Well, Story, Character strengthen and support each other and are created in parallel during the concept development stage. A good character can be developed from a story. A good character can in turn inspire a story. While Story is the important element in animation films (or live-action for that matter). Creating appealing characters to tell it is the other most important thing. But then, which element should the animator develop first?

Development is an awe-inspiring process in which the journey itself is as important as the destination. It’s what you do, and also how you do it!
In this blog, we’ll discuss the elements of the animation process, in as detail as possible. Going beyond the cliché saying “actor with pencils (or mice for the digital artist)”, ‘cause I personally feel that term does not cover what an animator really does.

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These small sketches, combined with brief notes, capture ideas for a story or character so that the memory is not lost. Thumbnails can be worked up into a finished drawing at a later time.

Always work rough before going clean. Do not render or model final drawings at this stage. Draw a new thumbnail if you can stage something better. Thumbnails allow you to change the drawings and your mind.

Remember character designs and storyboards both start out as rough and simple thumbnails. And for Animators they can portray different stages of the animated action.

Producing any Commercial, TV Show or Movie is like building a house. There are many elements to design! And in order for the house to stand, all the elements need to work together.

Every house needs blueprints before it can be build and blueprints are the architect’s vision. You can tell someone what kind of house you want, but everyone will see it differently in their head. What kind of floors you want? what are the doors? Where do you want the bathrooms? There are a thousand details of building a home, that needs to be detailed in order to get the construction crew know what to do.

Storyboards are the blueprints of any production, and the director is the architect.

Where do we put the camera? How much of the set are we seeing? What do you want the special effects to do? Which door do they go through? The Storyboards answers these questions so everyone knows what they need to do.

Every department relies on storyboards to prepared for their of the production. Budgeting and scheduling of many scenes are completely dependent on storyboards. A Script may describe what may seemed like a simple action. But the director’s vision may be bigger than what has been described on the page.

For example: a mere two-three lines of script can turn into a huge action sequence. There is no way the production department can plan without a storyboard to work from. Once that scene is storyboarded the art director then knows what needs to be designed. The set crew will know what needs to be build and dressed! The props crew will know what they need to purchased and rig, and the wardrobe department would know whether they need extras of certain outfits or to rig for tearaways! The stunt crew would need what they need to get prepared for ! The Special effects crew know what to expect and can provide the producer an estimate of both time and cost. And the camera crew could of course could know what equipment they need for the shots.

During the process of storyboarding, the story artist would know how the director and the crew-heads plan to accomplished the various elements of the production. And the notes on the storyboards needs to contain details to share it with the entire crew. Once the production team has all the information from various departments, they can finalized a production schedule and a budget. And none of this is possible without completely planning the stunts, special effects and hard to achieved shots with the storyboards.

A single problem on the set could easily costs the production thousands of rupees an hour or over and a good storyboard can save any production from many of these potential problems. STORYBOARDS CAN SAVE THE PRODUCTION MUCH MORE THAN THEY COST.

To sum up there more efficient storyboards are the more efficient the storyboards will be! They are a guarantee against the crores of investment put in to any production. And for getting just that you can get a quote from us here.

The omnipresent question every animation wannabe faces.

In all Practicality…..

The job assurance which the institutions gives is again depends upon the quota they get from the studios requirements. These institutions impose this quota on the students who are categorized as per the quota list. Unfortunately not according to the students aspirations, molding them into mere production making workers in this creative industry.

You’ll be wasting a lot of money as well time as most of them dictate what is better for you. Rather than what you like the best even if you are not good at it, learning is always an option.

You better back off from doing any course at such a place.

Students, here are some tips to consider when choosing the right animation institute:

• Opt for a well-reputed training institute that provides high-quality training content.
• Beware of short-term courses; the institute must teach all the basic tools and software required.
• Check if the faculty is qualified and trained to teach. If the faculty comprises unsuccessful animators with no other job prospects or those who have simply passed a basic animation course, BEWARE!
• Talk to final-year students to understand placement opportunities through the institute. Having professional animators as part of the faculty guarantees valuable connections in the industry.
• Tour the institute before making your choice. Check the classrooms, library and labs. Look for options that provide workshops or internships with major production houses.

