In looking at my animation journey, I’ve found some areas I really want to focus on going forward:

1. Keep Evolving My Visual Style

I know my visual style is where I shine, so I want to keep pushing it. I’m planning to dive into more visual development projects, really honing in on making my visuals stand out and tell stories in their own right. By practicing and experimenting regularly, I’m aiming to make my style even more captivating.

2. Mastering Different Animation Techniques

Besides style, I’m also keen on leveling up my technical skills. I’m going to dive into learning and practicing a whole range of animation techniques, from stop-motion to 2D animation. Starting small and working my way up to bigger projects, I’m excited to explore new software, try out different styles, and challenge myself creatively and technically.

3. Getting Better at Organizing and Managing Time

I know that being organized and managing time well are key to getting animation projects done right. So, I’m going to work on keeping my files tidy and finding ways to manage my time more effectively. I’ll also dig into understanding the production process better, including how to take on a producer role, to make sure my animations run smoothly and get finished on time.

Overall, I’m feeling pretty optimistic about where my animation journey is headed. By constantly exploring my visual style, learning new technical skills, and improving my organization and time management, I’m confident I’ll be able to create even more impactful animations in the future.

Studio AKA, a prestigious animation studio based in London, has distinguished itself with a unique and elegant animation style. Renowned for their rich visuals and compelling narratives, Studio AKA particularly excels in the realm of advertising.
The Distinctive Style of Studio AKA
Studio AKA’s animations are marked by a refined, elegant aesthetic that seamlessly merges illustration and animation. Their work is meticulously detailed, with a focus on texture and color that imparts a handcrafted feel. This approach creates a visual richness that captivates audiences, making their animations not only visually stunning but also emotionally engaging.
The studio often employs a minimalist approach, characterized by clean lines and subtle movements. This minimalism doesn’t equate to simplicity; rather, it allows for a deeper focus on characters and narrative, ensuring every detail serves the story. The result is a body of work that feels both sophisticated and approachable.
Collaborations with Clients
Studio AKA has collaborated with a diverse array of prestigious clients across various industries.
John Lewis: Studio AKA’s work on John Lewis’s Christmas advertisements has become iconic, known for heartwarming storytelling and exquisite animation.
Lloyds Bank: The “For Your Next Step” campaign exemplifies Studio AKA’s ability to blend narrative and aesthetics seamlessly.
BBC: Projects like the animated series “Hey Duggee” showcase their versatility and skill in creating engaging content for different audiences.
Excellence in Narrative Advertising
One of the most distinctive aspects of Studio AKA’s work is their emphasis on narrative elegance. Their animations are not just visually striking; they are deeply engaging, with stories that resonate on an emotional level. This is particularly evident in their advertising work, where the challenge is to convey a brand’s message succinctly yet memorably.
Studio AKA achieves this by focusing on strong, character-driven stories that evoke empathy and connection. Their animations often feature relatable characters and situations, making the narrative more accessible and impactful. The studio’s ability to weave complex emotions and themes into short-form content is a testament to their storytelling prowess.
For instance, their work on the Lloyds Bank “For Your Next Step” campaign uses the metaphor of a black horse to represent strength and reliability, effectively communicating the brand’s values through a simple yet powerful narrative. Similarly, their John Lewis Christmas advertisements are known for their emotionally charged stories that capture the spirit of the holiday season, creating a lasting impression on viewers.

Studio AKA’s unique style and narrative elegance have set them apart in the world of animation, particularly in the realm of advertising. Their ability to create visually stunning and emotionally engaging animations has made them a sought-after partner for a wide range of clients. By blending illustration-like aesthetics with compelling storytelling, Studio AKA influence me a lot on how to combine the visual and animation.

My exploration into the realm of Japanese commercial animation and its distinctions from American-based commercial animation led me to seek insights from a friend immersed in the Japanese animation industry, actively involved in animation and storyboarding.

