Rani's Animtips

Rani's tips are also a bit long for the Twitter format to do them any justice, so here they are!

1# Put on your editor hat before you start animating

Look at the WHOLE sequence and see how your shot fits in, the timing/pacing of your shot and acting choices will all be influenced by what shots come before and after yours. A shot might not be funny by itself, but the same shot put in context can be hilarious.

2# Be Original in every way

With your posing, facial expressions, hand shapes, acting choices. If you're a beginner, do the basics / clichés... Get them out of your system first. This Quote from "Save the Cat" explains why: "True originality can't begin until you know what you're breaking away from.". So practice, practice, practice!

3# Don't be Afraid!

If you're building a house of cards, the more time you invest, the more protective you are  because you don't want the whole thing to topple over. When switching from step to spline, we tend to feel the same way. Fortunately, there is an antidote, it's called "save scene" Ta-da!! We forget that working on the computer is non-destructive, so both our work-flow and approach become so conservative that we end up missing opportunities where the animation could've shined. When this happens, I find the best thing to do is to save you scene, give yourself 30 minutes and just "get in there" and be brave with your curves. If it doesn't work out for you after a while, just reopen your saved scene and start again, VIOLA!

4# Don't Act the Emotion

When filming reference, It's common for us to "act sad" or force ourselves to feel a certain way....that almost never works. The trick is to "think" about something sad until you actually feel sad. Feeling is a by-product of your thoughts, so trigger your mind first.

#5 If YOU don't feel it, THEY won't

When do you know your reference/take works? When it evokes are reaction from you. if you look at it and chuckle, then there's a high chance it's funny. If, on the other hand, you look at it and assume its funny... why would anyone else laugh if you didn't!