Tips and Tricks

This section of the site is dedicated to tips and tricks. I will share small bits of knowledge that I have gained while working on this project.

1. Lead with the eyes. After both reading about animation tricks and studying human and animal movements, I realised that almost all motion leads with the eyes. When you hear a noise, your eyes look first, then if needed your head follows. This is not a carved in stone rule, but applies most of the time. I used this trick on bubbles. When he moves toward a sound, his eyes lead.

2. Rule of thirds. When you place objects on the screen, try to place them so that their eyeline falls in the upper one third of the screen. Also, when possible, place the objects of interest to the left or right third of the screen. This makes your shots more interesting. Never center an eyeline in the middle of the screen.

3. Use a mirror or video tape. I spoke all of bubbles lines while looking in a mirror. That way, I could see how my face moved, so that I could try to make bubbles look more life like. You could also video tape yourself. Your cartoons can look like cartoons, but for people to beleive they are alive, they should follow some of the rules of nature as well. You can also exaggerate physics to make you charecters more fun. For example, "Looney Toons" charecters don't fall when running off of a cliff until they look down.

4. Do it until it is right. You can edit, re-edit or re-draw a scene. Don't settle for something that isn't right. Redo it until it looks like you want it to.

5. Storyboard! Most people think that a storyboard is a waste of time. These same people start projects and don't complete them, or they waste a lot of time. A storyboard can be draw in a small amount of time, but will save you hours or days of work down the road. It will also help to keep you focused. You can always rearrange a storyboard to make things work. I made edits in my final project that are different from my storyboard. However, I had a plan to follow to get me 99% there. I found a lot of errors in my story's flow as I was drawing my storyboard. I was also able to find easier ways to animate a tough scene by planning simpler shots or reordering my shots. You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint, so don't plan a film without a storyboard!