Animate "Monty" Doing Riverdance

Animate "Monty" Riverdance

We've uploaded a new animation tutorial - how to animate a character dancing. The tutorial shows how to employ live action reference, and uses the free Monty rig, which you can read about here.  

The purpose of the tutorial is to learn how to import live action reference footage into Maya and use it to create believable animation.  You can find the tutorial, which is free for all our students, at our Vimeo Channel.

"Mouse: Impossible" Best Creative at Halicarnassus

Mouse: Impossible Best Creative at Halicarnassus Fest

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Mouse: Impossible" has won "Best Creative" at the Halicarnassus Film Festival.

Mouse: Impossible is a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Mouse: Impossible" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  This is the third award for "Mouse: Impossible".

Horse Rearing Tutorial Using Live Action Ref

Horse Rearing Tutorial with Live Action Reference

We've uploaded a new animation tutorial to our expanding Vimeo tutorial channel - how to animate a horse rearing up - using live action reference.

The purpose of the horse animation tutorial is to learn how to import live action reference footage into Maya and use it to create believable animal animation.

You can find the tutorial, free for all our students, at our Vimeo Channel.

Mouse: Impossible - Best Student Film in Milan

Mouse: Impossible Best Student Film in Milan

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Mouse: Impossible" has won an award for Best Student Film in Milan.

Mouse: Impossible is a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Mouse: Impossible" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  

"Journey of Life" Best Student Film in Hollywood

Journey of Life Best Student Film in Hollywood

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Journey of Life" has won award for Best Student Film at the Hollywood Gold Awards.

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our degree-awarding partner Buckinghamshire New University.   "Journey of Life" has won many festival awards. 

Animating Quadrupeds - with Michael Schlingmann

Quadruped Locomotion Tutorial from Felix Sputnik on Vimeo.

Above is an excellent, clear tutorial on how to animate quadrupeds, recorded by veteran animator Michael Schlingmann, who I worked alongside many years ago on the animated epic The Thief and The Cobbler.  To learn how to animate quadruped locomotion, watch Michael's video above.

"Mouse: Impossible" Wins Best Animation Award

Mouse: Impossible  wins Best Animation at GEFF 

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrmann whose short film "Mouse: Impossible" has won an award for Best Animation at the Golden Eagle Film Festival.

Mouse: Impossible is a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Mouse: Impossible" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  

"Mouse: Impossible"  was completed during the course of Robin's studies, and is currently being entered into film festivals.  This is the film's first festival award.

Introducing "Mouse: Impossible"

Herrmann_Robin_DA703_HQ from Rob in on Vimeo.

Meet "Mouse: Impossible", a new short film created by Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman.  "Mouse: Impossible" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation at our degree-awarding partner, Buckinghamshire New University.  "Mouse: Impossible"  was completed during the course of Robin's studies, and is currently being entered into film festivals. 

"Artifact" Wins "Best VFX" in Singapore Fest

Artifact wins Best VFX at Singapore Film Carnival

Congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Kristis Bandzevicius whose animated short "Artifact" has won "Best VFX" at the Singapore World Film Carnival. 

"Artifact" is an animated short film written, produced and directed by Kristis, currently studying at Animation Apprentice for his MA in 3D Animation.   This is the film's fifth festival award. 

How to Animate a Skip - with Michael Schlingmann

Skip Animation Tutorial from Felix Sputnik on Vimeo.

How to Animate a skip - with Michael Schlingmann. Above is an excellent, clear tutorial on how to animate a skip, recorded by veteran animator Michael Schlingmann, who I worked alongside many years ago on the animated epic The Thief and The Cobbler.  A skip is a hard thing to animate; it is an eccentric gait and doesn't conform easily to the formula of a walk or a run.  To learn how to animate a skip, watch Michael's video above.

How to Animate Lipsync - with No Lips

"Monty" dialogue by Rich Jeffrey

The first dialogue exercise tackled by students at Animation Apprentice is how to animate a character speaking a line of dialogue - with no mouth.  Students almost always look skeptical at this idea - how can you animate Lipsync with no lips? 

