T. Dan Hofstedt - animation supremo |
"I recently received a letter from an aspiring animation student asking me how to become an animator. I have been asked this question many times over the years. I myself asked that very same question when I was first starting out, so I try to give back and offer some kind of guidance that will hopefully give them some insight.
I also get asked by friends and relatives who have a friend or son or niece or nephew or grandchild who shows some talent and interest in animation. Here is one answer...
T Dan brought Mr Arrow to life in Treasure Planet |
"THE SECRET OF ANIMATION"
"There is no "secret formula" other than good old fashioned hard work and dedication. The more you do something, the better you will get.
Drawing is the foundation of all good animation, even if you are working mainly on a computer. Therefore, make a habit of carrying a sketchbook and drawing the world around you. People, pets, buildings, zoo animals, athletic events, dancers, bus riders, people in meetings, actors off the television, etc. Draw draw draw.
Getting the acting right |
My last tip for you is what I used to tell all my students at Animation Mentor. I call it "The Secret of Animation."
What is animation? The word animation means to "give life" or "be alive," or as Frank & Ollie's famous book describes it, "The Illusion of Life." So, LIFE is at the core of what animation is. By definition, anything that is alive is animated, right? You, your family, your friends, your pets, the animals at the zoo, the grocer down the street are ANIMATED because they are living and breathing creatures. They possess life. So, the art of animation is to portray LIFE in the characters you draw or manipulate in the computer. Living creatures possess the ability to experience life around them through their 5 senses: Seeing, Hearing, Tasting, Touching and Smelling (you can add a 6th sense of inward intuition to the list). Only living creatures possess this ability to see, hear, taste, touch and smell.
The Five senses. Photo: Wikipedia |
But that is only the start. After you show them experience their world through their senses, your character must then have a reaction to what their senses have just experienced. What they think and feel about what they are experiencing is the rest of the job.
This is the Secret of Animation. Only living creatures possess the ability to experience their world through their senses, and only living breathing conscious creatures can have reactions to what they experience. These reactions reveal their personality. And then you have a truly ANIMATED character.
Anything you put on your reel should be your best work, and anything that shows a character with convincing portrayal of life is a good scene, in my opinion.
So, good luck with it."
To see more of T Dan's excellent work, visit www.t-dan.com. For more information on finding work in the animation and visual effects business, read our post on how to find a job in the animation industry, and check out our post about what not to do at a job interview. Also see our post on starting your own small animation business, learn how to create an invoice, and see how we are helping our students find work through our film co-operative Nano Films. Download the free Escape Studios Careers in VFX Handbook. Take a look at how awn.com can help you find a job, and read our piece about how to survive as a freelance animator. Also, find out what Cinesite look for in a student's demo reel, and read our post on setting up your own animation business.
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