How Long Should a Demo Reel Be?

How long should a demo reel be? This is a question I often get asked at Animation Apprentice. The simple answer to the question is, for a student reel, "about 30 seconds to a minute". But there is a longer answer, which is a little more complicated.  A demo reel is the single most important means of landing that crucial first job in the animation industry, so it's important to get it right. 

How to Fix a Floaty Walk Cycle

How do you fix a floaty walk cycle? Walk cycles tend to be floaty because junior animators often (make that usually) forget to add the "squash" or "down" position in which both feet are bearing the weight of the body. It's an easy mistake to make, especially if you are animating a walk "on the spot", on an imaginary treadmill, where the character's body stays still and the feet travel backwards.  In this ten minute video I show exactly what the problem is, and how to solve it. The solution is simple - but only when you know how to fix it. 

How Much Do You Charge Your First Client?

 

One of the most common questions I get asked at Animation Apprentice by students and recent graduates is this: "What should I charge for my first freelance job?".  First of all - congratulations! You have your first client. Now you have to figure out the scope of the work, and how much to charge.  Generally, at the start of your career, you want to keep your rates as low as possible. Work as cheaply as you can afford to in the beginning, do a good job - and your clients will come back for more. Before you know it, you'll be building up a portfolio career as a freelance animator.

How to Solve Technical Problems

Why doesn't it work? Technical problems are the bane of the animator's life - but inevitable whenever you are working with tech tools. In the video above I explain the best approach to solving technical problems; the secret is to get help, but make sure you ask the right questions, and provide the maximum amount of information so that others can help you. Below is a list of solutions to some frequently-encountered technical difficulties.  Remember that every technical problem, no matter how infuriating, has a solution. You are not the first person to face the problem - there is an answer out there somewhere. 

Live Action Reference with Pernille

A while back I was teaching a class at The Animation Workshop in Viborg, Denmark, one of Europe's best animation schools. Students are required to film themselves acting out a shot and then use the acting as reference for the animation. One of the best examples was this shot animated by Pernille Flyvholm.  Like all the students, Pernille filmed herself acting out the shot, filming multiple takes until she got it just right. The live action has some great detail in it - such as the little flip of the phone in the character's hand - an authentic detail that makes the acting feel believable. 

Angelo Garrizone Animation Intern at King Bee

Angelo Garizzone

Many Congratulations to Animation Apprentice graduate Angelo Garrizone who has recently landed an animation internship with King Bee animation, based at the historic Elstree Studios in Borehamwood, just outside of London.

King Bee have worked on many animation projects, including music videos and TV series. They use Maya, Flash and Photoshop to do much of their work.

Angelo worked hard at building an animation demo reel, and also had to complete a test in Adobe Animate in order to secure the position.

Lee Caller "Special Mention" Award at ANSFF

"Jelly Cars": Special Mention at ANSFF

Animation Apprentice is proud to congratulate Lee Caller whose short film Jelly Cars has won a "Special Mention" Award at the Arte Non Stop Film Festival in Argentina. 

This is the second award for Jelly Cars; earlier this year the short won a "Five Stars" Award at the British International Amateur Film Festival.  Lee graduated from Animation Apprentice several years ago and now teaches animation at Escape Studios in London. 

How Feedback Works at Animation Apprentice

 

How do students get feedback at Animation Apprentice? I personally tutor all my students, who receive a weekly bespoke feedback tutorial on their work, showing how to fix mistakes and how to make it better.  In addition, we have a Facebook classroom where students post their work, receive positive feedback, and give creative criticism to others.  Being able to take criticism ("notes" in the industry) is part of the process of creating great animation. When you first show your work to a client, they will have comments, and they won't always love your first efforts. Whether you're working at a studio, or doing private client work, or just working on your own personal work, animators need to learn to incorporate criticism in order to make your work the best it can be.

Charlie & Yip Nominated Best Trailer Bucharest

I am pleased to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won an award nomination for Best Trailer at the Bucharest Film Festival.   Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

The short is really a teaser/trailer for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.  Recently it won the "Scream Award" at the Berlin Flash Film Festival, Best Animation at the Flicks Film Festival in London,  Best Trailer at the Changing Face International's Film Festival (CFIFF) in Australia, "Best Trailer" at the Lisbon Monthly Film Festival, Best Trailer at the Halicarnassus Film Festival, and Best Film at the Film One Film Fest in July.

Nine Questions to Ask Your Client

What questions should you ask a client when you start work on your first freelance job? Most projects start off full of optimism and excitement, but there is always a risk of things going wrong.  It's worth asking the right questions up front, to ensure that the job goes smoothly and well, and your happy client comes back for more. In this video I explain about the Nine key questions to ask your client before you get started.

