Animation Ideas
polycounter lvl 3
I'm finding it hard to think of animation ideas to do. I see some many cool animations whether they are exercises, tests or showreel peices and I just wonder where you get your inspirations, ideas from?
Replies
First brain storm ideas-
Write down any ideas you have, even if you don't think you'll follow through with it.
If you're having trouble coming up with ideas-
Find different rigs that are available. Looking at a character can get you in a different frame of mind. Animator's Resource Kit is a good place to start.
Look at reference. This can be anything. Movies, books, toys, objects, life experiences. Ideas are everywhere.
Context- What emotion are you aiming for? Serious, funny, ecstatic. Think of a verb or adverb and try to fit your idea into that.
What do you want to make up the scene? Single character, multiple characters, props, environments.
They don't have to be done in any particular order. Just pick you one you think might be fun and have a go!!
I would add observation, probably the foundation for everything else. Observe everything, everywhere you go, everything you watch. How someone carries their shoulder when walking, browsing groceries, stand in the checkout line, walk their dog, order coffee. How the cashier hands you receipt, react to customers,. How an actor runs in a movie, how a background character walks through a shot.
when you come up with ideas, you don't pull them out of nothing. You rely on visual memory you've built up through observation. The more expansive your visual memory database is, the better ideas you'll be able to generate.
Recall that "gorilla" experiement, 50% people don't notice the gorilla walking through the basketball player. Train yourself to notice the gorilla.