Why Animators Should Be Problem Solvers

Eyeline problem from "Who Framed Roger Rabbit"

Studios love animators who are also problem solvers. An animator who helps to solve problems (and, hopefully, doesn't create them) is a golden asset to any organisation.

On the left is an example of problem-solving by animator Simon Wells, on the 1988 feature film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.  

Back in 1987 I was Simon's In-betweener (a job that involved smoothing out the animation flow), and I was always impressed by Simon's ability to solve visual problems, such as the one on the left.

Why Animators Should Work on Multiple Shots

Recently a student at Animation Apprentice was getting stuck on one of the weekly exercises, and I suggested that he work on a different shot. At first he resisted - he didn't want to give up on the shot he was working on.  

But I explained that lots of animators like to work on multiple shots at once - it helps to be able to rest your eyes, and come back fresh to a shot after working on something else for a while. 

Introducing...Loop De Loop!

Here at Animation Apprentice we're excited about Loop De Loop, a bi-monthly animation challenge that's a bit like The 11 Second Club, but with a loopy twist.

Loop De Loop seeks to create "a community of creative folks working together for the greater good of looping animation". Whatever that is.

So, how do students get involved with Loop De Loop? And what's it for anyway?

Animation Workflow From Big Hero Six

Shot Breakdown: Fred basketball test from trent correy on Vimeo.

Above is an excellent shot breakdown video by Disney animator Trent Correy about how he planned out one of his shots on Big Hero Six. How does an animator actually plan their shot? There is, of course, no single answer to this question - every animator has their own workflow that works for them.  That said, most animators approach a shot in fairly similar ways, thinking about it, planning it, thumbnailing it, making a road map for their destination. Watch Trent's video above and see how a skilled animator approaches their subject. You can also click here, or follow the link below:
http://trentanimation.tumblr.com/post/112765648590/ive-had-a-few-requests-lately-to-do-a-shot

The Free PAIE Plugin for Maya - How It Works

Autodesk Maya is a powerful piece of software, free for students to download, and now the industry standard for 3D animation around the world.

But Maya does have its weaknesses, and one of them is the difficulty of copying and pasting your animation from one rig to another. Got some great animation you want to copy on to a new rig? Computer says no.

But now the free PAIE plugin by Jacob Weiner has made it all much, much easier.  Here is how it works.

Blue Zoo Explain How to Make a Hit Animated TV Series

Q Pootle 5 by Blue Zoo

The annual Blue GFX Expo is a treasure trove of visual effects industry lectures and workshops. Among the excellent presentations was a talk by Adam Shaw of London's Blue Zoo, who created the animated TV series Q Pootle 5. In effect, his lecture was a fully-fledged workshop in how to put a TV series together from start to finish. So, if you have ever wondered - how do you get your own TV series off the ground? - here's how they pulled it off.

Animation Number One at UK Box Office

According to a piece in yesterday's Telegraph, animated films are now the UK's favourite, taking in as much of a fifth of all box office revenues. In 2013 animation became the top-grossing film genre at UK cinemas, making almost £250million, a fifth of total box office takings. This is good news for animators, and good news for us at Animation Apprentice. After all, we're aiming to be the best place in the world to learn animation, training our students to be the very best at this rapidly growing and flourishing medium.