Why Animators Should Record Audio First

Voice actors come first - then animation

One of the rules of animation film-making is that the audio comes first, plus sound effects (and music) - then you do the animation. 

The voice recording for the actors is done first, cut into the edit, and then the animators create their performance to match the dialogue.

Sometimes film-makers will try doing it the other way around, animating the characters first and then adding the voice-over, but this is almost always a mistake. The reason for this is that it is very hard to post-sync the dialogue.

The rule of animation film-making is always this: record your dialogue first, then do the animation.

Sesame Street Audio Archive

For animators looking for inspiration for some cartoony animation with dialogue, one great place to search is the Sesame Street Sound Archive, which you can find here. 

The Sesame Street Sound Archive is full of cartoony audio clips, which work well with cartoony characters such as Mr Buttons and also the Willy rig.  It's especially useful for our Character Performance Module DA702. 

To get started, try picking a very short line of dialogue, download it and then drag and drop it into your timeline in Maya. To see more about how to use audio files in Maya, follow this link.  To see more about how to use the "Willy" rig, see this blog post.

Royalty-Free Music Licenses at Bensound

One question that animators often ask when making a short film, or compiling their demo reel, is where to get Royalty Free Music either for free or at low prices.

One very useful resource that we recommend at Bucks is Bensound. At Bensound.com you can download royalty free stock music for animation, YouTube and multimedia projects.

Why Animators Need Sound Design

A sound designer at work

Animators need sound design. If you're animating a shot, remember that the visuals are just 50% of the experience; the rest is audio.

Audio is made up of music, sound effects, dialogue and - sometimes - narration.

Occasionally, good sound design means having no sound at all, or very little. But there is usually some work to be done, and animators neglect sound design altogether at their peril.

Moby Gratis - Free Music for Animators

Mobygratis.com is a great free resource for independent film-makers. The American musician Moby has released tons of free tracks for use in independent film projects, including student demo reels.  Moby's site is an excellent resource for independent and non-profit filmmakers, film students, and anyone in need of free music for their independent, non-profit film, video, or short.

Bucks Discovers Fresh Music Talent with BBC Introducing

Our head of department Steve Partridge recently attended a showcase for our Audio & Music Production and Film & TV Production undergraduates, organized by UK Music. Bucks has pioneered and led the pilot initiative with BBC Introducing, shining the spotlight on fresh music talent, and discovering new bands, and Bucks has now been invited to help lead similar projects at other Universities and Colleges in the UK.

Miles Skarin Self-Starts His Freelance Career

Animation image by Miles Skarin

Miles Skarin is a first year animation and VFX student at Bucks, but he is already tackling professional freelance work, creating websites and animation for musicians, bands, and record labels. 

Miles already has an impressive client list - including major artists such as Jethro Tull. We asked him to talk about how he broke into the industry, founded a successful freelance career - while still in his first year at university.

Nellie Bell Records Music Video at Bucks

Nellie Bell (left) works with a Film & TV student at Bucks

Australian singer-songwriter Nellie Bell has been working with our students here at Bucks to produce the video for her new single, Ha Ha Ha. Nellie used the state-of-the-art studios at our High Wycombe Campus to record the three-minute long video, which will accompany the single when it is released early in this year. Our Animation & VFX students are even now creating concepts for the 3D environments, which will (needless to say) be completely fabulous.

How to Use Sound Files in Maya - a Guide for Animators

Sine wave. Image: Wikipedia

Maya is a wonderful piece of software but its audio tools are not especially sophisticated. You only get one audio track, and it will only accept certain kinds of audio files (wavs and iffs).  So, how exactly should an animator approach the use of audio files in Maya? Below is our handy guide which should answer most of the vital questions.

Film & TV and Audio & Music at Bucks Join the Blogosphere

Gateway Building at Bucks - our modern media hub

One of the best things about studying at Bucks is the opportunity to collaborate across creative media with other departments.  Film & TV and Audio & Music are two of the most successful departments at Bucks, and both have now launched their own blogs, talking about what they are up to and the work that the students are creating. Their students have been producing short films (and even feature films) for years, winning awards, and offering animators a chance to collaborate and make even better films than they would achieve by working alone. To see more about what Film and TV are up to, visit http://www.filmtvbucks.co.uk/. To find out what Audio and Music are doing, visit this page. You can also see both blogs featured in the RSS feed at the top left hand corner of this blog - just click on their latest feed to find out their news.