Editing in Final Cut Pro

It's don't really look that hard when you first start, but do not let that fool you. At first I was just throwing video and some music together and seeing how it came out. That was until I tried making a short movie. Listen around you, there is some much sound and action going around but you really don't think about it. As well as lining up the music to fit every part perfect and making sure that it is not to loud so that it kills the audio from the character. Placing sounds and music and voices takes a lot longer then what I though it would.

It sounds like a lot, I know. It is at first but after a few times getting in there face first with it, you will begin to figure out where everything is. Do not be afraid of the program. Yes there is a lot of buttons and clicks, but you will learn that. I am telling you this because this is the best why I have found to learn new programs. Just jump into it and found out what is going on with it. What up you mess up can always be fixed. It's a computer! But editing in Final Cut Pro is an amazing program if you are wanting to edited films, short videos, or a music video, and this is just the beginning. I still do not know everything about this program, but the future hold promising.

Disney's Principles

So everyone knows the great Walt Disney, but do you know what he and his team created? In the 1930's Disney and his team of animators, also known as the old men, created the 12 principles of animation. These 12 principles revolutionized animation. By Disney and his team following them they have created some of the best animation that we love and watch to this day. So you are wondering what are these 12 things that help Disney create such great movies, well here they are.

1. Squash and stretch
2. Anticipation
3. Staging
4. Pose-to-pose and straight-ahead action
5. Follow-through and overlapping action
6. Slow-in and slow-out
7. Arc
8. Secondary action
9. Timing
10. Exaggeration
11. Solid drawing
12. Character appeal

Since the 1930's half a dozen more have been added to the list, but back in the 30's these principles are what paved the rode for all future animation. So if you are interested in becoming an animator or even just like to play with a 3d program, by applying these principles you too can create a masterpiece.

Lights in a digtial world

So when you look around, you see lights all around you. In a digital world there is no light until you create it. You make every light in a scene. Not only do you create lights you may also animate them to do really what ever it is you want them to do. You can move them, change there color, make them as bright as the sun or as dull as a dying flashlight. The choice is yours. Lighting in a digital world is just as important as the objects you use to create the scene. With the proper lighting you can make a normal look shot and turn it into a dynamic looking scene.

Not only can they light up a room or an object but, they can also create a mood or even a character. Light is measured in Kelvin. Kelvin measures light in temperature, the higher the Kelvin, the brighter the light is.

Cinema 4d

So when I started back to school, I decided to go back for graphic design. I like Adobe Photoshop and other programs like this. In the past three months I have been working with a new program and I have fell in love with it. Cinema 4d is now my program of choice, if you can imagine it, this program can make it. You are everybody in a production company. The lights, camera, and action are all at your fingertips. If you are a control freak, this program is for you.

The timelines are the one thing that you really need to understand fully to animate anything. If you can look at the key frames and how the lines are going in between them you should be able to tell what is going on in the scene. You must be able to key frame a scene out so it will look right when rendered. That is just one thing about the timeline. Everything has a track to it, lights, objects, even cameras follow a parameter track. Your timeline controls everything if you are animating your peace. So if you ever wanted to make your own little short movie using 3d get to know your timeline and let it become your friend.