Dhruvil Panchal, an electric engineer by profession always had a passion for art. But as per our societal norms, he had followed the conventional route of completing his Diploma after his 10th and then engineering. But his heart was always in art. After working for 2.5 years, he was not satisfied as he felt something was missing in his life. This led to his search to find the best way to quench his way for art.
As he was searching he came across Arena Animation Sayajigunj. With apprehension, he approached them to know more. The counselors there were very supportive and guided him on the various options available to him. Dhruvil was convinced that he had come to the right place to further his career. But his family, will they accept this decision of his? He was thinking about how he can make them understand that this is something he needs for his peace of mind. When he discussed this with his father, his father asked him to go ahead with the same. With the support of his family, Dhruvil started his journey with Arena Animation Sayajigunj. There he learned the basic and advanced level of VFX and animation under the guidance of the expert and experienced faculties of Arena Animation Sayajigunj. They encouraged and guided him on his journey to reach the pinnacle of his success.
Dhruvil got an option to showcase his skill when he participated in the National level Digital Art with the concept of Batman in his younger years which fetched him the first prize. His recent exploit is when he received second prize in World Art Day Competition defeating 3783 students participated from Pan India and winning XP Deco 01 V2 Worth Rs. 9499/-.
Dhruvil is associated with Xcitech technology that uses VR 360 in the field of Real Estate, Education and Medical. His aim is to use VFX and Animation to bring about a new revolution in the field of education. We are sure that he will surely reach there.
Just like any other form of art, Animation too is varied. As a career field, there are different types of animation and styles as there are animators in this industry.
Setting up a list or stating the types of animation based on some defined criteria would be a major flaw and also insufficient as the variations are too flexible. Nevertheless we have tried to compile all possible variations of animations based on the technique that are being used and the comparison of the styles between them. The following list should not be accounted as an absolute reference for animation types; it is more like a general idea to see the bigger picture.
1. 3D Computer Animation
3D Computer Animation or 3D Animation is the process of generating three dimensional moving images in a digital environment. This is the most common and popular animation style today, and is used in movies, games, ads, architectural visualization, medical simulations, and more.
Manipulation of 3D models is carried out with the help of software. However ‘animation’ is a broad term and there are many more aspects to it, each offering a wide range of career prospects. There is modelling, rigging, lighting, texturing, rendering, and animation, and there are sub-fields to these too. Involvement of sophisticated software makes 3D animation technologically intense. As you know, technology does help artists redefine their craftsmanship.
While there are various other animation styles that you may consider, as a career aspirant, a 3D Animation course may interest you the most.
Check out the trailer of Pixar’s Oscar award winning 3D animated movie here to understand this style better.
2. Traditional or Cell Animation
This was once a huge milestone in the history of animation, but is almost obsolete since it is time-consuming and expensive to produce.
Images are drawn or painted by skilled hands, one frame at a time, on the celluloid sheets (cels) to be photographed and exhibited on film. One of the major obstacles of this to seamlessly transform into a film was the timing of the frame with the sound. Every frame had to match with the background score/dialogues or else could appear as a major distraction. Hand drawing of hundreds of frames with precision is such an energetically draining task.
Image credits: Disney Enterprises, Inc.
3. 2D Animation
Conventionally, 2D animation was the same as cel-animation. However, with the introduction of computers, 2D animation got a technical upgrade. Today animators create scenes and characters a 2D space with the help of digital technologies and tools available to them. Compared to drawing multiple images, using computers is far less time-consuming and effective.
2D animation is most commonly seen in educational videos, editorials and advertisements today. However, there are a few entertainment series and games that continue to use 2D Animation style. ‘F is for Family’ and ‘Rick and Morty’ are a few examples of 2D entertainment series.
Today, you can be a 2D animator even if drawing isn’t your strong suit. Traditional animation, on the other hand, requires very strong drawing skills.
Image credits:IndieWire
4. Stop Motion Animation
Physical objects are manually manipulated in small movements in between individual frames so that they will appear to exhibit motion when the series of frames is played. Any kind of physical objects with the capability to twist and turn can thus be animated. Puppets with movable joints (puppet animation) or figures (claymation) are most commonly used. The key here is not the sound but to make small changes from frame to frame to make the illusion of motion as smooth as possible. Isn’t it time taking? Perhaps more than traditional animation. But this animation style is extremely adaptable as one can get as creative as they want. Plus it is easy to impress film critics and audience alike using this.
