New Animation Mentor Newsletter

I hope that by now everybody signed up for the AM newsletter (didn't I write that before?). If not, then... WHY NOT? It's free and you want to learn all you can about animation, right? If you haven't signed up by now, then you're not really serious about this whole being-an-animator thingie. Unless you know everything about it already. ... Yeah, right.

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Featured in this month's newsletter:

Got the gig! Advice for Preparing for Your First Animation Job

Short Film: Chocogreed by Fernanda Veloso

Mentor: Mike Belzer - Disney Animator

Student: Valdimar Baldvinsson

Tips & Tricks with Shawn Kelly: Black Out Your Character

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Now if I were you I would also go back to previous issues:

• March 2007
• February 2007
• December 2006
• November 2006
• October 2006
• September 2006
• August 2006
• July 2006
• June 2006
• May 2006
• April 2006
• March 2006
• February 2006
• January 2006

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Use every resource that you can find!

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Pocoyo

As mentioned yesterday by Mr. Brown, check out "Pocoyo" on youtube.
Really cute design and fantastic animation timing, showing how far you can push snapiness.

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previous "Ratatouille" Featurette

for those who missed it:

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Disney/Pixar's "Ratatouillle" - Cooking 101

It seems to me that JV Pixar is now the best place for news about Pixar. There's a link to a new featurette about cooking, which shows new footage from the movie.

























pic source

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Great Animation Example

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Animation Critique: Character Balls (Jenna)

Direct Link: Jenna's Character Balls

Looking good!

As you get into the polishing, make sure to fix there things:

Little Ball:

After it turns around on the wall and jumps up, the timing of the jump needs a bit more love. Give it a little anticipation (add tiny squash to it), one or two frames of hangtime and a fall where it accelerates at the end. Sounds like a lot to squeeze in, but basically go from this timing: V (curves are very linear), to U (more rounded), just like you have the rest of the jumps. Also, delay the tail up movement so that it follow the ball, right now it's moving up at the same time (and give it some nice overlap just like during the jumps around the sack).
After the ball jumps onto the sack and falls back down, you have it land, and then it slowly rolls backwards. That's looks a bit funny because the tail is not moving, so it's not really rolling but moving across the floor. I would have it land and then take one or two tiny bounces backwards. And don't forget to animate the tail as it lands and bounces, right now it just falls down and then stops. The tail would bounce a little bit as well, don't have it look like it's glued to the floor.

Sack:

- I really like the little wobble you have with the foot as the ball is on him. Cute! What I would change is how the sack bends over afterwards. Right now he feels tired. But he was freaked out because of the ball and at the end he is mad and kicks the ball. So I would have him bend over fast, in a "What the...?!" attitude and then kick the ball.
Pose wise, is it possible to bend down the "shoulders" of the sack? The top part is very straight, it would be nice to have more of a curvature to it. Is that going to screw up all the top animation? Can you maybe pull up a joint that's in the middle of the sack? Let's take a look at the rig on Monday.

Keep going, nice work!

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