Moho Forum

Like the way they move and look? (not the sound or the storyline)

uhm... is there any more info or link?

My imagination is working overtime.

Yes.

More preferable than some I've seen.

Um, sorry, but your stuff just didn't grab me -- it didn't move and it didn't appear visible to the human eye.

(I know -- white cow in snowstorm sort of material. When you gaze into the abyss the abyss gazes back at you :>)

Ya, your lack of work is exactly what makes Toonboom users convert to Anime Studio.

But, seriously, where's the link?

oops i guess i forgot the link yea i'm an idiot i even copied it
http://if.net/profile/424871/?cid=1226331

and you guys are real funny lol

Now, to be fair all of us who wisecracked should at least answer your question after viewing your link.

For my part the answer is simple -- artwork isn't nearly as important as the story. If you have a good story and tell it well then it really doesn't matter how it looks (and this is true of many, otherwise a series like South Park would never have made the impact it did).

My own series is fairly primitive and yet has been known to amuse. But just having said that remember that good writing is far far far more difficult to do than good animation -- it may even be beyond your ability (so find yourself a good writer then).

The drawing style is "good enough". The animation lacks dynamics. The story ... hm. No, I don't like that. Not my piece of cake.

IMO there has to be a certain balance between artwork, animation and story. If the story is really really good and highly original, you could get away with stick figures. If the artwork is very elaborate, but the story a bit moot, you might get away if the animation is fresh and fast. Being very fast seems to be the recipe right now for the better part of web cartoons: if you have fast-paced dialogue, just let everything zip through the frame and people will feel entertained.

mkelley wrote:Now, to be fair all of us who wisecracked should at least answer your question after viewing your link.

OK, but I have dug myself a hole here because I hated it. The wooden movement, the awful drawing, the lack of knowledge of how anatomy works, how physics works, how animation works...It was childish in all the wrong ways. Sorry.

But that's okay -- I think he was looking for honest feedback, and that's honest.

After watching a lot of the Toon Network, where the artwork is about fifth grade level (and, truth be told, most of the stories as well) and the animation a throwback to the 20's, it seems to me that most people here in the United States will accept almost anything (remember -- much of the Toon Network is aimed at the 18-34 market). These dialog driven stories seem to try and top themselves on being "non-traditional".

Someone said (I think it was in Disney's Illusion of Life, but it could have been almost anywhere) that if you are doing a short animation, say 20 minutes or less, that the audience will accept just about anything assuming your story is halfway interesting. Heck, I just saw the Academy award winning short "The Dot and the Line" which was animated just about how you'd expect from that title (and in that case even the story wasn't all that interesting -- ordinary, boring and predictable). Academy Award.

It could be a cultural thing -- I know Slowtiger is overseas where it seems (from what he's written) that dialog driven animation is not the norm as it is here in the states. Pretty obviously if you are relying on your images to tell the story you need fairly interesting images.

I hate questions like this. The question doesn't seem to "match" the content that goes with it. How can anyone say they would watch something that might look a little like this but have a story... and maybe better sound? So do we "pretend" or "imagine" what might be shown?

My feeling is you just do it. Put it out there. End of story. If people like it they like it. If they don't you will probably hear about it and can change or... not. You won't produce anything good based on the motley crew that makes up this forum all voting for what looks good.

Do whatever it is you REALLY have planned and want to do. You obviously have something on your mind. Go for it and then ask for opinions. Or if you just wanted to show this off or other short segments like it, then do that as well.

-vern

The animation seems like a rough draft, and could benefit from refinement. For example, Neo's feet slide around when they should stay still, and the guy with the gun lowers and raises the gun between shots, which seems odd.

But, overall, the cartoon has potential...maybe. It's hard to say, with such a small sample.

this was my first animation just some thing I put together. I have an awesome series idea but I just wanted some opinions on the drawing and movement. that has nothing to do with mybseries btw.

I would say do a portion of your series idea and THEN ask for advice. Do just a small short segment that maybe has some small amount of dialog and character interaction. A few seconds.

Then you have something relevant for us to judge. Also you gain experience along the way.

-vern