Take a look at the behind the scenes of animating Shaun the Sheep Movie with animator Andy Symanowski.
5. Motion Graphics
Commonly called Mographs, it is less of animation and more of graphic designing. Motion graphics can be both 2D and 3D, and you will find commonly in commercials, explainer videos, sporting events, news, and other television productions. Previously, before the advent of computer editing, it was a time-consuming process that was limited to high-budget productions.
Check out this simple motion graphics animation video.
The depth of understanding an artistry is what defines an artist. With the current evolution of computer there are may be many more variants piling up in this list.
Whether you wish to be a 3D animator or a Motion Graphics Artist, you need the right skill sets and training. Join one of the prestigious animation training institutes, get trained and get hired.
When a game is being created, the first question encountered by the creators is ‘what the game is about’. And the second one is ‘how the game is to be realized’?
Game designers are concerned with the former while game artists and game developers are concerned with the latter. Remember that anyone who works on a game is a ‘developer’ in the general sense. And yes! That does mean that all game designers are game developers whether they are into programming, art, design or production – but not all developers are designers.
As a rule of thumb, Developing = Designing + Programing + Art
And every aspect mentioned in this equation gives you a multitude of career opportunities.
Let’s get into the details.
Game Designers
Player experiences such as controls, rules, goals and challenges as well as the game content like levels, story, and dialogues falls under game design. Game designers convert an idea into a concept. They determine the character arcs and player progression. They also add features crucial to making the game unique. While most of these careers and roles require creativity, they can get technical too, as it may involve user-interface design, use of animation controllers, application of audio, and more.
Game Artists
Once the design and concepts are finalized, the process moves to game art. In this phase, the artists and animators make the artwork and animation respectively, using tools like 3d Max, Maya, Photoshop, etc. They create game models including characters, props and environments. They are involved in one or more roles such as 3d modelling, sculpting, lighting, texturing, rigging, and animation.
Game Development
With the help of game design concepts and assets, a game developer codes the final product or the game to run on a computer, mobile phones, or gaming consoles. Game development also involves debugging and optimization of code.
Let’s take the example of Tetris.
• A game designer will design the levels, scoring pattern, and the blocks of the game
• A game artist will be responsible for the overall assets or the game contents
• A game developer will write the code for it
Imagine a complex game like World of Warcraft or League of Legends. It takes research, simulation, and math to even formulate the design of those games.
In the development of smaller games, the lines of distinction between game designers, game artists, and game developers blur. On the other hand, in bigger gaming studios, their roles are more defined and a person will specialize in one of the areas such as game designing, game art or game development.
While there are plenty of career opportunities in gaming, it takes specialized skills and training to meet the requirements. You must enroll in a career course in gaming at an institute with proven track record and get the right skills to embrace such new-age careers.
યુસુફ મનાગોરી કોમર્સ ગ્રેજ્યુએટ છે. તેમના 10 + 2 ના અભ્યાસ અને સ્નાતકના શિક્ષણના સમયગાળા દરમિયાન તે સાઈડ બિઝનેસ તરીકે સાયબર કાફે ચલાવતા હતા. તેને વિડીયો ગેમ્સ રમવાનું પસંદ હતું અને વિવિધ શાળાના પ્રોજેક્ટ્સમાં કામ કરવાનું મેનેજ કર્યું હતું. આ પ્રથમ વખત હતો જ્યારે તેને ગ્રાફિક્સ અને એનિમેશન ઉદ્યોગમાં કામ કરવાની રુચિ અને જુસ્સો મળ્યો.
તેને પૂર્ણ-સમયની કારકિર્દી બનાવવા માટે તેણે વીએફએક્સ અને એનિમેશન નો અભ્યાસક્રમ કરવાનો નિર્ણય કર્યો. ભારતની શ્રેષ્ઠ એનિમેશન અને વીએફએક્સ સંસ્થાઓના શોધ દરમિયાન, તે Arena Animation ઇન્સ્ટિટ્યૂટ ની માહિતી મળી. સંપૂર્ણ સંશોધન અને પરામર્શ પછી, તે Arena Animation ની પસંદગી કરવામાં ખુશ હતો અને 2 વર્ષના એડવાન્સ એનિમેશન ઇન્ટરનેશનલ VFX પ્રોગ્રામ (AAIP) અભ્યાસક્રમમાં પ્રવેશ મેળવ્યો.
