Animation

[pjalne]

A couple of friends and me are planning to do a short animated pilot when we find the time. I've been watching a lot of limited animation lately to figure out the best way to do it well without taking on too much work, and I'm on my way to develop a system that will be easy to teach to others.

I could use some information though, and I'm not finding anything on Google except animated gif tutorials. Does anybody know about any articles etc that could offer some tips? The level we're shooting for is something close to Aqua Teen Hunger Force (technically, not thematically).

[Mockery]

Macromedia Flash man, that's the way to go. In fact, I think that's what they used for Aqua Teen Hunger force. I've always wanted to do something like that myself, but I need to get a computer setup so I can record sounds again.

[liquidstatik]

From what i've heard, they used flash for ATHF and Sealab 2021.

[Cap'n Crunch]

They used Adobe After Effects for them, but it's almost exactly the same thing. The only difference in Adove After Effects is that you animate it with .gifs from Photoshop and stuff.

[pjalne]

Actually, they used final Cut :P In the beginning anyway, Crunch may be right about AE. One doesn't exactly exclude the other. Hopefully that's what we'll be using too, depending on our future access to school computer labs.

Basically, we'll be making characters without pupils and mouths and then put pupils, eyelids and various mouth positions in separate layers. We'll be doing multi-layer backgrounds too to allow people to pass behind stuff. We'll also export standardized animations (walk cycles, finger pointings etc) with a uniform background color (blue, for the most part) to be keyed out later. To have an excuse not to put much work into background art, we'll place the whole thing onboard a neutral medic submarine during WW2. Of course, if we want to, we can go to any other location we want to. In other words, not exactly full animation. If anyone has any advice it's very welcome.

There are a handful of people on this board I wouldn't mind working with on this, but you're all too busy and on another continent :(

[Mockery]

Yeah I'd love to help out if a) I had access to sound recording equipment, because I can do all sorts o' shit with my voice (or so i'm told) and b) I lived near ya so we could plan out stuff. Still, if you do any stuff in flash and have questions about it, just lemme know and I'll try to point ya in the right direction.

[pjalne]

Thanks, man. I'll probably try to do it on either Final Cut or one of Adobe's programs, though. I've spent a year studying them at school, and I don't feel ready to take on another standard.

This'll probably mostly be in Norwegian, but we're going to include all sorts of nationalities (Norway, UK, Sweden, Japan, Russia, Italy and of course Germany), so let me know if you figure the recording out. There's only so much the homes and me can pull off before running out of voices. :(

EDIT: That is, we'll be adding a lot of nationalities if we get picked up. Which we almost guaranteed won't, since there are only four domestic channels over here. >:

[soundtest]

I used to work in animation. You might remember me from such shitty cartoons as The Ripping Friends, Hoze Houndz and Maggie and the Ferocious Beast!

We used Softimage Toonz x-sheet module for compositing (which is what I think you're talking about), but from what I've heard After Effects is better and more user friendly. Softimage Toonz has different modules for every aspect of the animation process - scanning the frames, ink 'n paint, digital x-sheet, and batching... but it's a really weird program to get used to... it's compatible with Windows systems but wasn't really designed for them...

You seem to have a decent idea of what you're doing already though, and there's not really all that much to know besides learning the software. :/

[Cap'n Crunch]

Pjalne, I can actually do all of those things and Flash and a lot of other stuff too. If not, I have a tablet if you need help with drawing some stuff.

[pjalne]

I used to work in animation. You might remember me from such shitty cartoons as The Ripping Friends, Hoze Houndz and Maggie and the Ferocious Beast!

Sorry, we don't get those here :/

We used Softimage Toonz x-sheet module for compositing (which is what I think you're talking about), but from what I've heard After Effects is better and more user friendly. Softimage Toonz has different modules for every aspect of the animation process - scanning the frames, ink 'n paint, digital x-sheet, and batching... but it's a really weird program to get used to... it's compatible with Windows systems but wasn't really designed for them...

Yeah, I think I'll try to get better in AfterEffects instead, though I might end up in FC. I'll need to use something I know well enough to teach the guys the techniques.

Pjalne, I can actually do all of those things and Flash and a lot of other stuff too. If not, I have a tablet if you need help with drawing some stuff.

It's appreciated, and I wish I could accept help, but I want to get a unique and consistant look to it, so I'll have to draw just about everything myself :( At least until the style is established. Thanks, though.

[Anonymous]

I know a lil about after effects. I used it for the spectacular effects in the kung-fu movie on my site. :<

[pjalne]

You know, I saw that one six months ago or something. It was kick-ass.

[Royal Tenenbaum]

I recommend getting a rotoscoping machine! :love

[pjalne]

That would be awesome, but then I would have to learn how to work it. While new tecniques work well when you have limited means and just want to make something, oldschool animation is something quite different.

[Supafly345]

Pjalne, I can actually do all of those things and Flash and a lot of other stuff too. If not, I have a tablet if you need help with drawing some stuff.You'd need a little more practice first. I, on the other hand am quite capable of imitating other people's styles, and am looking for some work.

[Cap'n Crunch]

How the fuck would you know. You've never even seen anything I've done.

[Anonymous]

yeah after fx is great .. i did hear ATHF used flash. That sorta like a one shot deal when AFTRFX isnt. Frankly though... who gives a shite? The tools don't matter all that much. Flash can be a bit gawky to draw with, but photoshit and transfering to another prog is more work. And of course not so vector. It's just a matter of what works best for you and what yer doin, and only you can really say that eh.


edit* actually I re-read some of what you posted. Personally I'd be photoshit/illustrator and Afterfx. I just think flash (though a good prog) might be too gawky. If you are planning on using anything "photographic" flash is not the way to go because it will ass-slow it down. If it will be pure vector - then yes flash. If not go aferfx

[Supafly345]

How the fuck would you know. You've never even seen anything I've done.Yes I have. But I am sure you are getting there, no need to get upset. I wasn't meaning to discredit you.
Lets trade art secrets.

[pjalne]

edit* actually I re-read some of what you posted. Personally I'd be photoshit/illustrator and Afterfx. I just think flash (though a good prog) might be too gawky. If you are planning on using anything "photographic" flash is not the way to go because it will ass-slow it down. If it will be pure vector - then yes flash. If not go aferfx

When you have so limited resources, you have to think everything through and figure out what will give you best results for a minimum amount of work. I'll probably go for a charcoal-look because it'll let me work fast and it will give me a lot of 'free texture'. If you pull off a raw look well, it can reverse the scale and make it look sophisticated I think. So I'll draw a lot by hand, scan and color it and import it into whatever program I'll end up with. Which pretty much rules vectors out. ATHF could very well be vector-based, though.

Cap'n and Supafly: I appreciate the offer, and we might be able to figure something out. There's no money, though :(

[SMN]

I've been working on an animated series myself. A series of shorts called the "V.S. Playdough"series. there done in stop motion animation with a webcam, and compiled with GIF Construction set. (used for gifs, but for some reason has a feature that you can convert into AVI s). I use cakewalk for the sound. It costs me nothing.