Interview with Todd Fechter

This week I would like to change the pace. I have had the opportunity to interview Todd Fechter, who is currently an Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at Dallas. He has been the Head of Environmental Modeling at DNA Productions, worked as a freelancer for big name companies such as Jeep and NASA, and has held the position of Head of Modeling at Element X Creative. Here he shares his wisdom and experiences about the animation field. This interview has been edited for concision and clarity, as I have transcribed it from a recording. Please enjoy!

About Todd Fechter:

What was the most influential film for you, that made you want to get into animation?

"I don’t know if there was necessarily just one, but I think the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park were some of the bigger influences, just trying to figure out how to do some of that stuff; and there were other films I liked growing up. the Jurassic Park had some of the biggest influence as far as wanting to getting into animation."

What were some of the others?

"Some of the other films (such as) Batman in 1989 just because of the design aesthetic that they used. I wasn’t really a huge Star Wars fan. I like it but it wasn’t my thing. I liked Jaws; that was another great one, not really (for the) animation... but just (the) story telling. Indiana Jones things like that. All those I think...came together as far as wanting to go into some kind of film something or other, but it wasn’t animation until I saw some of the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park."

How did you find out that you could go into animation?

"When I was in high school, I had started playing a little bit with computer animation but it wasn’t 3D computer animation, it was more like 2D computer animation. So I was experimenting with that a little bit, kind of making some of my own little shorts. (Also) through reading the articles, (and) through researching stuff. So I could find out...some things that were becoming available. Then after Jurassic Park came out, there was a whole wave of information on...how things were done, what the evolution was and where things were going. It got probably a lot more specific after that, but up to that point...they had used animation in films in various degrees here and there; Disney films, stop motion animation, and things like that I was always interested in."

Why didn’t animating work for you?

"I think it was more the way it was taught. Where I was at the time, there wasn’t some one there who was a full on animator teaching it. There were a number of different professors that were teaching who...could animate a little bit, but they weren’t proficient in computer animation. By that time, there weren’t really a lot of those people to start with. Its a difficult area to pick up, and at that point when I was actually learning a lot of the stuff, most of the animators were still 2D animators that were being rolled onto 3D animation, (and were) taught the tools. They already knew how to animate and they were just doing it. At that point, there wasn’t a lot of great materials out there to pick up how to do it, so it was more frustration that drove me away from it. I knew I liked doing it. I think I could still go back and try to learn to be an animator. Going back in time, if I could go back after college, I’d probably still want to do that. It’s just the way things worked out. I slid over to modeling, which I like a lot also, so I think it worked out just fine. That’s probably why I didn’t continue in animation."

I have heard similar stories of other animators who had trouble getting into animation because of who was teaching them.  

"A lot of it does come down to if you have to fend for yourself and...figure everything out. It makes it that much more difficult and frustrating and overwhelming. Without that initial boost and that initial help any of the areas can-- someone could walk in, and that could be their thing, and they could really like it if they were shown how to do it, but they just drop it just because...it wasn’t what they thought, or it was too difficult to pick up, or it was just too frustrating."

What do you like about modeling?

"I just like building things, so it’s kind of an extension of that. Creating shapes, forms, designing, free form designs sometimes. I like sketching stuff out usually... ties to that designing stuff and actually building it. that my background is it. Thats probably just the biggest draw its just another way to build things and now with the advent of 3d printers you can actually build things and print it out. so now i don’t actually have to build it by hand i can go in there and build it, change whatever i need to and print it out. i like that process, just putting things together and figuring out how it’s gonna work

its in it’s infancy right now but you can build just about anything with it as long as you do it correctly."

About the Animation Principles:

What films do you think have some of the best examples of the 12 principles of animation?

"The Disney stuff tends to be the best as far as 2D animation goes. Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast, Tarzan; all those films have really strong animation. They basically started with those guys pretty much, so they know how to do it and do it right. (They know how to) keep proportions and still make it seem believable and add human characteristics to animals and things like that. As far as 3D goes, the best (animated film) would have to be Tangled, which is another Disney film. It’s not traditional 2D animation, but it was driven by the 2D animation team. I think it’s probably the best example of really strong character animation done in 3D."

