New Years Resolutions
The new semester is about to start for students and a new year for everyone working. I have been thinking about what I want to do better in terms of animation this coming year. I always remember way back on A Bugs Life a certain animator who would get a specific note all the time. “Less is More” It seems that most good art has to do with boiling down an idea to its core. Here is a list of a few things I want to try and do better in my work this coming year.
1) Gesture Less
2) Block out shots more clearly and with less controls
3) Utilize my time in a smart way that lets me be more efficient (less web surfing)
4) Explore more entertainment value in each shot. How can the idea be pushed to the place where it becomes better than just executing a story point?
5) Work on Physicality
6) Push acting ideas.
7) Stay healthy
In the crunch of any production its so hard to have anytime to really spend on making your shots have it all. You are rushing to meet the deadline. I get that. I can understand how game animators or TV productions just dont have the time to pull off all the stuff that they want. I guess the best thing to do is to try and choose the areas that you want to put the most effort into. Anyway, thats going off on a tangent. I’d love to hear what other animators want to concentrate on for 2010.
-Andrew
Wei
7) Staying healthy is definitely something I have to work on!
My new years resolution would be to pinpoint all my animation weaknesses and improve on them in my newer animations. Also, read up and learn more on storytelling and animation, all that good stuff!
dave g
Got to make sure my ideas and poses are all reading clearly in blocking before I get ahead of my self and start adding keys everywhere. That always creates more work later for me. thats my resolution.
Kelly Perez
I would like to push the entertainment value. To really try and thoroughly think of how an 8 second clip can really capture an audience.
Also work on cleaning up the tiny frame by frame details.
Happy Animating!
Sruli Broocker
My main objective right now is to control the shot, not to rely on “happy accidents.” I think this means more careful, deliberate planning and blocking. Of course, I won’t turn away a “happy accident,” either – those are gifts from Above.
Philip
Definitely Less WEB SURFING
Saurabh
Thankyou spline doctors for this mail. All the above points will be a guidline for my work in this year.
Tyler
I’ll only just be beginning with traditional animation this semester (ball bounces, flour sack, etc…) and my overall goal is to work as hard as possible to establish a strong foundation with the principles. My success later on as I get into more and more complex computer animation will depend largely on how I spend my time this semester.
Djorzgul
I think New Year’s resolutions are a really crap way to make positive changes to the way you live.
Why? Well, I reckon it’s much more effective to start doing something right away. Not next Monday, month, year… whatever….
corey
Choosing your battles I think is the key. I usually have to pick a handful of scenes that I really want to shine & let the rest of my workload be mostly business-only. If I have time at the end I go in and flare up those biz-only shots.
My animation 2010 resolution? I need to do some more life drawing!
Herman G.
Happy New Year.. a High tek twenty-ten to ya..
All those you have is great, I’ll have to use those as well.. Really 3. is you problem too.. cause that is what Im working on” Time Management”
1-End procrastination
2-Do 1st things 1st
3-Do things with zest and enthusiasm
4-I heard sports stars visualize themselves wining and doing good in their game, I wanna try that( w/ me working productively on shots ) besides picturing the shot itself.
5-The “Hundreds Trick” Challenge for talent( I heard this from Rich Williams) 100 exercises 9 master copies from books, tutorials, self tests.(super polished could be super short)
6-Know when to Rest and Recover (workout/ eat healthy) and work on peak periods.
—it gonna be the best year yet!
Herman G.
Sorry 9 is typo”
kate
I found this interesting:
2) Block out shots more clearly and with less controls
I was taught to touch every control on my poses when blocking but sometimes I just dont know if this is the best approach. Can you possibly disucuss this kind of blocking at some point if you havnt already.
Thanks and Happy New Year!!
Alex Curtis
Happy New Year! One of my resolutions is to be more decisive. I tend to be one of those animators who “over analyzes” things. I take a lot of pride in doing really solid planning, but I find once I’m in the shot, I can get bogged down. Sometimes I think its best to make a decision, and trust it.
Also, I’m with Kate, can we hear more about # 2)
Block out shots more clearly and with less controls
Thanks Spline Docs!
Jeremy Jutras
My 2010 New Years Res….. to become a better overall Animator!
I think I need to work mostly on nailing down some solid prepro/brainstorming ideas!
Chris Holt
Read less blogs.
Alex Curtis
That one doesn’t seem to be going so well Chris
Chris Holt
Sorry… I meant: read less blogs apart from this one and animate more!!!
sally
Stay off the needle, for real this time. I mean it, no more slip ups, I just can’t sell myself for one more fix again and still feel good about it in the morning…
Mahesh
Here is my list ..
1. Start my Hour of Power
2. Animate all the assignments from Mr. Richard Williams
3. Learn to draw quick sketches
4. Come up with at least 2 ideas for story daily
5. Write Articles weekly
6. Spend more time on Planning and creating Golden poses
7. I’m still writing , oh i forgot ,
Animate more than i write and speak and read about animation
Patrik Spacek
…my goal is get to the Pixar in Canada! as CG generalist. Hopefully this year its gonna be finally successful
or at least, let me know what the hell is wrong with my CG 
))) Disney love it, Pixar doesnt, so where is the point?? 
)
guest
this year, I want to build my own mocap studio. you know why? I’ll tell you why. cuz I will never have enough time to animate my own movies, there ya go. and I want to be an actor of my own movies, I’m really hyped about performance capture
(and yes, I’m a professional animator 9 to 5…ish…)