Milk Features In 3D World Magazine In-Depth Series

We’re excited that 3D World magazine is currently running a series of in-depth features on Milk’s pipeline and inside our work on major TV shows and films such as Good Omens (Amazon/BBC); Altered Carbon (Netflix) ; Adrift (Balthasar Kormakur) and  Origin (YouTube).

Journalist Ian Failes spent the day at our humble abode in London’s Fitzrovia and chatted to our team leads along with senior producer Jenna Powell, to get the lowdown on each of our key departments and their tips and tricks for success – from our assets, animation and FX teams to Milk’s environments and 2D crew.

Our Head of Animation Chris Hutchison shared his everyday tips for animating on pro projects (featured in the November issue #252)

Chris says..

“1.  Reference

Wherever possible always look for reference when animating. Whether its a fictional character or not, there will always be something out there in the real world that you can relate that character to. This helps for weight, timing, spacing but also for the minute imperfections and nuances that animating from memory alone can’t give you and can really bring that character alive.

2. Observation

I constantly find myself observing everything in life which I can then relate to animation later on. Whether its people watching on the Tube to a dog playing fetch in the park I find that I’m constantly looking at my surroundings taking note of how things move and behave.

3. Don’t be afraid to ask for feedback

Sometimes when animating we get what’s called “tunnel vision” where you’ve been looking at something for so long, that a fresh set of eyes can really help to fix potential problems you are having or if your shot just needs that extra level of polish. Getting another persons opinion can greatly help you to see if what you are trying to convey in your animation is working, and if not you can then you can adjust it accordingly.

4. Listen

When being spoken to by a lead or even to by your workmates: listen! And really consider what they have to offer you. Sometimes they will be right and sometimes they will be wrong, but to limit yourself from receiving free knowledge from a workmate or senior can be detrimental to your career. Absorb these ideas from others when you can.

5. Think

Be sure to sit down and really think what the character is feeling, what are the motivations driving its actions, or why would it make this decision, sometimes sketching out ideas for your shot can help or you can even give yourself a quick 30-minute time restraint to block out a quick idea. If that isn’t working, then at least you’ve explored that avenue and can cross that idea off your list.

6. Practise Practise Practise.

I cannot stress this enough, just go out there and animate. Animate anything and everything and keep doing it. Sometimes doing something really simple in theory can be the most fun, too, and once you have animated something don’t be afraid to follow steps 1-5 in order to polish and take your animation to that next level!”

 

Read more here..

How Milk Handles Character Animation

Milk: Creating Pro-Level CG Level Assets