JD Photography

When I have an idea that excites me I write it down. Next, I develop that idea into a cohesive story. I then think about the best way I want to deliver that story.

As a visual storyteller I lean on what I know and that is photography and videography as my medium. With all the technologies at my fingertips I now need to think outside of my self constructed box and consider new media forms.

Liz Blazer writes in her book, Animated Storytelling, Simple Steps For Creating Animation & Motion Graphics, “In the end, you must choose your technique to suit the format you believe it will be viewed on by most people. Choose poorly and risk audiences missing important elements of your story, or even spotting flaws in your work. Pay heed to format and your project will be seen the way you intended: as an expression of your work and talent.”

Some of the styles and techniques Blazer writes about are hand drawn, stop motion, 2D CGI, 3D CGI, fluid transitions, 2D vector, handmade, collage, film, and 3D. Again, the takeaway is choosing the best format to tell your story.

When diving into motion and animation, I think it’s important to take a look at the 12 principles of animation. Disney animators Ollie Johnston, and Frank Thomas published the 12 principles in 1981.

1. Squash and Stretch
2. Anticipation
3. Staging
4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose
5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action
6. Ease In, Ease Out
7. Arcs
8. Secondary Action
9. Timing
10. Exaggeration
11. Solid Drawing
12. Appeal

Here are a few example to show what some of these look like

Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose

Staging

Follow Through and Overlapping Action

Secondary Actions

Appeal

This YouTuber posted a video for all 12 principles and they are all excellent, I highly recommend watching them to see and understand how much overlap the principles have. I decided I wanted to highlight these because I feel they may get overlooked when they are the ones that can add the emotion to the animation.

Finally, my stinger. There was more I wanted to do from an animation perspective but I ran out of time to get it all done. I may circle back and give more character to my plants and maybe even add a little color or shadowing. Let me know your thoughts.