About learning on your own:

When learning on your own, what general technique helps you the most?

"Just trial and error. I mean, it (is) really ‘just do it’. The first time you do it, it’s wrong, and the second time you do it’s a little bit better. You have to read while you were doing it and try to figure out why you would do things a certain way. When we started (animating) again, everything was kinda developing as we were learning. There (would) be new tools coming out constantly. We (would) have to figure out what those were, and why it was it important to to learn how to do this verses that. (We were) trying to sort through whats important and whats not, and not really knowing what important and what (isn’t). Trying to basically bash your head against the wall...to figure out how to do whatever it was that you were trying to do--through brute force if you had to. Either stupidity or sheer determination, one of the two. They kind of go hand in hand."

What mistakes do you see that people make when they are trying to learn on their own?

"I don’t know if there’s any real mistakes that I see. The biggest thing is that they need to do it. They need to try and learn on their own. I think maybe if anything, some of them give up too soon. Some of the students that don’t succeed just don’t want to, or can’t, get over the hump of trying to figure it out. They spend some time on it, they get frustrated, they back away from it; whereas you almost need to do the opposite. At least spend some time on it, if it’s not working...(you need to) work harder to figure out why it’s not working, (then) you go back and think it through again. Maybe (you take) a step away here or there, but (you don’t walk) away from the problem, (you try) to figure out the problem. Once you DO figure it out, you won’t forget whatever it was you picked up because it took you that much work, and that hurts to do. 

Thats probably the biggest thing: they don’t do it. They don’t try to learn on their own, or they think they don’t have to, that there is not enough out there, (that) they should be sitting there and not try to go beyond where the class is. I think that’s not...the issue (of) how they’re approaching it, it is whether or not they are approaching it."

If a person wanted  to improve their skills on there own, whether a student or not, what resources would you suggest that they use?

"There’s all different types at this point. There’s a lot of stuff online; (you can) go to Youtube or you could go to Vimeo and search for animation or modeling. There’s all kinds of PDF tutorials out there, there’s books out there, there’s all kinds of information. It’s just a matter of sorting out and figuring out (what is better than the rest). Some (sources are) better than others, always. Beyond that there (are) also things like Gnomon Workshop,... Digital Tutors and other companies that are putting out content. (You must) pay for the content. We have some of that that we provide for students. 

You don’t even need to go that far. Most of the time you can just do some Google searches, start to track (your interest), and keep following it. (You can) see what it’s going to lead to, what’s the next thing that you’re going to figure out. (If) you’re trying to figure out A, you may end up having to go to B, C, D, and all the way down before you get back to it. Along the way, you’ve learned all this other stuff...Pretty much everything is online so thats probably the best way."



I would like to give a special thanks to Todd Fechter once more, for his time and the bountiful information that he has provided.

Timing

Everything in life has a rhythm and a pace, from a conversation to walking down the street. Of course not all of these rhythms are the same. You don't walk at the same rate that you speak, and you don't tell a joke the same way you tell a sad story. Without Timing, doing these things, or animating these actions, wouldn't make any sense.

What is Timing?

Timing is the principle that establishes when things will happen, and how fast or slow they will happen [1]. If the animator wants to make actions slower, they will create more drawings (traditional animation) or keyframes (3D animation), because more means smoother and gradual changes over time. If the animator want to create quicker movements, they will not use as many drawings or keyframes. The missing frames creates the illusion of speed because the character jumps from one position to another all at once, and our eyes blur what happens in between.
There is different Timing depending on the situation, the style of the animator, as well as what is being animated. Edmond is running late, but he arrive later in the post to help explain further.

Please watch this very humorous example of Timing in Disney's Tangled [2]:

Meeting Maximus

What am I looking at?

• First let's look at the smoothness in the very beginning of this clip. Everything is slow and smooth. This Timing creates a mood of peacefulness, even though Maximus (the horse) is very angry.

• In the next moment (0:15), Rapunzel (the girl) leaps up and looks around. These movements are very fast and jerky. Notice that there are large differences between her poses (when she stops moving). This makes the Timing very quick and the mood very frantic.

