Getting Through Animation Roughs

It's been a rather lengthy and somewhat arduous journey making our way through the rough animation stage of production. Perhaps one of the more stressful parts of the process. I believe what makes roughs such a feat is essentially that you are creating animation where none had been before. Even in a rough form, it takes a good deal of thought and focus to plan out and execution the movements of lines on the screen. Essentially breathing life into what was lifeless.

Making it through this stage is crucial. Once the animation is drawn out and timed it only becomes a matter of tracing on top of the lines and making everything presentable. I'm very nearly done with rough animation. Working on the very last shot which is both the second to last shot in the film and the most challenging bit of animation in the entire film. It involves a floating camera, 360 degree spin and the hero jumping off the side of the giant to deal his final blow. I've planned out the movement and started the animation in one of the past live-stream sessions:

Once I've tackled the animation in this shot I'm going to construct an updated story reel. This task makes me more nervous than I thought it would. I worry that all the shots, once animated, won't work together rhythmically as the animatic does. This vital step will allow me and you to see the film as it has never been before--with animated characters. It is the closest I've come to bringing my vision to fruition. I'm not trying to wax philosophical or nostalgic, it's simply a lot of stuff happening so fast and yet not fast enough. Oh well, excuse my rambling XD