NextGen Player sat down with Epic's Senior Animator, Scott Dossett, for a little Q&A. Among the discussion is animating Gears of War 2, Motion Capture, and advice for aspiring animators seeking to break into the field.
NGP: What key pieces of advice do you have for aspiring young animators looking to break into games?
Scott: It takes a lot of hard work and a special eye to be able to analyze and break down the movement of something, and then rebuild it in a different medium, and then stylize it.
Observe your surroundings, and always watch how the people and things around you move in real life. Not just walk cycles, but expressions, emotions and interactions. Now I sound like Yoda. "Between you ...the rock ...and the ship"
But seriously, observe your surroundings and apply that to your animations, and that will help you create believable, compelling animations, whether they are stylized or not.
