Animation Mentor - AN06 - Feature Animation Acting & Polish

In this final course, combine all the skills you’ve acquired and apply the concepts to a new animated shot. Learn valuable techniques to refine and polish your animation and create work that stands out. You’ll also learn the best practices for what to include (and what not to include) on your demo reel, and gain valuable insights into the hiring process at top animation studios.
The 3 Main Assignments in Feature Animation Acting & Polish

Create a New Shot

Your mentor will help you choose what to do for this assignment, and it can either be to flesh out your reel with improved work, or to help you focus on a topic where you need more experience (body mechanics, acting, etc.). A lot of times this new shot ends up being the strongest piece on your reel because you’re able to apply everything you’ve learned from previous courses to this new shot.

Improve and Polish Previous Shots

Your mentor will review your previous work and will guide you on which ones are worth improving, and which ones you should move on from. There may be some shots that are almost ready for your reel, but just need a refined polish pass. There may be some shots that have a lot of potential, but need some fundamental body mechanics issues addressed. There could even be a shot that had great potential in idea, but was done so early in your educational career, that your mentor will direct you to do it again from scratch.

Craft Your Demo Reel

Not every shot on your progress reel will be worth putting on your demo reel. You’ll learn which shots you should include, you’ll learn how to order shots on your reel to keep recruiters interested, and how long your reel should be.
Learn How to:
Give your characters distinct personalities, making them recognizable, memorable, and appealing
Use advanced spacing techniques to sell the physicality and believability of your characters’ actions and gestures
Utilize advanced polishing skills to fine-tune each shot to a high-quality finish
Incorporate subtle acting skills to create stand out, studio-ready performances
Understand what it takes to create an awesome demo reel, including key mistakes to avoid
Learn to develop your critical eye so that when you leave Animation Mentor you can continue improving your work into your career