• Both fast and slow Timing are used together in many actions. For example, eyes usually move very quickly compared to the head, but they are both apart of looking around. 

• Watch how the animator moved Maximus, starting at (0:45). Most of his movements are very jerky and fast. However, the combination of fast and slow movements in this scene create a lot of humor and make the character very appealing.

• As Rapunzel tells Maximus to drop the boot (0:57), watch the way Maximus moves. What makes it humorous is that he doesn't move for at least 3 seconds before he spits out the boot. Then once he spits it out, the action surprisingly quick. By using the right combination of fast and slow, and inserting that pause in between the command and the action, the animator has given us a great example of the use of Timing. 

• Continue to look for these moments throughout the rest of the clip.

How can I use this in my work?

Just like anything else, gaining skills in Timing takes a lot of hard work and practice. The more you play around with it, try different techniques and discover what works, what looks good, and what doesn't work or look good, the more you will learn. 

• When deciding whether to make an action fast or slow, think about how it would be in real life.

• After studying real life examples, think about what emotions come up with different speeds of actions.
•  For example, quick movements can imply:
• Urgency
• Frustration
• Skill
• Efficiency 
• Slow movements can imply:
• Sadness
• Age
• Calm
• Control

• Once you know the Timing of an actual movement, and what emotion you want to bring to the action, you can then try to work the two together. You can make certain actions shorter or longer to see what comes out.

Ah, here is Edmond now to help put these ideas to practice. Here, Edmond sees a delicious looking flower. He then proceeds to eat it. Edmond will help us play with different combinations of timing.

Between each picture, label it fast or slow. Then, try to imagine Edmond moving quickly or slowly depending on what you put. For example:

A. Fast
B. Slow
C. Fast

In my example, Edmond looks quickly (fast) behind him, slowly (slow) moves to eat the flower, and then quickly (fast) snatches it up and eats it. Try to imagine different combinations that you can make with this situation. 

 A.                  

B.                   

C.                   

Sources:

[1] Atkinson, David. Animation Notes #5 Principles of Animation.  Retrieved from http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_principles.html.

[2] Conli, R., Keane, G., Lasseter, J., Scribner, A. (Producers), Greno, N., & Howard, B. (Directors). (2010) Tangled. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.

Exaggeration

When watching an animated feature, such as a cartoon or movies, it is hard not to notice that many of the things done in the cartoon are impossible in the real world. Maybe a character's eyes are too big, or the characters would never actually be in that situation, or a character couldn't actually move a certain way. Without all of these extremes, the animation would be dead, stiff, and boring [2].

What is Exaggeration?

This principle refers to the act of amplifying elements of story, character design, or actions within an animated work. Exaggeration makes things larger than life, entertaining, and works very closely with Squash and Stretch [1]. Exaggeration is found in just about every part of an animated feature. The less Exaggeration, the more realistic the film will become. Edmond will  help explain. 

Here, Edmond is at a Fancy party, drinking wine and eating fancy cheese. How is this Exaggerated?

• Story: Of course llamas don't go to fancy parties, drink wine, or eat cheese. This story goes beyond what can actually happen in reality. This setting goes with Edmond's personality and makes the situation amusing. 

• Character: Llamas do not actually wear clothes, glasses, or bow ties. This was done to give Edmond personality and to separate him from other characters.

• Actions: Llamas can not bend their elbows or hold wine glasses with their hooves. They also do not go to parties. However, how could Edmond be at a fancy party without holding a wine glass?

Take a look at this next example in Disney's Aladdin:

Meeting Genie

What am I looking at?

• One of the largest Exaggerations of this film is the story itself. In real life, a boy could never go into a magical cave, or find a magic lamp with a genie inside that gives him whatever he desires.

• Watch as the Genie is introduced into the story (0:40). 
• The actual size of the Genie is larger than life. He grows and shrinks depending on what he is feeling.
• The movements he makes extend beyond what is physically possible.

• Watch the Genie, who is very Exaggerated, compared to Aladdin, who is more realistic. Aladdin seems more calm, and almost boring when he is next to the Genie.

