Dot Escuela

INTRODUCTION: In three days, I think it will be difficult for me to teach the technique of animation—rules, in-betweens, center of gravity, curves, straight-ahead vs. pose-to-pose, etc. It’s a long and meticulous learning process, and I believe other professionals could explain it better than I could. Instead, I’d rather share my creative method, which I believe saves time and builds bridges between other cinematic mediums: stop motion, live-action, and 3D.

The first day will focus on using references (mainly video and 3D), exploring various websites, as well as recordings we can make ourselves. I believe 2D animation could benefit greatly from keeping this approach in mind, while 3D has already embraced it for years. We’ll see how references can expand our creativity rather than hinder it.

The second day will be about how to use references effectively—how to break free from them and infuse them with personality. We’ll explore ways to maintain originality and creativity even when relying heavily on references.

On the third day, we’ll set aside references and return to pure animation. We’ll add details and effects to make our earlier "cheats" almost imperceptible.

I will create an animation from scratch, displaying my process on screen for everyone to see, and you will do the same at the same time. In order to have something doable in 3 days, and to be able to give advices while doing my own animation, I strongly suggest you to do something close to my animation.

The goal of this workshop is to open minds to the countless resources available to us today with just a computer. Almost anyone can achieve impressive results if they make smart use of the tools at their disposal.