Welcome to the first in a series of mini-articles broadly titled "Animation Tips & Tricks." Each month we'll be throwing a new technique or animation concept at you to keep in mind as you work on your latest and greatest animation tests!

Because this is the first month, I'd be remiss if I didn't start with probably the single most important tip most professional animators are likely to give a student: PLAN YOUR WORK. Planning is probably the step most often missed by students, and at the same time, it is probably the most essential tool in your entire animation toolbox, especially in the first few years of your animation life. You should never sit down in front of your computer, animation disc or puppet, until you know exactly what poses you are planning to use, when you are planning to use them, and why.

Before you begin any shot, it's so important to study references, work out your thumbnails, and make your timing and acting decisions on paper. This may seem like an "extra" step to some of you, but believe me, it will save you time in the long run and your work will look so much stronger than it would have otherwise.

All of my best feature film shots are also the ones I spent the most time planning out. The shots where I got cocky and thought "Aw, I know how to animate that, I'll just sit down and do it" are, almost without exception, the shots that ended up being "okay," but never as good as they could have been. I'll always regret missing the opportunity I had to make those shots special, but at least they taught me an invaluable lesson: Planning Comes First, ALWAYS!

Tune in next time for some practical tips on how you can plan your shot!

Your inside guide to US movie releases and the visual effect companies who made movie magic.

U.S. Release Date: May 19

Visual Effects Studio:
Industrial Light & Magic

Synopsis: Anakin Skywalker begins his journey towards the Dark Side of the Force, putting his friendship with Obi Wan Kenobi and his marriage at risk.

U.S. Release Date: May 27

Animation Studio:
DreamWorks Animation / PDI

Synopsis: Alex the Lion is the king of the urban jungle, the main attraction at New York's Central Park Zoo. He and his best friends Marty the Zebra, Melman the Giraffe and Gloria the Hippo have lived their entire lives in blissful captivity, with regular meals provided and an admiring public to adore them. Not content to leave well enough alone, Marty allows his curiosity to get the better of him and, with the help of some prodigious penguins, makes his escape to explore the world he's been missing.

U.S. Release Date: June 10

Visual Effects Studio:
Industrial Light & Magic

Synopsis: A boy's imaginary superhero friends come to life and join him on a series of adventures.

U.S. Release Date: June 10

Animation Studio:
Walt Disney Pictures
Studio Ghibli

Synopsis: A teen girl meets a wizard named Howl. Before long, she's been changed into an elderly lady, and stows away on a moving castle. She becomes involved in several adventures and helps to change the ways of Howl, and the destiny of the kingdom.

U.S. Release Date: June 15

Visual Effects Studio:
BUF Compagnie
Double Negative
Rising Sun Pictures
The Moving Picture Company
The Senate Visual Effects Limited

Synopsis: Batman Begins explores the origins of the Batman legend and the Dark Knight's emergence as a force for good in Gotham.

U.S. Release Date: June 22

Visual Effects Studio:
Industrial Light & Magic
Entity FX


Synopsis: Start your engines! Herbie, the most beloved car star of them all, is back and Lindsay Lohan's got him in Disney's all new revved-up comedy adventure, Herbie: Fully Loaded.

U.S. Release Date: June 29

Visual Effects Studio:
Industrial Light & Magic


Synopsis: This summer, Earth goes to war. A contemporary retelling of H.G. Wells's seminal classic, the sci-fi adventure thriller reveals the extraordinary battle for the future of humankind through the eyes of one American family fighting to survive it.

U.S. Release Date: July 8

Visual Effects Studio:
Giant Killer Robots
Hydraulx
Soho VFX
Spectral Motion Inc.

Synopsis: After being exposed to radiation while on assignment in space, four ordinary individuals are transformed into superheroes: Dr. Reed Richards, whose limbs become elastic; Ben Grimm, whose body is solid rock; Sue Storm, who is rendered invisible; and Johnny Storm, the human torch.

U.S. Release Date: July 15

Visual Effects Studio:
Cinesite Ltd.
Digital Domain
Framestore CFC
The Moving Picture Company


Synopsis: Acclaimed director Tim Burton brings his vividly imaginative style to the beloved Roald Dahl novel Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, about eccentric chocolatier Willy Wonka and Charlie, a good-hearted boy from a poor family who lives in the shadow of Wonka's extraordinary factory. Wonka launches a worldwide contest to select an heir to his candy empire. Five lucky children, including Charlie, draw golden tickets from Wonka chocolate bars and win a guided tour of the legendary candy-making facility that no outsider has seen in 15 years. Dazzled by one amazing sight after another, Charlie is drawn into Wonka's fantastic world in this astonishing and enduring story.

U.S. Release Date: July 22

Visual Effects Studio:
Industrial Light & Magic


Synopsis: Lincoln Six-Echo goes on the run after learning that he is actually a "harvested being" - clones whose purpose is to provide spare parts to their original human counterparts. Lincoln is joined by another clone, the beautiful Jordan Two-Delta as they engage in a race for their lives with the goal to literally meet their makers.

U.S. Release Date: July 29

Visual Effects Studio:
Animal Logic
Digital Domain

Synopsis: An out-of-control computer program risks causing a world war if a group of pilots cannot stop it in time.