Content Marketing & Film Resource

How Practicing My Skills Have Allowed My Creative Work To Evolve

Nick Clarke May 25, 2016 Creativity, Animation, Video production, Creative Process Leave a Comment

"I know you've heard it a thousand times before. But it's true--hard work pays off. If you want to be good, you have to practice, practice, practice. If you don't love something, then don't do it."

–Ray Bradbury

The saying 'practice makes perfect’ can apply to many disciplines –sports; music; art.

But it also applies to your work. Whether you are a master at spreadsheets, a whiz at making calls, or a commander of the conference room, the more you practice your role in the workplace the better you become. No matter your title.

I view every project we take on as an opportunity to hone my craft and to practice at it.

I’m proud of every piece of creative work I’ve produced because every piece of work is my best to date.

A unique dynamic of my job the ability to go back and see my past work. A quick search on Youtube and I can find our client’s past videos. Or I can search backup drives to find graphics and animations I’ve created.

Here are a few examples of transparent improvement in the work that I have done here at MEDIABOSS.

These past projects range from graphic lower thirds to full character animations.

Character Design:

Learning to draw characters takes lots of practice. The more you draw, the better your characters will turn out.

The key to creating dynamic characters is to draw them in strong poses. But drawing strong poses is much more difficult and takes considerable practice.

As you can see, the character on the right has a much stronger pose than the character on the left.

Character Animation:

Animating characters takes time. Exactly how much time depends on the amount of detail you're able to put in - and the budget with which you have to work.

The clip from 2014 is a less detailed character animation. The budget was smaller and the client’s timeline meant that I needed to animate quickly and under a strict deadline.

The clip below from 2015 has much more going on. This character has complex facial animation, as well as body language and attitude. It took several hours to complete this shot.

Logo Animation:

Logo animations can come in all forms. Whether it's a flat 2D style, or a complex and dynamic 3D design, each has their place, depending on time and budget.

3D designs are exponentially more complex and time consuming, but give a feeling of reality. 2D designs are simpler than 3D and can be completed in a tighter time frame, tools and expertise considered.

Above, you’ll see several examples of the 2D and 3D animations I’ve built over the years.

Lower Thirds:

Title lower thirds are essential for letting your audience know who, in your video, is on screen. Many lower third designs are either boring, or bought from a graphics template package.

At MediaBoss, we like to go above an beyond with our lower third designs. We even go a step further and animate them, rather than just fading them up in Avid.

These two examples show my creative growth and skill level over the course of 3 years.

The improvement in the way they are designed and animated is very clear. In my opinion, the graphic elements in the first one look like they were made by a toddler (haha.)

The example from 2016 shows my ability to create frame by frame animation. It is also line with Jack's Abby's branding.

CONCLUSION:

It doesn't matter if you work in graphic design, animation or any other creative medium, the only way you will get better at your job is if you practice.

The most important piece of advice I can give to anyone looking to improve their skills is to love what you do. Because when you love what you do, practicing feels like play.

Creativity Animation Video production Creative Process

5 Tips For Drawing Your Favorite Marvel Superheroes

Nick Clarke May 11, 2016 Animation, drawing tips, graphic design, animation tips, character design Leave a Comment

This is the second in a series of animation & graphic design blogs by Nick Clarke.

Superheroes and comic books have shaped the imaginations of generations.

And now, the characters on these pages have transformed to create the largest cinematic franchise in film history.

So, in celebration of Captain America: Civil War's release this past weekend, I wanted to show how the creators brought these iconic characters to life.

Here are 5 tips for drawing your favorite Marvel superheroes, by Stan Lee and John Buscema from their book, How To Draw Comics The Marvel Way.

1. Construction Lines

Construction lines give you the simple way to visualize what your hero will look like. You don't need to spend too much time on detail with construction lines.

This step also helps in staging the action for the character.

2. Proportions

Drawing proportion lines helps you avoid drawing the character's body parts in the wrong size.

A common mistake for young comic book artists is drawing the head too big, or drawing the legs too small.

3. Perspective

Perspective lines are similar to proportion lines. Add these to make sure your character maintains the same perspective in your drawing.

If the perspective of a character is off, their body will look warped or distorted.

And that's only okay if you're Mr. Fantastic.

4. Action

Strong action is critical in comics. This is because they are not moving images like in animation, but still images on paper.

To convey action, you should position your character in extreme poses. Take a look at the punching motion shown above for inspiration.

5. Inking

Inking is an important step - and not just in finalizing a drawing. Inking allows you to stage and highlight the important parts of the panel.

In the images above, the silhouette conveys the thought that goes into inking each panel.

There you have it! Tips from the masters, Stan Lee and John Buscema.

If you are interested in learning more about comic book art, check out their book here.

Enjoy this post? Then you'll like:

Animation drawing tips graphic design animation tips character design

5 Traditional Animation Principles That Are Still Important Today

Nick Clarke May 05, 2016 Animation Leave a Comment

Animation has evolved exponentially in the last century.