The answer, of course, is that it's all in the acting and the performance.  If the body language is working, then the audience will believe that the character is speaking - even if the character itself has no mouth.

What Kind of Laptop To Buy in 2022

What kind of laptop should I buy?" is a question that we are often asked at Animation Apprentice. 

Computer specifications change regularly and much depends on exactly what you want to use your laptop for.  But let's say you want to buy a laptop capable of running Autodesk Maya, for computer animation and to render out your shots.

What sort of laptop should you buy, and how much do you need to spend? Animation Apprentice graduate and animation teacher Amedeo Beretta offers some advice to our students.

Why Animators Need Handles

Adobe Premiere

What are "handles", and why do animators need them? "Handles" are a technical term used in video editing to describe the process of adding a few frames to the start and end of every shot. This means that each shot in the film is slightly longer than it needs to be, allowing the editor to adjust the cut by a few frames in either direction to make the edit smoother.

An editor working with, say "four frame handles", has an extra four frames at the start and end of every shot. Working with handles means that animators have to do a little extra work, but it gives the editor flexibility with the final edit. 

Jim Van Der Keyl Live Action Reference

Above is a lovely piece of live action reference by animator Jim Van Der Keyl who I worked with many years ago on Brad Bird's classic animated film "The Iron Giant". Jim, like many animators, used live action reference to help create the best animation possible with the most believable acting choices. In this case, he ended up being nominated for an Annie Award for his hard work. 

Journey of Life Wins Best Director

Journey of Life wins Best Director (Short Film) at FOFA

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won award for Best Director (Super Short Film) at the Future of Film Awards.

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our academic partner Buckinghamshire New University.  The film has won many festival awards. 

Summer Class Starts Monday 4th July

"Artifact" by Kristis Bandzevicius

Our next class at Animation Apprentice starts on Monday 4th July 2022. We're excited to welcome new students on their animation journey; junior animators are still very much in demand, especially in our home town of London, and my inbox is full of requests from studios for fresh talent.

So, how to get ready for the start of class? It's always good to do a little preparation.

Getting Your Name Listed at the IMDB

 

For all our students working on short films and getting their names listed at the IMDb, here is a short video explaining how the process works. The IMDb interface is a bit fiddly when you first use it, but it gets easier with a little practice.  Getting your name listed at the IMDb is something of a rite of passage in our industry - it proves that you "exist" in our industry, and it's where industry folk will search to find your name.  A well-curated IMDb profile is an important thing to keep half an eye on. 

BAFTA Scholarship Deadline 20 May 2022

Perhaps you might be considering applying for our Online MA in Animation - but lack the funds? Why not apply for a BAFTA scholarship?

BAFTA has opened applications for its scholarship programmes, worth up to £12,000. The scholarships are open to UK nationals for both undergraduate and post-graduate study. The deadline is 20 May 2022.

Walt - The Man Behind The Myth

Sometimes it's time to down tools and learn a bit about the history of animation. The pioneering giant upon whose shoulders all animators stand was Walt Disney. To understand why Disney was such a transformative figure in the history of the animation industry, watch "Walt – The Man Behind the Myth" -  a biographical documentary on the man who founded the Walt Disney Studios.  The documentary was narrated by Dick Van Dyke and directed by Jean-Pierre Isbouts.

How To Create Thumbnails for Animation

 

How do you create thumbnail sketches for character animation? Learning how to create thumbnail sketches is a very important skill, even for animators who don't draw well, because thumbnail sketches are an important tool for planning animation.  Even 3D animators who aren't that comfortable with drawing are encouraged to have a go at the thumbnailing process, because it is so valuable for planning character animation.  Watch the video above to see how to create simple but expressive thumbnail sketches for this month's "11 Second Club". 

"Journey of Life" Hon Mention at DSFF

"Journey of Life" wins Hon Mention at DSFF

Many congratulations to Animation Apprentice student Robin Herrman whose short film "Journey of Life" has won an Honourable Mention for Best No Budget Film at the Dreamer's Short Film Festival (DSFF).

"Journey of Life" was written, produced and directed by Robin, currently studying for his MA in 3D Animation with our degree-awarding partner Buckinghamshire New University.