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This post would be a little lighthearted and not so much on the technicalities of animation/software. Basically, something that I've experienced over the past few weeks in my life as a Character Animator. It will be on how I've switched from animating a cartoon series and into animating realistic creatures.

For those of you who have spoken to me on discord, you would've known that I've been spending the past two months trying to finish a huge project that would need to be done by October for an International client. Nope, it has not always been like that but apparently the management messed up the schedule and overestimated the judgement of schedule. The conclusion, the animators got to feel its wrath of neverending overtimes.

So for the past two months till today, I've been spending late nights in the animation studio trying my best to finish my scenes. Though satisfying, I find it rather tough every time I transition from a project to another. The styles were very different from one another because these were two different projects.

It was like you love pork and lamb and you're asked to be a vegetarian for a week.

Yes... it was hell but I also managed to learn a thing or two from these fast-paced transitions from project to project.

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The Animation Style comes FIRST

Take for example one of my projects that I've done. I did an Animated Korean Tv Series called Geomecha. Looking at the name Geomecha, you probably would've already figured out that it involves mechs and robots. My team and I have been working on this project for almost a year and some of us have developed certain animation prowess for different characters or scenes. For me, my boss complimented me for my animation on the robots so, throughout those few months, all I have ever gotten were the robot scenes. I have been animating the gears and the weight of these robots until it became apart of me. It came so naturally that it was easier for me to animate these robots than to animate the humanoid characters talking.

SourceThis is the tv series I've worked on before transitioning to a new project. It is always very exciting when we're told that we'll be working on a new project especially if it's for a bigger name like SABAN. Heard of SABAN? You know... the Power Rangers? Yes, that company! We were all stoked that we would be getting a project from a well-known brand.

So what was the difference Zord?

Power Rangers had robots too!

Well, no I did not get to animate the Power Rangers, I got to animate a FAT FLUFFY BEAR....

SourceFrom animating robots to a fat fluffy bear. TWO bears to be exact. It was the horror because these two styles were of different polar. It's basically North and South, East and West, Honey to my bee... wait maybe not the last one but you get the idea!

I thought I could easily transit into this new project but having spent almost a year animating 20-foot tall robots fighting to this tiny little bears, it was crazy! Oh did I mention that I have to animate stuff toys in the series too? Now, are you starting to see the problem here?

Robots = Steel, Heavy, Stiff, Strong

Toy Bears = Fat, Fluffy, Soft, Boneless, Squishy

It took me two whole weeks of constant feedback and retakes from my boss to actually finally nail some of the scenes given to me. I was starting to feel that maybe animation wasn't meant for me. But during this traumatic experience, I've also learned a good lesson. A lesson that hopefully, you would be able to pick up before going on the same rollercoaster ride as me. Trust me, you'd rather sit the kiddy caterpillar ride that has the ABC song blaring out its speakers.

I learned that it is essential and important to STUDY the style from footages or references BEFORE proceeding into keyframing those animations.

Remember my guide on Observation and Referencing a while back? I should've done just that. Sometimes 'watching' the footages just isn't enough. I should've spent the beginning of the week to study it thoroughly rather than spending two weeks of wasted effort and time.

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Thank God after getting used to the animation style, I was happily doing my shots. Even my boss brought me into his room to ask me if everything was alright because he said that I wasn't smiling or laughing that often anymore.

Always remember to STUDY the whole project, and not just your scenes

I guess I would just leave you with this tip. Study the entire project, its concept, art direction, timing, poses, and pacing. All equally important to create that style for the entire show. The exaggeration and anticipation vary between when a robot jumps and a stuffed toy jumps. All these have to be taken into account when you're studying the project.

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I wished I could get myself a 'DeLorean DMC-12' from Back to the Future to remind myself this tip and I probably wouldn't be having to overtime so much. But hey! Let bygones be bygones, at least now I can share this tip with you guys. I hope that you've found my post beneficial to you and as I have mentioned earlier, this is a lighthearted post so you can laugh at my demise. Till then!~

Oh and btw, here is the fat fluffy bear tv series I've animated.