That doesn’t change the fact that every animation - from the very first cartoon ever made, to the cartoons and animated movies that we watch today - are all crafted by artists.

Technology is constantly advancing the way we animate. However, it doesn't matter if you are animating with a pencil and paper or by computer, the same fundamental animation principles apply.

There’s a great animation book called The Illusion of Life that I like to reference. It was written by two original Walt Disney animator masters, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. In the book, Thomas and Ollie - two of Walt’s "Nine Old Men" - break down the animation process into 12 fundamental steps.

Here, I’d like to list 5 fundamental principles of animation from the book.

1. Squash and Stretch

Squash and stretch is one of the earliest animation principles. This gives the object weight, and snap to the action.

2. Anticipation

Anticipation gives the audience cues as to what movement will be happening next. It can be as small as an expression or as big as a physical action. The image above of Donald Duck implies that he is about to start running.

3. Staging

This animation principle is similar to anticipation. The action is staged so that it is undeniably clear what is happening, for the character both physically and emotionally.

4. Arcs

Arcs are very important to how objects move. Characters with linear motion tend to look mechanical or robotic. In the natural world we move in slight circular motions. Using arcs in your animation will make the subject feel more real and believable.

5. Exaggeration

Exaggeration is very much a staple in Walt Disney Studios animations. Movements are taken to the extreme and pushed farther than they would in real life. This makes the cartoon more interesting and fun to watch.

To learn more on these animation principles and many other facets of animation, please check out this book.

I would recommend it to anyone interested in the history and practice of animation.

Additional Resources:

Animation

3 Big Mistakes to Avoid in Explainer Videos

Erin Hayes January 05, 2016 Marketing, Animation, Strategy, Video Leave a Comment

When done right, an animated explainer video can help explain your product or service, drive engagement with viewers and increase conversion rates 20%.

But when done improperly, they can end up confusing your viewer and costing you money.

In this post we’ll walk you through the three most common mistakes we see people make with explainer videos. And we'll give you practical pointers to avoid making them.

no 1: focused on features instead of benefits

In 2015 the average attention span was 8.25 seconds. You have 8.25 seconds to grab your viewers' attention and compel them to watch the rest of your video. You won’t do that by talking about yourself. You need to talk about them.

We understand; you love your product and all of its shiny parts. You want to share it with the people whom you know could benefit from it’s amazing features. But instead of explaining the why, you get hung up on explaining the what.

You have between 150 and 300 words (roughly 1-2 minutes) to get your Why across. A good rule of thumb is for every 1 word you write about your product, write 3 about the benefit it delivers to customers (this is a good tip for interviews, too).

If your target video length is 2:00 then you should limit your What to 75 words and your Why to 225. And if the ratio is 50/250, that’s fine too. Just don’t let is skew lower than 1:4.

no. 2: No call to action

You’ve just invested in a video. Your team has worked diligently to boil your message down to 150-300 words; you worked with your production partner to get the video’s look just right. But have you clearly communicated the action you want your viewers to take after watching your amazing video?

If the answer is ’no' then you should stop everything right now and...

Ask yourself this question:

What is the one - and only one - action you want your viewer to take after watching your video?

If you’re not sure then reference the goal of producing this video. (If you hadn't documented a clear goal for you video, consider downloading our 5-Point Checklist at the end of this blog.)

Was it to increase awareness? Increase demo registrations? Webinar registrations?

Now, go back to the script and tell your viewers to take that action.

Don’t leave this to chance - even if you think that action is obvious (it’s a video about your webinar series. Of course you want them to sign up for it!). Include a link to a landing page where they can complete the action you want them to take.

The easier you make it for your viewers, the higher return on investment you’ll see for you video.

Step 3: too many topics in 1 video

What’s worse than not having a Call to Action? Having too many calls to action - for more than one buyer persona. That’s exactly what happens when you try to make one video do the work of two or three or four.

We’ve had clients tell us they want to get the most out their video and that’s why they’ve included all the information anyone could need about their product or service. But including all the information will have the exact opposite effect for these reasons:

The video will be too long (remember, you only have 8.25 seconds to get their attention!).
The video isn't target for a specific buyer persona.
You’ll confuse your viewer about next steps.

Each of these points will lower your conversion rate - and your ROI.

When you try to cram too many topics into one video you confuse your viewers. You're not being clear about whom the video targets.

Think about your buyer personas. Target one buyer persona and speak directly to them in your video. Only cover the points you and your team have identified as important to this persona.

Now, chose one action you'd like them to make after watching the video. Don't give choices.

"Sign up for a demo or register for this webinar or give our sales team a call!”

Choices lead to indecision and indecision leads inaction.

CONCLUSION:

We hope you found these three tips helpful. Animated explainer videos are a fun - and effective - way to educate and engage your audience when done properly.

