On using video reference

Whether you're a seasoned professional, an eager student or an aspiring junior animator such as myself, chances are you've asked yourself: do I need to shoot video reference? How and when to use video reference has been a popular debate in the animation world, and it doesn't have a straight forward answer. Here's my perspective... People often worry that using video reference will result in animation that feels rotoscoped, stiff or lacking in weight. This is certainly the case, if you rely too heavily on your reference which I am personally guilty of. Video reference is exactly that, reference! It's there to be referenced, not copied. For whatever reason live action does not produce believable animation if it is copied. Live action has to be exaggerated in order for it to look good for us animators. Another problem is that when we shoot reference of ourselves we never push our poses as much as we think we do. What I've found is that when shooting reference you need to push your poses much further than you think you need to, and then push them even more! And again, this reference is not meant to be copied. If all we did was copy live action then what would be the point in our medium at all? What we take from this reference are the key poses and what we study are important things such as weight shifts and balance. This is all something that I am still learning and I'm sure I will continue to learn for years to come. In the past I have been guilty of letting my reference do the thinking for me. For my next personal shot (animating to an audio clip from "Anchorman") I am really going to focus on creating a believable, dynamic piece that pushes my video reference to a new level. In the meantime, here is a fantastic comparison reel from the exceptionally talented Jeff Gabor. Many of you will have seen it before but for those who haven't, enjoy! This is a master at work.

A week at Topix

Just a few short days ago I completed my first week at Topix animation studio in Toronto. I really feel like my career has been given a big kick start now. The work is challenging and I am required to animate things that I have never animated before, but the harder it is the more I will learn right?
Best of all I know that the result of all this hard work will be a series of shots that will look fantastic on my reel! Studio work is also quite interesting. It's great to have a supervising animator on board all the time. Twice a day he will review my work and give me notes. It's like being paid to be at school. Best of all I know that he will be harsh because it needs to be good enough to satisfy the client.
As well as this I am also still doing some work at Chuck Gamage in Hamilton. With my busy schedule traveling to and from Toronto I can only work for them part time (or remotely from home) but I really want to gain all the experience that I can. I also decided to finally get a copy of The Animator's Survival Kit which I'm almost done reading. It really is a great read for any aspiring animator and I highly recommend it.
I'm also doing a personal shot on the side, although I don't expect it to be done for a few months with my busy schedule.
I would like to start posting about animation itself rather than just personal accounts of my life so hopefully I'll have time to start that soon...