Primarily, my friend cautioned me about the practicalities within the Japanese animation landscape. Despite its mainstream appeal, compensation for animators tends to be notably modest. Extended work hours are commonplace, often spanning from 10 a.m. to midnight, contingent upon the remuneration offered by the animation company. Employees on a fixed salary might conclude work by 6 p.m., while those compensated partially based on animation output frequently contend with overtime commitments.

The Japanese animation process bears a resemblance to that of the United States. Initial developmental stages involve project planning, helmed by pitch directors, scriptwriters, and producers. Visual development is solidified, storyboarding—referred to as ‘konte’ in Japanese—is established. Subsequently, the search for voice actors commences, necessitating bookings well in advance due to the actors’ demanding schedules. Storyboard artists are required to provide a rough animatic to synchronize with the dubbing process at this juncture.

During the animation production phase, the episode’s team director initiates the search for layout artists and primary rough animators. Their work undergoes scrutiny by the team director for necessary adjustments before being passed on to those responsible for character movements, under the supervision of the show’s director. Following approval, the second rough animator refines the work, culminating in in-between animations, detailed drawing, coloring, and background creation by the animator.

Post-production involves compositors enhancing visuals through lighting, lens adjustments, and other effects, while considering sound effects, music, and dubbing to finalize the project. The Japanese animation process unfolds as an industrialized procedure, meticulously scrutinized and produced layer by layer.

Upon completion of animation production, distribution and promotion responsibilities are typically entrusted to other companies. Preceding the animation’s production, a production committee collaborates with sponsors to prepare for subsequent distribution efforts. This committee reviews storyboards to ascertain the feasibility of particular sequences.

Having transitioned from the animation department to the visual development division, my friend underscores that the fundamental divergence lies in communication levels. Visual development demands close-knit communication and collaboration with the director and colleagues to maintain a cohesive project style.

I conducted comprehensive research into various animation roles that piqued my interest, primarily focusing on visual development due to my background as an illustrator. As part of this exploration, I engaged in an insightful interview with Zhang Chi, an esteemed character designer in the animation industry. Our discussion delved into his work process and conceptual methodologies as an animation character designer.

Zhang Chi notably categorizes animation into two distinct factions: character animation and experimental animation. He further segments character design into Japanese, American, and French commercial animation styles, with the latter bearing closer resemblance to comics.

Regarding his career trajectory, Zhang Chi finds himself drawn towards the visual development phase, considering it a realm where he explores aesthetics with heightened creativity. He adeptly merges diverse cultural elements into his designs and possesses a unique ability to envision unexpected character transformations by observing various creatures. For Zhang Chi, visual development embodies a more enjoyable facet compared to animation creation.

Within the animation studios where he has contributed, Zhang Chi outlines a structured design process:

Initial briefing by the director or writer, outlining character details and personal experiences.
Collation of information, references, and conceptualization of the character by the visual artist.
Deeper research to refine the character concept, followed by feedback to the director to stimulate ideation.
Collaborative discussions with the director lead to the character design stage, necessitating comprehensive multi-angle character drawings, encompassing silhouettes and varied expressions.
Presentation of character visuals, incorporating different perspectives, expressive designs, and action sequences by the character designer.
When questioned about advice for aspiring character designers in animation, Zhang Chi emphasized the following: Embrace boundless imagination, allowing ideas to flow freely while initially envisioning the impressions a character evokes. Foster a habit of continuous learning and accumulation of knowledge, even beyond drawing. Cultivate curiosity, using natural elements such as creatures and architecture as reference points. Beyond surface visuals, invest time in comprehending the cultural narratives behind the imagery.”

In this experience I work with year 2 student jyots and do a short animation for her, she share her trello and give the option of different shots.

When I was doing body acting animation, it’s come up with two main problem.

Timing, it’s a bit different when we move our thought from practice’s animation to acting animation. We need more time to let audience understand what happened. At the beginning my work is a bit jumping, so I change a lot of time on this animation.

We started with a key frame, I wanna make an acting of character is looking for a book.

this unit we asked to do an animation of facial acting, I do a character is picking up a phone and recived some message.

After we have the experience in dog walking animation, it’s more easy to understand the normal people’s walking, we take performance reference to help us create the walking animation.