I was looking for some character descriptions on the web (didn't find anything yet)... and I was hoping to find Glean Keane's description of Ariel. Ed Hooks mentions it in his book, and I would really want to see something like that. But what I found instead was an interview (I'm sure there must me many) of Glen Keane. You can read the whole thing here, it's fantastic stuff. But I'll underline one thing he said. It so happens I don't like cartoon takes at all, because they're a cheap formula that just gets on my nerves... ayayarghlngghghghgrrrrrrrlyeoeyoysk... :D (maybe I buy it sometimes in superwacky cartoons, and when it's done really well, or if it's very subtle and... just different from the million other cartoon takes you see every day). Building on the fact that the cartoon take is a formulaic artificiality, Glen Keane cuts the problem at its very roots and addresses this issue with absolutely no mercy ;) . Cheers Glen!
I'd say learn the techniques that the old animators did but don't approach it as a formula. Don't get fooled into thinking this is the way to do a walk; this is the way to do a run, a take. Study and discover a new way. I remember we were up at Cal Arts on time when somebody asked me, how many different takes are there in animation? And I was thinking, "how many different takes are there?" I stopped and said "where is this question coming from?" I mean, how many different takes are there? "What is a take," I asked? The student said, "I don't know? What do you mean?" I answered, "What is a take? It's just an animation term. We assume it means something, but what does it mean?" A take is a reaction. As many emotions as there are in human nature, that's as many takes as you can have, and how each person is, they're going to react a little different. There is no limit to the number of takes. You just need to analyze it. Get into that unique character and animate that. Animation people, especially students, are constantly trying to compartmentalize it and break it down into "there are this many approaches to doing things." That is very limiting. We have a world of life to discover. Every person and living thing is unique. An animator needs to see that uniqueness and reflect it back to the audience in his work.
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About me
I'm a character animator, visual artist, game dev, and music composer. I like to doodle, write, experiment, and plan my next big thing. I love tech that inspires and enables art. I have a formal background in music composition. And I like to walk around the world and see things up close. Archives
February 2022
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