oh and here a word of advice.
PLEASE DO NOT SHOOT FOR REALISM!!
Your making animation. You can make anything you want. So why so many teams shoot for realism? Why not a Jimmy Newtron style or something even more off the wall like a
Zune Commercial?
I've seen way to many teams try to make realistic human characters or realistic robots that most of the time turn out bad. Human characters are VERY difficult to animate right. Actually, they are the most difficult thing to animate in the animation world. (Besides cats and spiders) You don't need human characters for a good animation. Just look at the one I made
Infant Intolerable
I've made a list that 90% of the teams follow. If you want to be different don't follow this list.
1: showing the playing field
2: showing their teams robot that they made in inventor. Normally its competing in the game.
3: showing the earth
4: using Bipeds that aren't even skinned walking around in the god awefull default biped walk.
5: Shot of the machine shop and kids are working on the machines. (Normally shown before 1 and 2)
6: 360 degree shots like in the matrix: this is a god awefull shot for cinema P
photography. Think of any movie that is not the matrix or a movie making fun of the matrix that uses that type of shot. Can't think of any? Because its such a ridiculous shot its not needed in any situation. Its only in the matrix because they were saying "Look what we can do!"
7. Exessive camera movement. Its my pet peeve. I hate when teams over key the camera.
In 2007 our animation team did not follow this list and it got us the National AVA award with our animation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=03opc...e=channel_page
Remember, Animation is considered an art form. So lets stick to making it look more like art by adding lots of style.