New Animation in the mix

So I just started planning out my new animation. Here is the audio choices I rounded up and I ended up choosing line #3



When choosing a new piece of audio for animation I am usually VERY picky esp if I can be. If it is for a personal project, then you have all the freedom in the world to choose... This can sometimes be a problem...TOO many choices and you find yourself planning and searching for that perfect piece of audio for months when you could have animated it already HAHAH

The reason for posting this is to show my process and work flow when it comes to making a new animation and choosing what I do. In this case I wanted to create a new dialog piece for my Demo Reel I wanted to find something that was around 8-10 seconds long...something short and sweet. When I am about to start a new animation I usually take a look at where I stand in my skill level and what I need to work on to become a better animator. Sometimes it's as simple as looking at my demo reel and finding my weak points.

I feel its good to take a step back from your work time to time and look at it as If you are looking at someone elses Demo Reel. Usually when I do this I will find all sorts of stuff wrong with my animations that need to be fixed.

So at this point in my career I feel I have a pretty good grasp on body mechanics but I feel I am lacking in my acting skills. I usually watch a ton of movies and browse online places like www.hulu.com where there are 100's of movies and tv shows you can watch and stream from you comp. I use SnapZpro for snagging all of my audio and reference online.

There were probably 10 pieces of audio that I eventually narrowed down to 4 choices and this is where I like to get a feel for what the MASSes think.... I post my audio ideas online in forums and chat rooms anywhere I can to get feedback. This is one of the most important stages in the process I feel. It's when you find out what works and what doesnt and the overall opinion on whats the best audio to choose.

Not to say that you shouldn't be confident and just choosing everything on your own and going with it. Sometimes great ideas and art comes from the spur of the moment of gut instincts and happy mistakes.