How to Create a Good Animated Film

Posted on February 5, 2014

Want to create a great quality animated film? Although it may sound hard, the animation industry is constantly evolving and creating easier and better ways to animate. Here are some straight forward and effective steps to follow below…

 

1, Figure it out what type it will be. Will it be packed with action and “cartoon violence” or full of comedy? Brainstorm your characters and develop a plot for your story.

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2, You may want to create a storyboard, but if your film is shorter, this may not be necessary. The storyboard drawings don’t have to be of good quality.

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3, Write a script. Be sure to include everything, especially dialogue. Every detail counts.

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4, Write character profiles to further develop the stars of your animated film. Include lots and lots of details. You can even include traits about your character. Is your character the comedian of the movie or is your character something else?

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5, Animate your film. You should have decided what animation technique you will use by this point. Flip books are cheap and funny, but have several downsides (no sound, limited film length). Traditional animation has great quality, but takes a long time, is not very efficient, and is quite costly. You could always use animation software as well. It’s all up to you, the creator!

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6, Edit your film. Decide if there is anything you would like to change about your film or something you don’t like about your film. Cut it out if so.

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7, Show your film.

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Tips

Show your finished product to your family, friends, teachers or mentors. Ask for their constructive criticism. It should not be enough for them to say they liked or disliked your film. Have them tell you why. If they have any suggestions as to how you can improve your film, take the ideas to heart and seriously consider making the necessary changes. Make those changes as you see fit.

Make sure that you shade properly, Make sure you know where your light source is.

Storyboarding scenes helps give you insight what you want to include in each scene, from what angle you want to “film” your animated character(s).