How can I use this in my work?

• Don't be afraid to literally make your characters larger than life. 
• Focus on key parts of your character and make them bigger or smaller.
• Add things to your character, even if they could not actually have them, such as a sweater, a bow tie, and glasses. 

• Make the movements of the character similar to their personality. If you want your character to be a huge personality with a big voice, he or she must have large movements to go with it, and the opposite with a quiet personality.

• Put your character in interesting situations, even if they are beyond reality. Even "reality shows" on television are beyond what normally happens in life, and that's why people find them interesting. 

Sources:

[1] Atkinson, David. Animation Notes #5 Principles of Animation.  Retrieved from http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_principles.html.

[2] Sager. July, 2010. 12 Basic Principles Of Animation – Exaggeration, Solid Drawing And Appeal. Animation. Retrieved from http://www.animation.in/12-basic-principles-of-animation-exaggeration-solid-drawing-and-appeal.html

Arcs

When throwing a ball, it is common knowledge that it will follow a curved line into the air and then come back down. What may not be common knowledge is that living things also move with this curve. Without this curve, the movements become unnatural, and robotic.

What are Arcs?

This principle explains that everything we do is rounded [1]. The way we are shaped, and even the way we move follows an approximate half circle. When using Arcs in animation, it creates more natural movements and helps to create a flow [1]. Edmond will help explain.

Edmond is showing us some normal movements that we see every day, with the help of some friends. On the left, Edmond is nodding his head up and down. The arrows show where the bottom of his chin would have traveled if he was actually moving. Notice that the arrow is rounded and curved. 

In the middle, you can see an arm waving. You may not notice in every day life, but the movement of the arm is rounded. If you trace the top of the fingers as they move, they do not stay in a strait line. 

On the right is Edmond's friend. You can see that, in the same way as the arm, his tail wags in a curved line. 

We will look for the principle of Arcs in this next example from Disney's Beauty and the Beast [2]:

Be Our Guest

What am I looking at?

• Watch Lumiere (the candelabra/candle stick character) in the beginning, as his arms move around. His movements are very round and fluid. 

• Imagine you have drawn a circle around Lumeiere's left candlestick hand, and that wherever his hand went you would see a line. All of the lines would be loopy and round.

• Notice how all of these curved movements by these objects gives them life and character.

• See the way the plates and treys of food bounce around. Although much of this is due to squash and stretch, they also move in Arcs as they go into the air on each bounce.

When watching videos and searching for this principle, many of the examples are very quick and subtle. However, this principle is rather strait forward. Living things are usually very round, and they also move that way.

How can I use this in my work?

• When looking for this principle in movies, first look for large movements, such as arm waving or running. Once you understand the Arcs in those movements, start to look at smaller ones. Watch very closely

• This principle is mainly used to help keep the animation natural looking. To make sure you are following arks, attach a circle to the point of one of your moving objects (such as an arm, eye, hand, leg, and so on). Watch the circle as it goes through the motion of your action. If it follows a generally curved path, then it should be natural looking.

Sources:

[1] Atkinson, David. Animation Notes #5 Principles of Animation.  Retrieved from http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_principles.html.

[2] Ashman, H., Hahn, D., Lasseter, J., McArthur, S., (Producers), Trousdale, G., & Wise, K., (Directors). (1991) Beauty and the Beast. United States: Walt Disney Pictures.

Followthrough and Overlapping Action

According to Newton's first law, "objects in motion tend to stay in motion." This is true even in animated worlds. If a puppy with floppy ears was running, then he suddenly stopped, it would feel strange and unnatural if his ears stopped with him. In reality, if the puppy tried to stop, his rear end would keep going forward, and so would his floppy ears.

What is Followthrough and Overlapping Action?

These are two different types of movement that are similar, but they are not the same.

Followthrough: This part of the principle explains that once part of an object or character stops, other parts of it keeps going, much like Newton says in his first law. Also, if one part of an object or character moves in a specific direction, the principle of Followthrough says that other parts of the object will follow [1]. The different parts can be ears, tails, arms, hair, clothing, and many other extensions of the main body [1]. Edmond will help explain.