In summary:

Explainer videos should focus on the benefits your target audience will reap from your product or service
It should have a clear Call to Action
It should clearly communicate just one topic for one buyer persona. Then, it should clearly communicate the one - and only one - action you want your targeted viewer to take after watching the video.

We hope you found these tips helpful! If you're looking for additional, practical help to plan an explainer video, then please download our 5-Point Animated Explainer Checklist:

This checklist will guide you through the 5 planning stages of producing an animated explainer.

It includes suggested questions to ask yourself and your team to ensure you produce the most effective video for your business or brand.

Additional Resources:

Ultimate Guide to Producing an Animated Video

4-Steps to Create an Animated Music Video

7 Stats About Video Marketing to Make You Look Smarter

Our Production Process

Marketing Animation Strategy Video

4 STEPS TO MAKING AN ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO

Nick Clarke December 21, 2015 Animation, Strategy, Video, Tips & Tricks Leave a Comment

Johnny A.'s "Sleigh Ride"

Well it’s that time of year again, and Christmas is upon us once more!

Whenever the holiday season rolls around, I'm reminded of the year I created an animated music video.

In 2012 guitar virtuoso, Johnny A., asked MediaBoss to produce an animated music video for his rendition of “Sleigh Ride.” I was the animator on the project.

I was still a fresh face around MediaBoss and only had a few animations with them under my belt. It was my first long format animation and I was extremely excited to take a shot at animating the entire song.

In this post I'm going to share the 4 part process I used to create "Sleigh Ride" - and share the one part I’d change.

1) Reference & Research

The first step in the process is creating and finding reference footage. This allows you to see how the subjects you’re creating will look and move.

We took footage of Johnny A. playing the song in our studio so we knew the positioning of his hand and fingers on the neck of his guitar.

Throughout the song Johnny flies around the world - from city to city and country to country. I pulled reference photos of the different locations I wanted to show Johnny flying by.

2) Sketching

Before I create the characters digitally I sketch them out on paper. This lets me design the characters more freely and creatively than doing them straight to Photoshop or Illustrator.

I did this for Johnny’s character, Santa and Doug The Christmas Moose.

3) Digital Drawing

I took the sketches I’d created on paper and scanned them into my computer. Then, I brought those sketches into Illustrator to complete the line work. Once the line work was done, I brought them into Photoshop. Then I applied color, shading and texture.

When creating the backgrounds, I skipped the step of going into Illustrator. I drew the line work, color and shading all in Photoshop.

For this style of animation it’s important to separate the different body parts into individual layers. This way you can animate them independently.

4) Animation

The final, and most important step (duh,) is animating what I created. I set anchor points on all the individual body parts and parented them accordingly so his motion mimics that of a Real Life person.

It’s the, “Elbow’s connected to the… wrist bone” song. Or how I more commonly refer to it, "the paper puppet".

Remember when you were in Kindergarten and you made puppets? You cut out different parts of a body and stick pins through them so you can move them around on your paper person. Same principle.

Along with animating the characters, I placed a camera in the scene so I could go from a wide establishing shot to a close up of Johnny and Doug.

Finally, I composited clouds and snow and completed color grading and color correction. And there you have it - the animation is complete!

What I’d Change:

There are changes I’d make in all the animations I create. But, due to approaching deadlines and more projects coming in the door, you have to learn to let it go and let the project be finished.

If I could do it again (with more time), I would add more scenes on the ground. I'd love to show different people from all over the world celebrating Christmas with their own traditions. This would give the animation a great dynamic that would make it even more interesting and fun to watch.

But, due to the tight turnaround time of this animation these edits weren't able to make it to the final cut. But who knows, maybe we'll run into Johnny A. and Doug the Christmas Moose again soon!

CONCLUSION:

Like many parts of production, the process we use to produced animated video depends on the project. The step that doesn't change is the high quality end result we deliver to our clients.

Additional Resources:

Animation Strategy Video Tips & Tricks

Animation

How Practicing My Skills Have Allowed My Creative Work To Evolve

5 Tips For Drawing Your Favorite Marvel Superheroes

5 Traditional Animation Principles That Are Still Important Today

3 Big Mistakes to Avoid in Explainer Videos

4 STEPS TO MAKING AN ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO

Johnny A.'s "Sleigh Ride"

Content Creation Blog

How Practicing My Skills Have Allowed My Creative Work To Evolve

5 Tips For Drawing Your Favorite Marvel Superheroes

5 Traditional Animation Principles That Are Still Important Today

Additional Resources:

3 Big Mistakes to Avoid in Explainer Videos

no 1: focused on features instead of benefits

no. 2: No call to action

Step 3: too many topics in 1 video

4 STEPS TO MAKING AN ANIMATED MUSIC VIDEO

Johnny A.'s "Sleigh Ride"

1) Reference & Research

2) Sketching

3) Digital Drawing

4) Animation

What I’d Change:

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