Inspiratie blog

A new week, a new Weekly Top 5! This time we are going to take a look at character rigs. Character rigging is widely used in 3D animations. The 3D character is a static mesh at first, but the character rig ensures that it has joints and bones, just like our own skeleton. These joints act as a “handle” that animatiors can use to bend the character into the desired pose. This principle is also useful for 2D characters. We collected a few animations which use character rigs. Check these out and try some character rigging yourself, because a well put together rig is not only fun, it saves a lot of time!

This time we go ‘back in the days’ with our Weekly Top 5. We’ve always been curious about our past. History is a recurrent theme in books, films and art. No wonder, since history is a great means to tell stories. Who didn’t read books about knights and princesses, or saw films and series about the past? It is not surprising that there are many wonderful animations about history; our never ending source of inspiration.

Great things happen when animation meets nature. This Weekly Top 5 shows you how. There are infinite ways to illustrate and animate the beauty of mother nature. Those animations that contain elements of nature will feel more ‘real’ or ‘alive’. We collected 5 inspiring animations for you, filled with earthly elements. Enjoy!

This weeks theme is loops! Loops are short films in which end and beginning fits together like a glove. The animation could repeat itself forever. A good loop makes you look not once, but over.. and over.. and over.. Often they are used as a gif image and spread all over the internet. Curious about these video’s? We’ll keep you in the loop!

This Weekly Top 5 is about ‘explanimations’, a term we introduced. We collected some ‘explanimations’ that uses beautiful illustrations and animations to clarify, explain or promote. Enjoy!

Paper, we use it every day. But you can use paper in so much more ways than just in print or writing. Paper is a very diverse material. You can use it in endless ways, which goes for both 2D and 3D animation aswell. Cut, tear, paint or wrinkle your paper. Make a stop-motion out of it or move the paper in front of the camera. Or combine it with other types of animation to make a hybrid. This weeks top five is all about animation and paper, see for yourself how these animators make the most of this technique.

This Weekly Top 5 is about animations with a geometric design. Although you may have been tormented by geometry in school, this mathematical system has its purposes in graphic and motion graphic design. When geometry is used correctly, the lines, curves, rectangles, circles and triangles are well measured. They begin to ‘feel right’. It is a tricky technique to use in an animation, but well worth it if you do it right. We collected some examples of geometry used in a right way. Have a look!

This weekly top 5 is about animals! For centuries animals have been used to tell stories. A good example is the fable. In a fable an animal plays the lead role and it possesses human characteristics. This gives the story a different meaning or point of view.

There are several things that can be funny about a character. Such as its appearance, facial expressions, motion and sound effects. Funny characters can be very useful to brighten up your animation and help telling your (maybe not so bright?) story. But you need to know when you can or can’t use them. For example: using funny characters in an animation about a serious subject can be big turnoff for the viewer. We collected five animations that give a good example on how to use funny characters. Enjoy!

This week we talk about Mixed Media. Mixing different types of media and animation styles can bring fresh, new and surprising results. A well-known example is the television series “The Amazing World of Gumball” by French-British animator Ben Bocquelet. In this series, Bocquelet blends different techniques and styles which make for a refreshing outcome.

Another Monday, another Weekly Top 5! This week, we take a look at animations using graphics with outlines. If this style is used correctly, outlines can clarify the appearance of objects and characters in your animation. It also makes your animation much more interesting for the eye of the beholder. We collected five inspiring videos filled with objects and characters in an outline style. Enjoy!

This week it’s all about giving your vector based animation an old school look by using hand made textures and details. Textures can give a vector based animation a whole new dimension and a different feeling. Using handmade details like leaves or little ornaments, your animation can look more alive.

This Weekly Top 5 is about animations with flat 3D elements, a popular style these days. The 3D style is often used in combination with 2D elements. The animated objects have very little detail, which makes them easy for the eye to look at. The elements move in 3D space, but still have a 2D feel. This gives your animation a surprising and energetic look and feel. We collected a few animations which uses this 3D technique. Enjoy!

This Video Top 5 is about the power of repetition. Repetition can be powerful. With repetition comes recognition, which makes things easier for you to remember. Repetition in animation can occur in form or color, but also in sound or storyline.

A title sequence can often be the most important part of a movie or tv-show. They set the mood for what is coming. It is the first impression the audience gets, so it better be a good one. We collected 5 inspiring title sequences. See for yourself and enjoy!

This Video Top 5 is about colorful animations. Colors are one of the most important things of an animation and there are many ways to use them. We collected 5 colorful videos. Enjoy!

A new Video Top 5 just got in! There are these videos you see, you just start to smile. Sometimes it’s because of funny characters, comical movements or amusing music. We collected a few videos to cheer up your day!

This weeks theme is stop-motion video’s. Stop-motion is a frame by frame technique. This means that each movement is made frame by frame. The technique is almost as old as film itself, but is far from old-fashioned! We collected five stop-motion video’s which all differ in technique or used material. Enjoy!

This is our weekly selection of fresh animations. This weeks theme is “Promotional Video”. We have 5 lovely animations for you to check out:

This Video Top 5 is all about creative music videos. Watch and listen for yourself!

The holidays are knocking on the door…are your christmas cards ready? Prepare them in the old-fashioned way using stationary and handwriting, or take it up a notch and animate your seasonal greetings! Hence the theme of the week: Christmas greetings.

Sometimes you see videos so bad, they’re actually good. In a bad type of way. Judge for yourself!

This week’s theme is grainy textures. Grainy textures give an old, dirty or damaged feel to a video, suggesting it to be old-fashioned or hand-made. The combination of grainy textures with minimalistic design is a popular one these days.

A new Video Top 5 just got in! It’s all about corporate storytelling. Using storytelling techniques, a company communicates its identity and brand. A unique way of connecting with the consumer. We collected a few inspiring examples!

If we talk about cartoons, stop-motion animations and 3D productions then we are talking about last weeks KLIK! Animation Festival 2014 at the EYE Film Institute! KLIK! is an annual event with the best contemporary international animated shorts that has been bringing animation to wide audiences.

A new Video Top 5 is coming in for you! The theme is Augmented Reality! AR is a live direct or indirect view of a physical, real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input. Check it out and get impressed!

This Video Top 5 is about ‘Beauty of Nature’. See how beautiful our world is with these 5 lovely videos that we’ve selected for you.

Another Video Top 5 just got in! Check out this theme about Fantastic drama. Fantastic drama is a kind of speculative fiction like science fiction, fantasy and horror that uses a dramatic form. We’ve selected 5 impressive videos from ‘Gobelins’. Gobelins is the French pioneer school in digital communication and interactive design. Enjoy!

Here it is again, our Video top 5! It’s all about original and impressive title sequences. This list shows a wide array of theme music, imagery, moods and effects. Enjoy!

A new Video Top 5 just got in! It’s all about inspiring and useful apps for mobile or tablet. You want to capture your creative moments or make easy money? An app that helps you monitor and manage your energy consumption? Then check it out now!

Another Video Top 5 just got in! It’s all about combining different styles together.

This Video Top 5 we’ve collected a few awesome videos about destruction. See it for yourself, and see how things can end up very badly.