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What can be more challenging than learning a new skill? Well, it must be mastering the field. Not to mention beginner animators who wish to be professionals and live their dream of working in a big video production company.
We know the journey is uphill, and you should be aware of it too. But nothing is impossible, plus we got your back!
This article aims to help you learn the nitty-gritty of the animation field. So, keep reading to discover the quick beginner’s guide to animators that we’ve compiled just for you!
The Basic of Animations and Animators
Animation is a video product in the form of 2-dimensional or 3-dimension visuals. The production processes include drawing, illustrating, designing, animating, and rendering. The examples of animation videos are cartoons and animated explainer videos.
Animators refer to people who work behind the scenes. There are many job desks in the animation industry that can be categorized into pre-production, production, and post-production.
The pre-production process needs designers, art directors, story artists, concept artists, background artists, and visual development artists. The production team includes animators, 3D modelers, layout artists, rigging artists, CG artists, and others.
The post-production team includes 3D rendering, editor, motion graphic artists, sound effects artists, compositors, and visual effects supervisors. For a beginner, deciding on a specific job title will help you master the field quickly.
Animation Types
As the world gets more digitized, tThe entertainment industry has evolved significantly. Moreover, more businesses have been leveraging animation videos as their marketing strategy. Some main animation types that are in a high demand are:
2D and 3D Animation
Learning 2D animation is a good starting point to mastering the animation industry. The two types of 2D animation are hand-drawn and vector-based. The hand-drawn type is more traditional, but animators can still create both types digitally.
On the other hand, 3D animations or CGI (computer-generated imagery) require more skills and intensive digital processes, including modeling, animating, and texturing.
Stop Motion Animation
Have you ever seen the Shaun the Sheep cartoon or The Nightmare Before Christmas? Those two are examples of stop-motion animations.
The most essential behind-the-scenes processes are creating an individual set scene and taking a picture of it. The images of all scenes are then compiled together to yield movements. Later on, the process continues with editing and finishing touch.
Motion Graphic Animation
Motion graphic animation is one of the most in-demand types among businesses. It includes graphs, illustrations, typography, and sound effects to deliver messages for particular purposes, such as marketing.
Production Stages
Big companies like Disney, Pixar, and Studio Ghibli need a whole year-or even more to finish a movie project. So, you must be well aware that creating an animation video is a long process. Here are some of the main stages of producing an animation video.
#1. Creating Storyline
Every animation video needs a storyline. You need to be creative while developing a storyline, whether it is for entertainment or business purposes.
#2. Creating Script
When you’ve developed the script, the process continues with creating a script. The script can be in the form of dialogues between characters or a monologue for video narration. It depends on the video types.
#3. Making Art Concept
Creating an art concept is the first stage in bringing the characters and storyline to life. It’s the process of establishing the visual style of the characters and other aspects.
#4. Creating Storyboard
Storyboarding is necessary for every video production. Here, the person responsible for creating the storyboard will draw the video sequence in individual frames. They’ll also put essential information relating to the scene. In simple words, a storyboard is a visual representation of your video
#5. Crafting Assets
In a 3D animation production, crafting assets include creating character models and supporting features. For 2D animation, developing assets means finalizing character designs, drawing background, and rigging characters.
#6. Creating Animation
The most exciting part is adding motion to your characters, where you can finally see your characters moving. However, this process can take quite a time to finish.
#7. Texturing and Rendering
A 3D animation always needs texturing to assign certain materials to the models, like plastics, metal, skin, and hair. However, a 2D animation doesn’t necessarily need texturing.
The final stage is rendering, which is calculating scenes’ data to create still images. The process continues in a composting program like After Effects and Nuke to extract and combine the images to produce the final products.
Animation Software
There are many animation software that you can choose from the market. Still, we have compiled some of the most recommended and used in the industry. Plus, they’re all beginner friendly!
2D Animation Software
- Adobe Animate
- Adobe After Effects
- Toon Boom Harmony
3D Animation Software
- Blender
- Autodesk Maya
- Cinema 4D
Wrapping up: How to Jump in the Industry
If you are eager to jump into the animation industry, take a bold step as soon as possible. You must keep improving your skills by joining classes, projects, or internships to thicken your experience and create your own video demo.
Those efforts will help you fill your portfolio and create a powerful resume whenever you apply for a job. The above quick beginner’s guide to animators hopefully can be a guide to start your journey in the industry.
Author
Andre Oentoro is the founder of Breadnbeyond, an award-winning explainer video production company. He helps businesses increase conversion rates, close more sales, and get positive ROI from explainer videos (in that order).
Twitter: @breadnbeyond
Email/Gravatar: [email protected]
LinkedIn: Andre Oentoro
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