Friday, July 18, 2008

Plussing in spite of limitations

 
A lot of animators on high footage projects (DVD, games, TV, commercials, etc.) often complain about the limitations of time and budget. And true enough, those limitations do exist. You only have so many dollars, so many days and so many animators. You're often not given a lot to work with. But then it's up to the animator to think outside the box. What one added ingredient or what one change in the way you present the scene would make the simple and plain into something pleasing and satisfying? After all the only difference between bread and toast is a little heat and some butter. What can you add to your scene to elevate it from bread & water into tea & toast?

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wow, great insight. I hope to apply this in my own animation career. I work under high pressure with tight deadlines.

Tim said...

So true, so true...
Comic strips all have the same deadlines and quotas, yet the same materials of ink and paper produce "Nancy" as well as "Calvin & Hobbes".

P.S. I had toast & tea for breakfast.

Thom said...

Good insight. In a similar vein, I wonder what one can do for clients/employers that pay for water and expect champagne?

Tim said...

Hey Thom,

I find it is effective to gently explain that their budget limitations, then let them know that nobody else will be able to do more with it than you.
It's just more difficult when we're bidding against an unscrupulous person who promises Champagne. It's hard to convince the client that the guy is lying. And unfortunately, the client often can't tell the difference.

Tim said...

...hey... isn't that a lyric from the reprise of "A Spoonful of Sugar"? When Bert is singing to Mr. Banks...
"A spoonful of sugar,
that is all it takes.
It changes bread and water,
into tea and cakes."

bala said...

hey keith, this is very true..recently for a movie, i've animated a shot in a simplistic way thinking that makes sense for it. After some days a similar kind of shot was animated( almost same frame range) by one of my senior and i was amazed to see how interesting he made that shot. It made me realize how far i can push the shot and make it interesting even though it is a small frame range.

Bryon Caldwell said...

This is so true! Simple yet sophisticated :)

Nate said...

Great post, having only working in Games/Tv so far, I can say that this has been the difference between the happy and successful in this field and those that always feel like they're in a slump.