• Joined: January 10, 2009

Topic: Animation sickness

Hi Guys,

I'm not sure if the title was quite appropriate, but I've been experiencing quite a lot of frustration with my animation recently, and I was wondering if any of you have encountered something similar. Basically my main problem is a lack of motivation (though this may sound odd given the amount of motivation for Avante-garde). I have plenty of ideas, far more than my capacity to create films, and I can build a detailed set with ease, but when it comes down to actually animating, I find myself easily distracted and simply unable to animate. When I do eventually get down to taking some frames, I normally end up deleting more than I've taken, and the animation I'm left with is of an unsatisfactory quality. I find this incredibly frustrating, and gives me even less of a reason to do more.

I've been trying to find a way around this, and I hoped that the coming of the Easter break would cure my frustration, as I would have more time, but really it's given me more time to stare at my lit set, and watch some low quality animation on loop, wondering how I could make it work, or whether I should try and re-shoot it for the 4th time. I also tried to do some short animation completely different from my current project (Tales of Sherbet Forest) but I encountereed exactly the same problem and ended up trashing the whole thing.

I want to start on my A-G film, but neither do I want to postpone my current film for another 3 months, by which time I'll have lost interest, and it'll be another unfinished project on my hard drive. I wonder if any of you have encountered a similar problem or can propose a "cure for my "sickness".

Thanks in advance

~CheeseyBricks

  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: Animation sickness

I had the same problem. A few people would know that I just completely lost interest and motivation. I just couldn't get any enjoyment out of animation. How am I back on track? Well, I took a break. Quite a long one. I didn't quite expect to ever return to brickfilming, but I just had an urge.

I really think that you should take a break. It really helps. Do some other things with your life and keep your creative mind. Try to stick to imaginative activities and you'll eventually start thinking about animation. I decided to take a little short with the worst script ever (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RRX8aQGVvCg) and I felt it coming back. I built a new set to make another brickfilm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPaBW5fTvmQ) and then knew this was the thing to do. I even made a Christmas brickfilm (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kb3-6qyCcxo)

What I'm saying, is that you don't have to force it on yourself when there's a lack of motivation. Take a break, do some other activities and come back to brickfilming when you feel it's right. It works, trust me.


Good gravy, I sound like a doctor. mini/tongue

"Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can't create it if you don't have one." - Brad Bird

Splash's Website

  • Location: On the hype train
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: Animation sickness

I'm struggling with the same moment. Truth is just frikkin boring to animate mini/blankexpression

''You don't have to tell him how great is coffee is man!''
  • Location: In the Englandworld.
  • Joined: April 4, 2010

Re: Animation sickness

im have the same maybe it your ideas i dont feel i need to if the idea is rubbish and not funny

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Chuppa/Signatures/sig1.png
  • Location: Tokyo, Japan
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: Animation sickness

Is it something about this time of year? You guys are not the only ones feeling that their inspiration reserves are dried up...

https://i.imgur.com/1JxY79v.png

Hazzat's Website

  • Location: In the Englandworld.
  • Joined: April 4, 2010

Re: Animation sickness

thats true i cant be bothered around my birthday thats the main time

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Chuppa/Signatures/sig1.png
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: Animation sickness

Get outta here punks mini/tongue

Lol, JK.

"Animation is about creating the illusion of life. And you can't create it if you don't have one." - Brad Bird

Splash's Website

  • Joined: January 6, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

I have the same problem, I get motivated but after a while I give up on the shot or the editing.

welp
Formerly LegoDudez
  • Location: In the Englandworld.
  • Joined: April 4, 2010

Re: Animation sickness

same

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Chuppa/Signatures/sig1.png
  • Location: An Undisclosed Wal Mart Lot
  • Joined: September 5, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

Hazzat wrote:

Is it something about this time of year? You guys are not the only ones feeling that their inspiration reserves are dried up...