Great experiences make great stories, usually. The world around us is filled with great stories, we just need to open our imagination. Every person on earth has a story to share. Every success or failure has a compelling story to express. Those unforgettable moments, those unexplained encounters, those unexpected love stories are the experiences that compel us to write a story. We simply need to become aware of our surroundings. Stories are like ping pong balls and all we need to do is catch the right one.

A good storyteller is one who can ignite the emotions of the audience. Storytellers are good listeners, good readers and are aware of the happenings around them. If we see something that incites our emotion, we find ourselves telling the tale.

The more dramatic your story is, the more engaging it will be to the audience. Use interesting words that keep the audience hooked.

Infusing these key elements to make your story more dramatic:

• Conflict/Tension
• Surprise elements
• Extraordinary character behaviour and nuances
• Controversy
• Mystery
• Suspense

There are many ways to tell a story visually:

• Computer Animation: 2D Animation, 3D Animation,
• Graphic writing: Comics, hand-drawn animation
• Drawing
• Movies

Scripts – the key to Storytelling in a visual medium

A good script helps you to hook the audience into the story. The audience, in turn, needs to see and hear the suffering of the protagonist to feel it themselves.

Previsualization is important for good storytelling. Here, you don’t just explain the feeling, you show the feeling. We only love the movies and characters that captivate our imagination.

Here’s how you can develop the skills to create Pixar-quality 3D visuals:

• Delve into extensive research to prepare yourself for a particular project. Talk to professionals, draw, scribble, write – do whatever it takes to bring out your creative side.
• Break down complicated projects into simpler parts. It will help you understand the concept, focus on one thing at a time and create something magical.
• Maintain a consistent routine when working on a project, and complete the easier steps before tackling the complicated aspects – this saves a great deal of time and effort.
• Sometimes, a particular project gets so complicated that you’re compelled to start all over again from scratch. It’s better to leave things simple so that the audience can understand what’s going on.
• Display your work rather than be frightened that you are ‘not good’ for the huge industry out there. You have to be open to criticism when working with the director for the best possible outcome.
• Look for inspiration wherever you can. Observe people, watch animated movies, record memories and jot down your ideas in an ‘idea’ notebook. You never know what clicks with the audience and makes your creation an instant superstar. Polish up your skills regularly.

As laymen, we may fail to technically understand creating or using the effects. It may be difficult to differentiate between special and visual effects. However, there is a considerable difference between the two.

Visual Effects Explained !

The visual effect is the process of creating moving images or imagery, enhanced or manipulated with the help of Computer Graphic Imagery (CGI). These effects are added to a scene later during post-production after primary imagery is complete. These effects are an integral part of science fiction movies.

Techniques such as matte painting; rear- and front-screen projection; miniature or forced perspective sets; computer graphic objects, characters, and environments; and compositing disparate images are some CGI techniques. The best example of this is the movie, Avatar. All of Pandora was CGI, including the planes and helicopters shown in the movie.

Special Effects Explained !

Special effects are generally described as effects that can be done while the scene is being filmed and are commonly called Practical effects. Even though it is often difficult to determine as both of them (Visual Effects, Special Effects) go hand in hand going by current methods. This collaboration has been enhanced by digital technology.

For instance, digital rig removal from live-action footage has allowed more freedom for special effects artists to create more elaborate rigs on. Other than that examples of more typical special effects are bullet hits, practical explosions, rain, fire, car gags of all sorts, flying rigs, motion rigs that shake sets or props or vehicles, gimbals to mimic the motion of boats or planes, and artificial ocean waves and spray.

Hope now the difference between Visual Effects, Special Effects is clear !