યુસુફ કહે છે કે, “મને Arena Animation ના VFX પ્રોગ્રામ ની તાલીમ દરમિયાન ઇન્સ્ટિટ્યૂટના પ્રતિભાશાળી શિક્ષક દ્વારા યોગ્ય કુશળતા અને માર્ગદર્શન મળ્યું છે. Arena Animation પાસે ગ્રીન રૂમ, રેકોર્ડિંગ સ્ટુડિયો અને વી આર ગેમિંગ ઝોન આવી અનેક સુવિધા છે, જેથી તે ગુજરાતની સૌથી મોટી VFX ઈન્ફ્રાસ્ટ્રક્ચર તરીકે જાણીતું છે. Arena Animation પિક્સેલ સ્ટુડિયો, શેમરૂ અને ટોરેસિડ જેવી ટોચની ભારતીય કંપનીઓને આમંત્રણ આપીને પ્લેસમેન્ટ ડ્રાઈવ કરે છે. VFX માં 4 વર્ષ કામ કરવાનો અનુભવ પૂર્ણ કર્યા સાથે, હવે હું ભારતના પ્રખ્યાત Online Learning Platform BYJU’S માટે મોશન ગ્રાફિકસ કલાકાર તરીકે કામ કરી રહ્યો છું. ”
તેમણે વધુમાં ઉમેર્યું કે, “ઉદ્યોગમાં સર્વશ્રેષ્ઠ લોકો પાસેથી શીખવા માટે હું આભારી છું, જેના કારણે મને BYJU’S માટે કામ કરવાની આ સૌથી મોટી તક મળી. હું હંમેશા મારા બધા સાથી ઉમેદવારોને Arena Animation ની ભલામણ કરું છુ. ”
યુસુફ મનાગોરી ના પ્રતિભાવથી અમે ખૂબ જ ગર્વ અનુભવ કરીએ છીએ. તેનું ઉદાહરણ આપતા કહી શકીએ કે, ‘એક સાચો નિર્ણય તમારું જીવન કાયમ માટે બનાવી શકે છે.’ યુસુફને તેની કારકિર્દી માટે અમારી વિશેષ શુભકામનાઓ!
And we’re back! In the previous blog, we covered the first six principles of animation.
Here we look into the remaining six principles of animation that every animator should know.
While animation is constantly evolving, these twelve concepts continues to form the base and is taught in all popular animation institutes around the world.
Arc
Try waving your hand, swinging your leg or turning your head. These a natural arc to these movements. This arc brings in realism to characters in animation, unless, of course, your character is a robot. See how Po’s head moves?
GIF courtesy: DreamWorks Animation
Staging
Derived from the concept of staging in theatre, this is the process of setting up a scene with the appropriate placement of characters, background and foreground elements, and camera angle. Staging should clearly set the mood for the action and keep the audience’s focus on what is relevant in the scene.
Secondary Action
As the name suggests, this is an action that supports the main action of a character. A character may whistle while walking or scratch his head while thinking. Such actions add dimensions to character animation. If there are multiple secondary actions, they should work together in support of one another. Look at little Riley’s actions while she screams at the top of her lungs.
GIF courtesy: Pixar
Exaggeration
This principle is self-explanatory. Animated movies and cartoons allow for the most amazing thing – exaggeration. Imagine, how boring Kung Fu Panda will be without Po’s exaggerated expressions or how plain Tom and Jerry will be without the exaggerated movements of the characters. Exaggeration of facial features, expressions, actions, and attitudes add more appeal and fun to the characters. Here is a classic example of exaggeration.
GIF courtesy: Walt Disney Company
Solid Drawing
In 2D animation, solid drawing is about maintaining proportions, volume & weight of a character or an object regardless of the action. With the introduction of 3D animation, the challenge of distorted drawing has been minimised. But the concept of posing out your characters with correct balance & weight remains as important as ever.
Appeal
In real life, you may call it the charisma of an actor. In animation, it is the ‘appeal’. Every character should have an appeal that interests the audience. An appealing character is not necessarily cute & cuddly. Villainous & monstrous ones too have to be appealing. Clear drawing and good character design will define the personality of the characters. After all, who would have thought that a slender woman in a nice red dress could be a super villain? Yet, here she is…Scarlet Overkill!
GIF courtesy: Illumination Entertainment
Now get back to that drawing board and practice these principles of animation to improve your work.
Watch this space for more tips and tricks of animation.
Interested in a career in animation? Take a look at the animation career courses that can help you get the right skill sets!
