"Disk Duel" Bionicle Microfilm

[CommanderKumo]

This is my first Bionicle film; two Matoran partake in the illegal sport of disk dueling, it is only short and mainly just serves as an introduction for me into animating Bionicle figures, please leave whatever constuctive feedback you like 

 

[Electric Light Gunhaver]

Ah, to see the work of an animator in his early days. Reminds me of the time when I still made basic stop motions...  Not that I feel like I'm out of those times, though...

 

All I can say is keep practicing. That's the only way you can get better at animation. Have patience with both your film and yourself, have fun with it, try out new ideas, and you should be fine. On the technical aspect, such as frames per second that you want, I can't help you. I'm still trying to find an FPS that feels right and I can work with well. 

 

I AM a little confused as to what went on during this microfilm. Like, why did the white Matoran fall onto a support bar? I don't know how much space you gave yourself to work with, but working with Bionicle figures does tend to make animations feel a little cramped unless you're good with cinematography.  

[CommanderKumo]

Ah, to see the work of an animator in his early days. Reminds me of the time when I still made basic stop motions...  Not that I feel like I'm out of those times, though...

 

All I can say is keep practicing. That's the only way you can get better at animation. Have patience with both your film and yourself, have fun with it, try out new ideas, and you should be fine. On the technical aspect, such as frames per second that you want, I can't help you. I'm still trying to find an FPS that feels right and I can work with well. 

 

I AM a little confused as to what went on during this microfilm. Like, why did the white Matoran fall onto a support bar? I don't know how much space you gave yourself to work with, but working with Bionicle figures does tend to make animations feel a little cramped unless you're good with cinematography.  

Thanks for the feedback, I wish the film could have explained it better, the white matoran was hit with a teleport kanoka and the green/brown one was hit with a freeze, I learned a lot with this project, and I will certainly keep practicing!

[ToaBion]

Hey ToaKumo:

 

I have made a few stop-motion clips and what I can recomend you is to have from 10 to 25 frames per second (more frames per second equals neater scenes). I also recomend you to have a remot controler to the camera so the camera is always still and the scene doesn't shake.

 

But the most important of all: practice a lot 

 

Hope it helps you.

[Azani]

There's a legitimate level of polish to this animation, and I appreciate it quite a bit, particularly in light of the number of animators working with constraction LEGO nowadays. As the others have said, the camera stability and angles are crucial variables to get down; additionally, your work may benefit from greater variation in the style of shots, including some wider and closer shots at appropriate times. You might want to consider a chromakey-inserted background as well; just a couple of thoughts.

 

Nice job on the finished product; you just earned yourself another subscriber.

[CommanderKumo]

Hey ToaKumo:

 

I have made a few stop-motion clips and what I can recomend you is to have from 10 to 25 frames per second (more frames per second equals neater scenes). I also recomend you to have a remot controler to the camera so the camera is always still and the scene doesn't shake.

 

But the most important of all: practice a lot 

 

Hope it helps you.

Thanks for the tips, my camera is actually remote controlled, I just kept knocking it when moving the figures   I will keep practicing!

There's a legitimate level of polish to this animation, and I appreciate it quite a bit, particularly in light of the number of animators working with constraction LEGO nowadays. As the others have said, the camera stability and angles are crucial variables to get down; additionally, your work may benefit from greater variation in the style of shots, including some wider and closer shots at appropriate times. You might want to consider a chromakey-inserted background as well; just a couple of thoughts.

 

Nice job on the finished product; you just earned yourself another subscriber.

Next time I make a Bionicle film I will certainly try, I've got a green screen and a pink screen to experiment with! I'll certainly experiment with more camera angles! Thanks for the subscribe 

[Jam Pot Studios]

Great start, here! Got a few bits of feedback for ya.

 

Your animation is turning out well, but there are a couple of things you need to work on. The first is the fluidity of movement, i.e. making sure that the next frame you take is the natural step from the last. It's super-important with stuff like camera movement to make sure that the camera (or set) is moving in a straight line/curve, otherwise it comes out juddery, like yours has. The second is easing, which is something that's too complex for me to leave in a youtube comment, so lookup a guy called Fancy Pants. He's got a great tutorial on it, and it'll really help bring your animation up. Don't worry though, both the things I've mentioned are things i still really struggle with. you're off to a great start.

 

The other thing is sound. You didn't have any, aside from the music, which started late and was quite jarring. Even if you only practice with the MNOG soundboard for now (which is all on Biomedia Project), it's important to learn how to use sound to enhance your visuals and really bring the viewer in.

 

And as far as sets go, you did a great job with System pieces, but I'd advise trying to use non-Lego materials to make bigger sets, and then using Lego elements for details. Bionicles are big, and you want to make sure they're not then packed into tiny locations because of piece limitations. Even if it's just decorated cardboard, I'd suggest giving this a go.

 

I've subscribed, and I'm looking forward to seeing what you do next!