take.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cvx7p6-lABw

Again this is my own opinion and animation itself is subjective

At 4/6/14 04:08 PM, Mabelma wrote:

I understand where you are coming from in that case, it looks pretty good from what I can see at the moment, show us the rough detail layer, let's see what's in your mind, that will give us a better idea of how things should look and behave in terms of animation, so go for it. Post away.

I'll do that in the next scene . I really want move forward. =P Your explosion animation in your post really neat. Special effect animaton is always really hard for me.

At 4/6/14 02:35 PM, Mabelma wrote:

At 4/6/14 07:11 AM, KhanhCPham wrote: Nothing much. Just a reaction shot.

What are you using to animate these?
Personally I can't really tell much about what's going on, my suggestion is start adding a character so we can see more of what you're trying to accomplish rather than just wireframes.

I am planning to add character details in the second phase. Your right there isnt much to judge because they are just blocks. I thought these can give an idea of how the basic shapes are going to move before I add the character details.

I do have a layer that shows a rough detail of the character but it just looks messy at the moment so I disabled it at the moment. I am just more concern at the basic foundation at the moment. Sorry if that sounds confusing. X_X

Nothing much. Just a reaction shot.

Follow up of my previous scene. It needs some more in-between and some post-production editing. Felt like I got all the difficult scenes out (knock on wood). 9-10 more scenes to go.

I tend to animate in 2s or 3s depending on a scene. Slow motion shots or wide shots I tend to animate in 3s because it saves me a lot of time. Mid to close shots I tend animate in 2s. Whenever I roughly animate, I set in 4s or 3s just to check the timing of my animaton. I than rise to 2s when I do the in-betweening. This is just my preference and its up to you on how to want to direct a scene.

I have never created backgrounds directly on flash but I do use both flash and toon boom. If you created backgrounds on flash, you can import swf files into toonboom.

Spent too much time on this because it was hard to animate in different angles while the camera moving and also keep it in pespective. I think i wasted too much time in-betweening since its just a rough model. O well I learned a lot and it was a great challenge. Time to move on.

At 3/14/14 10:38 AM, Rational-Delirium wrote: At 3/14/14 12:30 AM, KhanhCPham

Jumping in the post. I dont know about the pay rate but there was a convention that discusses about Sakuga animation on this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLNHSrJoqFM&list=PLuPNSyztkHPqV-M4ePSmN_2BLhONu0WLg

Its worth a look if you want expand on your curiosity about anime. It is my goal to that level.

Cool. If you like that then you'll love this. BahiJD's post is especially important because he's working on the Space Dandy and Ping Pong animes, and previously worked on a commercial and SkullGirls (he's also friends with the people in that video :P). He says that quality animators often only finish one quality shot per day, while average animators finish around 4 average shots per day, but if the pay rates were the same, then that'd mean average animators would be played 4x more, so I figure there's a system for sakuga shots. That whole thread and forum is a packed with information btw; you've probably already read the 'Japanese Animation Theory' thread from there :P

Also, this website, compiies different sakuga shots in .gif form, but it's a but hard to navigate X|
>this link might be more suitable :P

Thanks
*favorited the links*

Its good for hear from an actual animator. BahiJD is a huge inspiration because he's considered a foreigner (from a japanese's person point of view) that could anime. Any westerner who tried to mimic anime cant do it like the japanese do. It sound like these animator work at an insane rate while keeping the drawings consistent. There are time when I am having trouble with one frame.

This is also is good forum about the interest of sakuga anime here: http://www.toonzone.net/forums/anime-forum/295419-lets-sakuga-animation-discussion-thread-probable-spoilers-9.html#.Uwnp9CXTkm9

but your post has BahiJD himself so his statement is much stronger.

This is also a good post where a youtuber post animation that is done by major well known animators.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BlueSakuga

At 3/13/14 07:38 PM, Rational-Delirium wrote: I remember your other vlog when you're animating a AAA shot, and would you mind expounding upon the definition of a AAA shot, and how compares to a C shot? I though all shots in anime were given the same pay rate, except for what we call "sakuga," which gets a slightly higher pay rate.

Jumping in the post. I dont know about the pay rate but there was a convention that discusses about Sakuga animation on this link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLNHSrJoqFM&list=PLuPNSyztkHPqV-M4ePSmN_2BLhONu0WLg

Its worth a look if you want expand on your curiosity about anime. It is my goal to that level.

At 3/12/14 11:38 PM, Rational-Delirium wrote:

At 1/9/14 11:29 PM, KhanhCPham wrote: I draw directly on the screen with my Fujitsu t4220 laptop but I want to upgrade it soon. I do wish I have a cintiq but it is expensive so I tend to invest the money on something else.

Doesn't the slight lag bother you? I have a Fujitsu t4410, and disabled the pen controls, but now I'm wondering if it's worth re-enabling again.

I dont notice any lag but that is because I disabled a lot of programs. I disable things such as pen-flicks, fingerprint scan, fujitsu programs, and etc. I dont find it necessary re-enabling the programs because I find the programs just to be bloatware.

Still, the laptop is outdated and I been saving up money for better hardware. The fujitsu did served me well. This baby helped me with a lot of projects.