One of my discoveries this week on Vimeo was an excellent series of how-to videos by Carleton Torbin. I’m guessing he made a short film with lots of different kinds of animation, and followed up with the series of how-tos, as a kind of “the making of” series. I could have it backward. Other than a peculiar fetish with a stuffed squirrel (which makes it kinda cool actually), Torbin explains basic animation in a way that is accessible to any beginner – and provides a basis from which you could take it to the next level.
To make browsing them in order easier, I’ve listed them below. And at the end, you can watch the movie that puts all the techniques together.
Chapter 3: Hand-Drawn Animation
Chapter 5: Timelapse Animation
Chapter 6: Stop-motion Animation
Chapter 7: Shooting Real Live Actors
Chapter 9: Digital Matte Painting
Chapter 10: Alternative Animation Techniques
And, finally – putting it all together:
Surreality from Carleton Torpin on Vimeo.