Toothless Treats: Extras from Our SitDown with DreamWorks Animators

To create our How to Train Your Dragon webisode, we sat down with Animation Mentor alumni to discuss what it was like to work on the film. This behind-the-scenes footage delves into the importance of video reference in creating realistic animation.

Animation Mentor alumnus and DreamWorks animator Mike Stern explains that he typically films one or two takes of video reference for the majority of his scenes. He also pulls in other animators to help create reference and brainstorm ideas. For example, when creating reference for some of the dragon movements, he used the camera on his desk at DreamWorks to film himself. Stern flapped his arms to study shapes and testing. Then, he looked at the playback to analyze fine details of the movement, such as the number of times his arms flapped per second. Stern expresses the importance of video reference and says that it is a tool he always uses.

Adam Strick, also an Animation Mentor alumnus and DreamWorks animator, discusses a cut scene that required video reference. To create reference, he gathered a group of fellow animators and went to a local park to act out the scene-- one that involved the kids in the movie carrying baskets on their shoulders. To create video reference for this, the animators-- including head of character animation Simon Otto-- carried trash cans on their shoulders to act out the scene.

The animators firmly believe that gathering a group to create sequence-based reference and using relevant props (think axes, shields and helmets) is not only fun, but also a useful reference for animation.