Top 5 Animation Myths

As we reach the end of the semester, I wanted to blog about something that would be able to tie everything we have done in class and with After Effects together. I thought that this article by Adrien-Luc Sanders did just that.

Myth #1: Animation is only for kids.
Loving animation doesn't make you child like, as we all know or mean you can only make children's movies. What about the opening credits we worked so hard on? Or video games?

Myth #2: Traditional animation is dead.
Many TV shows and movies are produced with traditional 2D animation effects.

Myth #3: You'll never get anywhere working in an animation studio.
This one confused me a little. But apparently it means that people often think you get stuck at the entry level position in studios where all you do is fix tiny mistakes and clean up pencil shavings. As with any department in the entertainment industry (or any job at all really) once you put in the hours at an entry level position and learn the tools to advance to higher job titles, you will do so!

Myth #4: Computer animation is of lower quality than traditional animation.
The problem is not with the computer, it is with the animators themselves. Too many people think that because certain aspects of animation are faster and easier on the computer, that they can cut corners and sacrifice good, quality work when animation is done on the computer. In order to put out good work, time and attention to detail must be there, computer or not.

Myth #5: You must be a master artist to be an animator.
All you need is a grasp on drawing and art in general. And by this he means you need to understand proportions, scale, anatomy, and other basic principles to be successful. You don't need to be the next artistic protege.

I think throughout the course of this class, we all learned that these myths aren't true in some way or another!