Let's say you are cutting from a wide shot to a close up, you start the motion in the wide shot, then carry it over to the next shot. This makes the cut feel less abrupt.
Wednesday 6 November 2024
Why Animators Should Cut on Movement
One of the key principles of cinematography is to cut on movement. What does that mean? It means that if you start an action in one shot, carry it over into the second.
Sunday 27 October 2024
Why Animators Need Walks on a Demo Reel
One common mistake junior animators make when cutting a demo reel is to leave off basic exercises like walks, character walks and runs.
But walks and runs can and should be on an animation demo reel - not for very long - but for just long enough to show that these are firmly inside the animator's skill set.
Wednesday 23 October 2024
Jinng Hwee Tan Animator at Framestore
Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Jinng Hwee Tan who has joined Framestore as an animator.
Jinng Hwee Tan studied animation with us, taking our Online MA in 3D Animation, being awarded a Master's Degree from Buckinghamshire New University.
Framestore is a leading global animation and VFX house, responsible for multiple hit movies and series.
You can see Jinng Hwee Tan's demo reel here.
Tuesday 22 October 2024
Why Animators Need a Great Acting Shot
Why do animators need a great acting shot on their demo reel? Because nothing showcases an animator’s talent quite like a strong acting shot.
A well-executed acting scene shows that an animator can give a performance, and approach a shot like an actor might approach a scene in a movie or a play.
Acting shots reveal whether an animator can go beyond basic mechanics and deliver an entertaining performance.
Friday 11 October 2024
Attaches in Maya - The "Cheat Method"
In this short video above we demonstrate how to do Attaches and Parenting in Maya, using "The Cheat Method". It's a very simple approach which involves parenting an object to another - in this case, Monty's hat, using the simple Shift Select P method. Then, rather than un-attach the hat, we simply replace the hat with a new identical hat, which looks exactly the same. This way, we don't have the bother of un-attaching the original hat - we can just remove it from the scene and replace it with a new one.
Monday 7 October 2024
Cartoony Mad Scramble Run and Exit with Monty
In this new animation tutorial we show how to animate a cartoony run and smear frame exit with Monty, the green pea.
It's a simple tutorial aimed at animation beginners, and covers runs, jumps and smear frames. We'll also need to do some attaches and parenting (for Monty's hat) basic lighting in Arnold and learn how to add motion blur to the final render.
Thursday 3 October 2024
Render Motion Blur in Maya and Arnold
How to Render Motion Blur in Maya and Arnold: This very simple and very short tutorial shows how to turn on Motion Blur in the Arnold Renderer in Maya. Why would you want to turn on motion blur? Because when you have very fast action, you almost always want motion blur; this simulates how our eyes actually see things in real life.
Tuesday 1 October 2024
Animate a Sneeze with Monty
Animate a sneeze with Monty |
A sneeze is an explosion of air, so we want a big anticipation, and then a big sneeze.
If you have time, attach a hat to Monty's head, and animate it flying up in the air, spinning and landing again (you will need the Parentmaster plugin for this).
Thursday 26 September 2024
Animation is Still Box Office Gold
There is a lot of doom and gloom in our industry these days, following strikes by both writers and actors, and the looming threat of AI.
Despite the pessimism, the animation industry continues to thrive, with 25% of box office success coming from animation productions in 2024 (see infographic left).
Jobs and opportunities remain - for those with the right skills.
Monday 23 September 2024
How To Reset Your Preferences in Maya
This short video shows how to Reset Your Preferences in Maya. Sometimes when Maya is behaving badly, you need to reset your preferences and start over. This short video shows how to do it. And you can read more about re-setting preferences in Maya here.
Sunday 22 September 2024
"Under The Sea" Animation Reel
Our latest demo reel above is a selection of some of the best aquatic animation done by students at Animation Apprentice; it features crabs, squid, jellies, dolphins, sharks and fish. Undersea animation poses a range of challenges, not least in how to light the animation to get a realistic underwater effect. You can see some tutorials on undersea animation below.
Friday 20 September 2024
Winter Class Starts Monday 4 November 2024
Our Winter Animation Class begins on Monday 4th November 2024. It's not too late to book a place; all you need to do is visit the main Animation Apprentice site and go through a few simple steps.
If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.
If you want to learn 3D animation to a professional level, and start your new career as an animator - your journey starts here.
Tuesday 17 September 2024
Aardman Workshop at Cartoon Museum 30 Oct 2024
Feathers McGraw modelling workshop 30th Oct 2024 |
The Cartoon Museum is welcoming Aardman Animation to celebrate the Thirtieth Anniversary of Wallace & Gromit, The Wrong Trousers.
You can make your own "Feathers McGraw" character to take home with you, assisted by Aardman Animation's own modelmakers.
Sunday 8 September 2024
Dinosaur Animation Reel
Student animators at Animation Apprentice learn how to animate a dinosaur in motion. The tutorial uses the free Dino rig by Harry Geoghegan, available for free download at Creative Crash. Following the tutorial, novice animators can create a believable dinosaur walk cycle and performance. To see some of the best dino animation by our students, watch the short demo reel above.
Friday 6 September 2024
Depth of Field in Maya and the Arnold Renderer
Thursday 5 September 2024
Quadruped Runs Demo Reel
In this latest compilation of student work we show some of the best quadruped runs completed by our students. Every animator needs to understand how to animate quadrupeds in motion; these are the basic "scales" of animal and creature animation. The basic gait for all quadrupeds is more or less the same, allowing for anatomy (herbivores generally have less flexible spines than carnivores). Edit by Miguel Teixeira. Music by: CreatorMix.com
Wednesday 4 September 2024
Focus and Depth of Field For Animators
Focus and Depth of Field are principles of cinematography that animators need to understand, because you don't always want the audience to see everything in your shot. Animators are film-makers, and the audience needs to be guided through scene, shown only what is important - and leaving out what is unimportant. Focus and depth of field can help with this - if something in your shot isn't important, simply blur it out. To see more about what the terms Focus and Depth of Field mean - and how it all works in practice - watch the short video above.
Tuesday 3 September 2024
Bear Walk Tutorial
All animators need to learn how to animate a quadruped walk cycle. All quadrupeds walk in more or less the same way, allowing for anatomy (herbivores have less flexible spines than do carnivores).
To the left is a bear walk cycle animated by Animation Apprentice graduate Joris Van Laar, and below are some useful thumbnails showing how to animate a bear walking.
Monday 2 September 2024
Dog Run Animation Tutorial
Dog run thumbnails - ASK - simplified |
The dog run thumbnails to the left are taken from the Animator's Survival Kit, the book we recommend all animators buy, but they are simplified to make the basic blocking of the dog run easier and quicker.
Friday 30 August 2024
Academic Deadlines For Our MA Students 2024-26
2021-2023 deadlines |
Note that this list of deadlines is a draft list only, and is subject to change. Students should always check the appropriate Module Guide and Assignment Brief to be certain of the correct submission date. And, of course, check with your tutor.
This list gives our MA students a broad idea of what to expect over the coming 18 months. But always double-check these dates - if in doubt, email your tutor.
Saturday 24 August 2024
Beyond The Glass: The WDW Animation Building
Directed by Dane T. and free to watch at YouTube, Beyond The Glass: The WDW Animation Building is a new feature length documentary about the Orlando, Florida branch of the Walt Disney Animation Studios - known as Walt Disney Feature Animation at the time. For me personally it's a trip down memory lane, as I started my own animation career at Disney MGM Studios on "RollerCoaster Rabbit" back in the late 1980s.
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