“What I think everyone needs to learn about animating is to know the basics about how math works. It’s an important part of the job—it’s why we do it, not because we have to.”
What’s the hardest thing about animating? “The hardest thing about animating is trying to keep emotions consistent. I’ve probably been able to do that on all three shows I’ve worked on. There were a lot of emotions I didn’t expect, and I think every one of us was trying to do that in some way. There were moments when I realized, ‘Oh, my brain went there!’ or ‘Oh my eyes went there!’ That’s the hardest.”
What’s a good way to learn math? “There are several resources on the web that I’ve found helpful. Most of them are free, so Google ‘Animation, Web Design and Math.’ There are some sites in particular that are great, and those are called Animator’s Guide and Animator’s Toolbox. I’ve worked with a couple of of the designers at The Math Project, so they know a lot about math. Their articles are also free.
“I think for animation, it’s important to read a lot! The Math Project has a really interesting series on the history of animation, so people who are interested in math in animation can go there and read a lot of history. There are also books written by guys like Eric Baca, who is also my co-worker on Futurama. [Baca’s writing] is very mathematical, so they’re great resources for learning math.”
How do you learn about stuff other than math? “I’m always looking outside of work for people who know, or who have a problem with, stuff I don’t know. Some of them are teachers, so I’d call the schools—you know the ones where you find a bunch of cool animation programs and you don’t know anything about those kinds of things anymore. I like to go to my friend’s classes, or to some other places where I’m more comfortable. Or just get my hands dirty.”
What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learned about the art of animation? “I’d say that I’m more likely to do good work if I can focus on a lot of details. If I have enough time to just sit in a room and think about things—or sometimes just walk around, or do things in my office—then things do start to flow. If I can just focus
filmmaking tips from directors desk llc, cinematic techniques in charlie and the chocolate factory, community documentary filmmaking redux gta mod, digital definition wikipedia, filmmaking techniques tone worksheets ereading