Top Questions About Character Animation What are some of the exciting aspects of character animation, and how is it different than other computer animation forms? The phrase computer animation is often used as a catch-all for many computer generated effects including spinning logos, Flash programming on the Web or special effects in movies. These are not character animation. Character animation is the process of giving life to a character, whether it is a dog that can talk, a drawn person or an animated object. Character animation creates personality. How long does it take one person to create one minute of animation? This is difficult to pinpoint, but it can take one animator about 16 – 20 weeks of full-time work to produce 60 seconds of animation.1 At Pixar Animation Studios, due to their high level of quality control, animators have been known to work on two minutes of film for a year or more. How many animators typically work on an animated feature film? It depends on the studio and its needs, so anywhere from 20 – 80 animators could be working on an animated feature film. What is the biggest myth about character animation? A lot of people believe that the computer does all of the work for the animator, but the reality is that the animator is only using the computer as a tool to create detailed animation frame by frame. What are some of the most challenging aspects of character animation? Character animators work in fun, collaborative, exciting and detailed environments. They need to have a high level of patience while working with the tiny movements of a character frame by frame. Another valuable skill is the ability to achieve character depth and consistency in movement, facial expressions and motivation — this is important with multiple animators collaborating on the animation of one character in a full length film. Character animators also need to understand the physics of movement, and be able to stay focused over the course of the project while meeting deadlines, and maintaining a sense of confidence in the direction they are taking a character. They also need to be able to think and problem solve creatively. How do animation teams work together? Animation teams conduct what are called dailies — a morning meeting led by a supervisor or the director to determine the production’s progress. Animators take the day’s marching orders from the meeting and proceed to work solo as needed. Throughout the day the animator will show their work to team members, obtain feedback and then make changes as needed. What skills do good animators possess? The main ingredient is a passion for animation and a constant desire to learn. One day, animators could be animating a robot — and the next, a dinosaur. Every day is a new challenge and they never animate the same thing twice. Another thing good character animators do is to really observe the world around them and notice the details about how people and animals move and interact. Good animators are always getting new ideas and learning new ways to do things. What are the similarities between how modern animators work today as compared to animators of the past? Animators today use the same principles that animators of the past used. Only the tools have changed. The process usually starts with animators being given the basics of their shots. Animator are also given sound clips with voice actors, a script, sound effects, a description of what the character(s) does in the scene and a written description of the scene. In addition: Animators still use frames to illustrate the characters’ movements and expressions. Animators still use hand drawn thumbnails to check the timing and posing. Each animator references a script that defines the character. Studios use a storyboard artist to give direction on the story. Studios use layout artists who incorporate character models into scenes. PR | Ellen Pasternack 510-558-8085 [email protected] | Rita Cahill 310-556-2712 [email protected] Does a studio generate more revenue from an animated feature film than one with live action? This is difficult to determine, as every project is unique, however animated films require a lot of creative human resources, and the price of a fully animated feature goes up when celebrity voices are added. What are currently considered the top character animation studios? Pixar Animation Studios, DreamWorks Animation, LucasArts, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Industrial Light & Magic, Tippett Studio, Reel FX Creative Studios, Blue Sky Studios, Weta Digital, Digital Domain, Rhythm & Hues Studios, Framestore, Double Negative Visual Effects, Mac Guff and Weta Digital are just a few. What are currently considered the top computer and video gaming companies that use character animation? Bungie, Electronic Arts, 2K Games THQ Inc. and Ubisoft. What’s the need for animators in the U.S. game industry?2 At close to $10 billion in annual revenue, the video gaming industry is one of the fastest growing entertainment segments in the U.S. right now; there are so many positions with good salaries available. According to AnimationArena.com’s most recent salary survey, video game annual animation salaries start at around $50,000 and lead producers can make up to $215,000 per year. 1 http://www.animationarena.com/working-for-pixar.html 2 http://www.animationarena.com/video-game-salary.html PR | Ellen Pasternack 510-558-8085 [email protected] | Rita Cahill 310-556-2712 [email protected] .