THE GOLDEN RULES
THE ADVENTURES OF PADDINGTON DIRECTOR CHRIS DREW SHARES HIS TOP TIPS FOR CREATING YOUR OWN ANIMATIONS
1. MAKE US BELIEVE
One thing that I find we talk about a lot with animation at Blue Zoo is thought process. Make us believe that the pencil you're moving across the table is moving with a purpose. That's the secret, I think, to all animation. You can animate anything, but unless you believe it's alive then animation is just moving stuff, you have to bring life to something. So it's making sure that every time you move something it's got a reason, it's got a point, it's driving towards something. Even if it's just because a character is bored and they’re just reaching to the TV control unit, at least get across in the thought process that look before they move. You have to be able to hear the gears turning.
2. KEEP IT SIMPLE
Limit your ideas. Sometimes, with budget and time, we've only got 120 frames for a shot and we have to get across the fact that someone's picking something up and giving it to somebody else. Within that, sometimes animators will put in loads of great ideas and tiny bits and pieces. Keeping it simple is really important. To be able to sit back from your work and objectively look at it and say, ‘there's too much going on here. I know I've got nine great ideas but I'm going to use the two that I need, understand why I need those two, give them context, and the other seven I’ll save for the next shot or the next film.’ You’ve got those ideas still, they've not gone away. But for now, understand the motivation. Understand why you’re doing this and pick the best thing to do it with because it's about storytelling. It's all about storytelling, so keep it nice and simple.
3. ASK FOR HELP
If you are working on a project and you do need help, ask for it. Don’t just think, ‘oh my god I've got to get this right. I don't know what to do,’ and end up with a slew of notes. If you've been asked to do something that's too complicated, whether you’re a junior or not, let people know that you need some help with something. If you've been asked to do something that's just not possible with the rig or the time you've been given to do it in, or if you just don't understand exactly why you're doing a shot, just ask. There's nothing wrong with that. You'll never learn if you don't ask. Just make sure you ask your director, you ask your animation lead or animation director, your producer, someone else on your team, whoever you need. Never be afraid to ask to get some help, because at the end of the day the show's got to look good.