Animation FAQ: General

How do you make your animations?

I use a program called 'Adobe Flash', which can be found at here. It isn't cheap, but you can download a free 30 day trial of it to try it out. If you're serious about animating long-term and can't afford it (it costs 700 bucks), check out this site. It lists programs for animation, some being freeware.

...sound?

I record all my audio with a program called 'Audacity'. It's a freeware program which can be found here. It takes a little getting used to, but it's good for being free. I don't use a special mic at all, though.. in fact, it came with a WAY older computer of mine, so I'm not even sure of its brand or anything. I just know how to optimize it so it records well.

...HOW DO YOU DO IT SO WELL?!

Practice makes perfect. It's my motto and it's held true so far. Of course, I know I'm far from perfect, then and now. To reach animation perfection... well, honestly, it's impossible, but if I ever got completely satisfied with my ability, I'd quit, because it wouldn't be interesting anymore. Animation, like all areas in life, is a learning experience, and if you're not trying new things, then you're just whoring your ability, and no one likes a whore... unless she can learn new tricks, anyway.

That aside, it helps to watch a lot of animations. Watch it in motion, normal and slow if possible. Pause it. Play it frame by frame. It helps to see how others do it. If you like how someone animates water, study it. That's not saying rip their style completely, but if you like how they do a few things, imitating those parts isn't bad. You have to take those pieces and add your own insight to them to make it yours. It helps to be able to draw, as well.. because, if you can't draw, then you'll HATE animating, because that's all it is! Drawing! Over and over again!

Also, invest in a mirror. Usually the best example of learning how something should move is to observe it in real life. Observing videos of real things isn't bad, but it's best to get a first hand look at things when you can. And mirrors help immensely if you're doing anything that involves lip syncing, as long as you have a mouth. If you don't have a mouth... well... then I don't know what to say. Find someone who does and study their mouth... which is a recipe for a lawsuit, so only do it if you know the person and aren't creepy about it. And they know about it. God I'm rambling a lot.

Above all else, practice makes perfect. If you don't make what you wanted (as artists hardly ever do), take what you learned and try something else. You'll never really make EXACTLY what you want, but if you keep an open mind, you can make something like what you want. That's all!