Drop Everything And Read

Animation sketch from a couple days ago. I've had a few people ask me lately how I have time for making these so often. So I thought I might explain a little about these sketches. 

First of all, they are just that. Sketches. Not fancy, full-blown projects. Usually, I make them when I have a million ideas bouncing around in my head and I can't figure out how they fit together. Sitting at a table with my Moleskine doesn't always help. So I make a test animation. I play with movement. I think about timing. And it gets me thinking about things incrementally. So then my ideas become a lot clearer. Even though when I make animations like the above (Drop Everything And Read), I'm often thinking about the movement of something completely different, like Legos maybe. Or sometimes I'm experimenting with lighting or testing my camera remote. 

So these are just like a sketchbook to me. I do keep a regular sketchbook, but lately, it has filled up with writing and lists and frame numbers as I'm editing animations. Usually, though, I like to collage in them. Maybe I'll share them someday.

Anyway, these animation sketches don't take me long at all. I probably spend about 15 to 20 minutes shooting (a nice break to relax a little), and then another 10 to 15 minutes editing. And the editing process, for my sketches, consist of me importing 300 or so images to iMovie, changing the default still duration, cropping the images/fitting them to screen, and picking out music. I usually don't think about the music for these until I am editing. And then I just try to find something that fits.

Working on "serious" animations, though, is a whole other story. But I'll explain that process another day.

Right now, I'm working on editing my big ol' animation project. Particularly, adjusting color and tweaking the timing. I've got a final shoot to do in a little bit. I've been praying the weather will clear up. Come on, Cleveland. Don't let me down.