Animator Animate!

Some will say that an Animator has to pick a platform that they want to be animating for. You may hear people say,

'You're a Game animator so you can't be a Film animator, or you're a VFX animator and can't be a Feature Animator?'

When I hear this I ask the question,

"Why would you close the doors on an Animators ability?"

In my eyes an Animator Animates, so providing you understand the foundations and can adapt to the given style of the project then you can work in that arena.

Granted it does take years to build the necessary skills to be able to cross platforms as they all require extra understanding on the unique qualities of each arena, but it is possible for an Animator to animate wherever they want.

I work with many amazing animators that have done so and continue to go back n forth animating in games for one project and then jump to films for the next.

Over the years working as an Animator I myself have been fortunate to have animated in the many different arenas.

Here is a little look at some of the different areas an Animator can play in and the disciplines they help to build.

Video Games.

Games helped me build a strong understanding of body mechanics and working in true 3d space making sure the animation works from every angle.

Animating In-game animations from cycles, vignettes to combat moves.

With Cinematic's I got to look at acting and camera work. Not just moving keys but also Animating the whole scene and building a solid understanding of visual story telling.

Television.

The fast pace of Children's Tv is where learning to create key poses is vital in knowing how to best tell the story of the shot.

It was TV that really had me look at animating to camera, playing more with acting and digging deep into the fundamentals to ensure the performance had strong poses and clear silhouette.

Working in Commercials gave me the opportunity to work in smaller teams where being resourceful and showing initiative is the only way to get the job done. No time to sit in the corner and wait to be told what to do, in commercials you have to be clued in and on the case.

Film.

Previsualization showed me just how much Previs is a key part of film making, where 2d storyboards become the 3d blueprint. This stage is vital and is where a lot of creativity and understanding of storytelling and film making is gained. The early stages of production working closely with the Director playing with the style and movement of the characters.

When animating in Feature to VFX the use of video reference is a must for capturing those nuances that are needed to create a convincing performance when animating for film.

Whether animating Creatures from Fantasy worlds to characters based in reality, the realistic Panther to the Digi double action hero, to the zany cartoon character, I have learnt that being able to adapt to the many animation styles each film calls upon is a great way of experiencing and enjoying a wide variety of different types of films that require animation.

No matter what area you choose getting into the head of the character is important in every way.

These are just a few of the different arenas that an Animator can find themselves in and all help build a stronger and skillful animator.

So when looking at becoming an Animator know that you can play in many areas. Some animators like to stay in one area and fine tune their skills while others like to play across the many different fields. The choice is yours, build a solid foundation in the art of animation and in time you can find what suits you.

Have fun Animating!

Animator Animate.

This is an excerpt from my upcoming eBook 'Morganistic - Animator Animate', which will be available from Spring 2018

Watch this space!

#AnimationJourney

Michael M