Those pesky, meddling shots!! No matter how long you have been animating, we all have those weeks when we just aren't feeling it or we are dealing with a shot that makes us feel like we are losing our minds. The worst thing to do is to get frustrated and to beat yourself up about it, although that is usually my first response.When I'm dealing with a headache inducing shot, I will put the shot aside and work on another shot. Getting some time away from a troublesome shot is good. My frustration may have been fueled by my jumping into the shot too fast. Some time "away" allows me to think it through a bit more, to clear my head and to return to the shot with new eyes.
Other times I will have a buddy check out my work, letting him know where I'm stuck. Fresh ideas from a coworker is a good way to get your creative juices recharged, because let's be honest, animating is very taxing on the creative juices.
In the movie Meet the Robinsons, I really liked that they applauded failure, because as they say in the film, if we don't fail we can't improve. We all want to be the best we can be, but we can't be afraid to make mistakes. Every shot we do, we learn a little something new, even if the shot was a huge success or massive failure.
Guest Blogger Ray Chase
4 comments:
Thank you Ray, this is EXACTLY what I needed to hear today!
On a professional project tho, can you ask your director to move on to another shot and come back?
Ditto
To answer Animator Trav's question, I think they usually allow you to move on to another shot for a little while if you have other shots in your queue and have been looking at your current shot too long, But you always have to check with your production manager to make sure that the shot you're working on doesn't need to be rendered before any of your other shots (like for instance, if your current shot will be used in a trailer, or in a crucial sequence in an upcoming screening).
I agree with Ray that it definitely does help to get away from your shot for a little while when you're stuck, though, and I don't think it hurts to ask, since I'm pretty sure it's something all animators go through from time to time.
Bevin touched on this..but yes you do need to be aware of due dates for shots before putting one aside. Usually in production you will have a couple, if not several shots assigned to you with varying due dates for each. This allows you to hop around if necessary.
If you are on a tight schedule, then coming back to a shot may not be a luxury you can afford. I worked in TV for three years and our schedule didn't allow much breathing room. Even so, if I could get away from a troublesome shot for even an hour, it helped me regain focus.
Ray
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