I actually felt this way winter last year, so I guess I had the sickness early mini/bigsmile

  • Joined: January 10, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

Woah, this seems quite common, I'm glad I'm not the only one.

@Splash: Thanks for the comment, and a break probably would help me, but I'd love to enter Avante-Garde, and I've prepared a set and story, an idea that I think would work well, it's just the time restraints. I guess I'll give animation a week or so's break where intend to do any filming and see how it goes from there.

@Chuppa: The problem is definitely not my ideas. If my ideas were trees, the planet would be covered in forests. Luckily, my ideas aren't trees.

@T.G-Tom: I know what you mean entirely, especially with larger projects such as yours. My current film should only last about a minute, but it's taking absolutely forever to make.

  • Location: United States
  • Joined: July 16, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

I had ever since we had a huge problem and I lost my equiptment for 2 months. When I returned, I tried Ani-Excersize 2 and 8 seconds into it, my lamp died and after replacing it, that was it. Never made a film since. just tests and a 15 second attempt for thac.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/315234895058173963/400133875549995018/Sig1.png
  • Location: A potato near you
  • Joined: July 7, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

Take a break until you feel like doing it again. I am going to wait until summer break so I can start filming my first brickfilm.

"Doc seriously, do that one more time without warning me first and I'll flip this examination table and roundhouse kick you in the face." - Adam young
  • Location: United States
  • Joined: July 16, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

Same.

https://cdn.discordapp.com/attachments/315234895058173963/400133875549995018/Sig1.png
  • Location: America
  • Joined: January 28, 2010

Re: Animation sickness

Hazzat wrote:

Is it something about this time of year? You guys are not the only ones feeling that their inspiration reserves are dried up...

There must be something about the time of year, I just tried to do a little tiny fight scene and I just stopped being motivated as soon as I took the first picture. Ive never been not completely motivated to do brickfilming before!

  • Location: Aperture Laboratories
  • Joined: June 3, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

It's not that I don't want to animate, it's just that I get frustrated when my animation doesn't come out right.

http://i904.photobucket.com/albums/ac244/Dhizmoraxe/BiM%20Signature/BiMbubbles.png
Latest video: splat.

UniLego's Website

  • Location: Ontario, Canada
  • Joined: February 13, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

When ever I get like that with animation, I start listening to interviews with professional animators. That always helps me. Granted, I'm not doing stop-motion, but the need for inspiration is the same I think. I can post a few good interviews if anyone is interested.

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/jamit/LAMLradioEps/sig.gifhttp://www.majhost.com/gallery/jamit/LAMLradioEps/sig2.gif

JamesW's Website

  • Location: MN, USA
  • Joined: July 28, 2009

Re: Animation sickness

I always get this problem. It's why my Vision movie isn't already released (I haven't even started storyboarding yet!) I find myself just not motivated to do any animation, because by the time I get the plot thought out and get the set made, I've already dried up my last dregs of motivation, and I just go off and read a book or something. And then I force myself to animate, but I'm so un-motivated that it's terrible quality, and I end up deleting the file out of disguist, because I know I can do one hundred times better. Any hints to cure my laziness? mini/sad

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/BGanimations/Signatures/final_400x100.png
  • Joined: December 27, 2008

Re: Animation sickness

You've got to give yourself something fun to animate. Take advantage of the stop motion medium and go crazy with the things you do. Animating dialogue is boring, and often unmotivates (is that a word) you. I've got over my "animation sickness" by filming scenes and shorts that had cool in camera effects or new techniques in them. It worked. I animated for three hours straight for a two second shot, and I never got bored. mini/wink
Anyway, my point is, brickfilms take a long time to make, so make it fun! Try something new!

https://i.imgur.com/IRCtQGu.jpg
  • Location: In the Englandworld.
  • Joined: April 4, 2010

Re: Animation sickness

try entering some mini contests and put some big films on hold you wont have to be doing it all day and you can concentrate on more important stuff.

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Chuppa/Signatures/sig1.png