Why Walk Cycles Need Sine Waves

Animators like sine waves.  Not because we are good at maths (it was my worst subject at school) but because in 3D animation, a sine wave typically shows that your animation is smooth and flowing, without bumps or mistakes. Watch the short video above (just a couple of minutes) which shows how a sine wave can help smooth out your animation. 

Charlie & Yip Wins Best Trailer at 1st Fest

I am pleased to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won another award - Best Trailer at 1st Festival. 

Recently the short won the "Scream Award" at the Berlin Flash Film Festival, Best Animation at the Flicks Film Festival in London, Best Trailer at the Changing Face International's Film Festival (CFIFF) in Australia, "Best Trailer" at the Lisbon Monthly Film Festival, Best Trailer at the Halicarnassus Film Festival, and Best Film at the Film One Film Fest in July.

Why Rejection is Information

In this short video, I explain why animators should not be discouraged by rejection. Not getting a job is always frustrating, but you should never be downhearted. Instead, consider why you didn't get the job, and ask what you can do better next time. Better yet, ask the company why you didn't get it; they are very likely to tell you (few bother to ask), and the information they give you can be very valuable. For example, they might be looking for expertise in a certain kind of software, in which case - download the trial version and start learning. Or, perhaps, they just weren't hiring after all - in which case you can re-apply. Whatever the reason, being rejected is never a reason to give up. The information you gain will help you to keep persisting until you land that crucial first job in the industry. 

Open Broadcaster Software (OBS)

What is the best free screen recording software? For Mac users, Quick Time offers a simple and free solution. 

Another excellent option is the Open Broadcaster Software (OBS), which is free and highly effective. OBS is easy to install and free to use, for Windows and Mac devices.

"Charlie and Yip" Wins "Scream Award" in Berlin

I am pleased to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won the "Scream Award" at the Berlin Flash Film Festival. 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

The short is really a teaser/trailer for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.  Recently the short Best Animation at the Flicks Film Festival in London, Best Trailer at the Changing Face International's Film Festival (CFIFF) in Australia, "Best Trailer" at the Lisbon Monthly Film Festival, Best Trailer at the Halicarnassus Film Festival, and Best Film at the Film One Film Fest in July.

Last Call For Our November Class!

Robot photobash by Joe Gamble

Last call for our November Class, which begins on Monday 3 November 2020.

It's not too late to book a place (but you'll have to hurry); 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.

"Charlie and Yip" Best Animation at Flicks

I am pleased to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won Best Animation at the Flicks Film Festival in London. 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

The short is really a teaser/trailer for my indie feature film project "My Haunted House", which is still in development.  Recently the short won Best Trailer at the Changing Face International's Film Festival (CFIFF) in Australia, "Best Trailer" at the Lisbon Monthly Film Festival, Best Trailer at the Halicarnassus Film Festival, and Best Film at the Film One Film Fest in July.

Animation Apprentice Autodesk Authorised

We are delighted to announce that Animation Apprentice has recently been confirmed by Autodesk as an Authorised School, meaning that our students can download their free education license for Maya. 

For newcomers to the animation industry, it's important to remember that Autodesk, who make the software Maya, offer an education copy of Maya for free, which can be downloaded from the official Autodesk site.

Autodesk Maya has been the dominant software package in 3D animation for over 20 years. I first used Maya 1.0 on "The Iron Giant", back in 1998.  And today it remains the most powerful package for the creation of 3D animation, widely used in industry.

Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition 2020

The Young Cartoonists of the Year Competition is back. 

Hosted by the Cartoon Museum, which has at last re-opened after its long Covid-19-slumber, the annual competition seeks to reward rising cartoon talent. 

Judges include leading cartoonists such as Martin Rowson (The Guardian), Christian Adams (Evening Standard), Banx (FT), Peter Brookes (The Times), Nick Newman (Private Eye), and Matt from the Daily Telegraph. 

If you can think of a more eminent list of cartoonists, I'd like to see it. 

There are two categories: Under 18 and Under 30; the deadline is 23 November 2020, and entries should be mailed in (old school Royal Mail) to the Cartoon Museum.  

Charlie & Yip Best Super Short at UK Film Fest

"Best Super Short" at UK Film Fest

I am delighted to announce that my short film "Charlie and Yip" has won "Best Super Short" at the UK Monthly Film Festival in London in August/September. 

Charlie and Yip is a short film about a kid who takes his pet to school for Show and Tell, which turns out to be a bad idea.

Using Live Action Reference for Animation

Live Action Ref by Eilin Berrio Pena

One of the skills that junior animators must master is how to use live action reference to inform their animation.

When you go and watch a Pixar or Disney movie, you see animation, not live action. But there is plenty of live action there - it's just behind the scenes. Animators typically film themselves acting out their shot, and then use that reference to create animation. Below is an example from two students, Eilin Berrio Pena and Paloma Zhu, showing how they filmed live action reference to enter the monthly 11 Second Club Competition.