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Inside Animation: A Frame by Frame Approach

by Noah Jaworski

Through the film industry and its use of special effects, CGI, and other variations, animation is becoming all the more breathtaking. This field is also a vibrant and exciting one that attracts creatives from all backgrounds. While it can be a challenging and competitive industry, the rewards of seeing your artwork come to life are immeasurable. In this feature article, we’ll delve into the world of animation and get valuable insights from seasoned professionals on how to become an animator.

Steph Swope is the

Producer of Animation and Co-Owner of Minnow Mountain, a full-service animation studio based in Austin, Texas. With over 20 years of experience in the lmmaking industry, she has worked on a variety of projects from live action to animation. “I started working in lmmaking over 20 years ago between my junior and senior years of college, despite my degree being in a slightly di erent eld (photography).” said Swope “I’ve stayed with it ever since, eventually moving from live action to animation 11 years ago.”

For Swope, her passion for lmmaking led her to explore di erent avenues of the industry, eventually nding her way to animation. Her background in photography may have been unrelated, but it demonstrates that a degree in a speci c eld isn’t necessarily a requirement for entering the animation industry.

“It is incredible to create something from absolutely nothing” said Swope “Plus animation requires a large group of people collaborating creatively, which is a lot of fun.” achieve a common goal. is kind of teamwork and collaboration can be immensely rewarding.

Working in animation means being part of a creative team that works together to bring a story to life.

“I have worked with so many incredible and interesting people, it is truly a joy to be

Animators have the satisfaction of seeing their artwork come to life on the screen, and collaborating with likeminded individuals to surrounded by so much talent.” said Swope“Always artistic, smart, and fun to be around. Working with animators is never boring.”

Swope’s experience highlights the importance of nding the right team to work with.

Working in animation means talented artists who are passionate about their cra . is not only makes the work environment enjoyable but also enhances the creative process.

Animators work similarly to a regular 2D pipeline. When they receive the footage that they’re going to rotoscope, they lay it in a as fast as possible lling in the rest of the line work.

“Certainly, you need to be able to draw to be an animator with my studio. As we usually hire rotoscopers, I am looking for a certain amount of skill in that area need to be on top of their work and amenable to notes. ey have to work well with a team and their lead.”

While having artistic talent is essential to becoming an animator, it is not the only requirement. Animators need to be able to work quickly, accurately, and e ciently, while also being open to feedback and working well in timeline. en various artists draw Style Frames of each shot, at least 1 sometimes 2 depending on what the shot looks like.

en Keyframers

come in and draw all the extreme movements. Breakdown artists come next, and they elaborate on the keyframes and set up the remainder of the shot so In Betweeners can work or at least in the ability to accurately render the human body.” said Swope “Animators who work with us need to be able to replicate the project’s aesthetic, quickly and without mistakes. ey a team environment.

Dusty Deen, primary animator and owner of Red Road Runner, and Ron Pippin, co founder of Shiny Object (with various other projects), have similar experiences.

Deen’s work adds a stylistic touch of vibrancy, psychedelic feel similar to Andy Warhol. Recently he has gone to partner with Hulu and create the advertisement, “SoPretty”.

Deen has majored in graphic design and with years of experience, he attributes it all to an early age fascination with animation and related mediums. Contrary to Steph’s setup, Deen primarily works alone by taking on commissions and doing independent projects yet in the past few years he has worked on the animated lm, Apollo 10 1⁄2: A Space Age Childhood.

“My job was [being] a senior animator. And so I drew frames for our job at Minnow

Mountain, the process was, and this is kind of a rough version, but the process for the whole lm is that they shot the lm, they edited the lm together, they shot, they sent the lm to us where our character designers did what were called style frames”, Deen said. His work consisted of being a high ranking animator (at the same company Swope works at) consistently collaborating with other animators. In this way, he has recent experience in both solo and studio animation. Pippin’s work on the other hand almost solely consists of advertisement. working with the likes of HBO and Austin City Limits. Pippin has gone on to create the program, “Outside Voice” to introduce and allow the experience of art for all ages. He has hosted summer camps in the past for this purpose and believes in helping others reach their full potential. Animation is a eld of success and failure and should be taken as such. An artistic background, good communication, hard work and diligence are all important but that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to achieve. Nowadays there are plenty of resources available and becoming an animator is easier than ever.

A brief summary of change from past to present

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What is Animation?

In a general sense, animation is the manipulation of objects, mainly drawings, to create the illusion of movement. Yet, some have a stricter definition on this subject. This is the series of debate and isn’t necessarily a definitive answer.

Animatics

Put simply, animatics are the precursors to animation or at least the final product of the animation. They are often confused with the storyboard of animation but are distinct in that they come to form an actual video with storyboards are just images loosely representing the final product.

It is debated if animatics themselves are animations as well as what they come to represent due to their nature of being both storyboard and animation like. Regardless, they are an essential part of a good animation.