The importance of these initial stages cannot be overstated. It is easy to get caught up in wanting to dive right in to the 3d steps but without thorough knowledge of where you're going, how can you possibly know when you get there?
Occasionally happy accidents can work in 2d -- sometimes I'll just start painting with no idea of what I want to paint and just see what shapes start to form. The process has a cathartic element to it, but seldom does it ever result in something that would be shared with anyone. This could apply to 3d applications as well, but only when you're working for yourself, and even then--it will likely be a waste of any time you care to put in to it.
That being said -- the process of the animatic is to capture the overall timing of the piece in 2d--if the majority of the timing can be settled now it becomes exceptionally less painful once reaching the layout/animation phase.
We're laying the foundation for the film -- if the film doesn't work with these big parts in place then it will never work no matter how much detail you flop on top of it. I find myself longing for the details though -- blowing grass and subtle eye darts, or the way Braveheart's coat will flow in the wind. But when you're building a house you don't start with the stucco finish do you?
This is the process I used to set up the timing for the animatic:
Determine the total running length you want for your film (approximately). I find it's also helpful to give a few hundred extra frames (4-6 seconds) because it's easier/faster to remove frames than it is to add them. -- In this case 1 minute. (1440 frames @ 24fps)
Divide each shot equally in the run time -- 1440f/23 shots = 62.6 -- I rounded down to 60f each.
Just preview the film and get a sense of the timing -- WRITE STUFF DOWN AS YOU WATCH -- I guarantee you'll save yourself time and effort-- even if you don't agree with your notes when you come back to them...
As a general rule for the first go around -- For shots that need to be shorter cut the time in half, and for shots that need to be longer, double them. Keep going until you find a "whoa that's too short/long" moment and then you'll have found your range to work in. Timing is a funny thing -- a couple extra frames here or there and all of a sudden the timing of your whole piece can be off. Take the time now to get it right... it's much better in the long run.
Some changes occurred again -- you'll notice that Braveheart's turn after the second text has been removed. The timing was much stronger without it. I may play around with putting it back in before the text for the final animatic -- it helps make Braveheart's shot in the countdown make more sense.
Admittedly the sound is not great -- After Effects is a potent program, but I find it somewhat lacking in audio editing compared to other software I've used, but don't have access too.
And it seems I've removed myself from the Dark Ages and discovered embedded code for videos.
Next week: Final Animatic
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