Edmond is happily hopping along, when he sees a giant cliff! He must quickly stop before he falls over the cliff. As Edmond is trying to slow down, he is fighting against his momentum--the force that he had built up by moving forward. Although his front to legs have stopped, Followthrough keeps some parts of him going, such as his head, the fur on his head, and his bottom. 

Here is another example from Disney's The Lion King. Feel free to watch the whole video, but please skip to 0:50 on the Youtube video for the example:

Mufasa's Ghost

What am I looking at?

• As Simba (Lion) stops suddenly, his hair continues to move forward. This is Followthrough. The hair was moving in the same direction as Simba was going, and continued when he stopped.

Overlapping Action: This principle explains that when the main part of an object changes direction, other parts such as clothes keep moving forward [1].

Here is an example from the Loony Tunes series by Warner Brothers:

Bully for Bugs

What am I looking at?

What to watch in this example is the cloth that Bugs Bunny holds up for the bull. As Bugs moves the cloth around, his hands will go down and the cloth will continue to move up. As his hand changes, the cloth takes a while to catch up, and continues to move in the direction it was going. Overlapping Action helps give a softness and flow to an object.

The difference in these two principles is the direction. Followthrough is the continuous movement forward, while Overlapping Action had the main body changing direction and other parts continuing forward.

How can I apply this to my work?

• Followthrough and Overlapping Action are usually applied to soft, flowing, or floppy things (or getting hard things to appear that way). When looking for this principle, look for cloth, hair, and quick movements. Also, you can look for areas of movement and Squash and Stretch together.

• If you want to exaggerate movement, whether it is really fast or a sharp turn, drag your character (or it's limbs, tails, cloth, or hair) so that select parts keep moving forward.

• Attention to detail makes a huge difference to the viewer, so any little thing you can add, such as the cloth of a robe moving on your characters arm, adds character, life, spunk, and is interesting to look at.

Sources

[1] Atkinson, David. Animation Notes #5 Principles of Animation.  Retrieved from http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_principles.html.

Staging

When trying to convey a complicated idea to an audience, it can be a challenge to make the idea clear and understandable. Staging is used to help an audience member through these complex ideas so that they understand and can follow them throughout the work of art or animation.

What is Staging?

This principle explains how certain actions, poses, or camera moves are used to help the audience understand an idea, reaction or mood [1]. This principle is a tool that makes the story flow by directing focus and attention to one character. Edmond will help explain a bit further.

Here, Edmond is spending some time with his friends. When you look at this scene, there is no story, and there is no specific spot that your attention is drawn to. Suddenly, Edmond sees something. 

Because of Edmond's pose (his facial expression), attention is drawn to him. He shows that there is something surprising or scary, and it sets the mood. With the way Edmond is posed compared to his friends, it is an example of staging.

Here is an exciting example of Staging from the Disney classic, The Lion King [2]:

The Lion King: Stampede Scene

What am I looking at?

• The largest example of Staging in this scene is when the camera zooms in on Simba (the lion cub) as he realizes that he is about to be in the middle of a stampede. This camera mood plus his pose sets the mood for the scene. Leading up to that moment, the mood is unsure. Although the viewer knows that something big is happening, it is hard to understand how much danger he is in until Simba himself realizes it.
• Throughout the scene, watch as attention is directed towards Simba. As he struggles on the tree, he is separating himself from the background and grabbing attention. That is another example of staging in the scene.

How can I apply this to my work?

• If you are trying to convey complicated information, or there is a lot going on in your scene, try to draw attention to the most important character or object. You can do this by 
• changing the way the character is posed
•  zooming in
•  or creating an attention grabbing action to your character.

Do your best to make things clear for your audience, and have fun doing it!

Sources:

[1] Atkinson, David. Animation Notes #5 Principles of Animation.  Retrieved from http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_principles.html.

[2] Dewey, A., Hahn, D., McArthur, S., Shumacher, T. (Producers), Allers, R., & Minkoff, R. (Directors). (1994). The Lion King [Motion Picture]. United States: Walt Disney.