How To Film A Cartoon
There are many ways to film a cartoon, so it is important to know the differences among them. The way you shoot your movie can make a big difference in how well people will enjoy watching it! Having a general idea of all the different filming styles can help you choose which one is best for your movie at this stage.
It is very common to use more than one style while shooting your movie. Some of these styles include: dolly-zooming, panning, tracking, stationary camera, overhead shot, and lots more! Finding the right balance of each shot can really enhance the movie’t natural flow.
This article will talk about some of the basics of filming a cartoon, such as understanding front projection, backprojection, and ratio. You don’t need to know everything about every type of filming technique, but being familiar with the basics makes producing your own cartoons much easier.
Plan out your story
Before you start filming, you’ll need to know what your cartoon movie is about! What beats are there? Characters? Scenes? You will have to make sure that all of these are fleshed out before shooting begins.
At this stage, you can begin writing or brainstorming ideas for your film. The next step is to organize your thoughts into scenes and storylines.
You may want to break down your storyline into different chapters or acts. This way, you can easily add in new parts as needed!
After organizing your plot, it’s time to pick your style. Are you planning on animating your movie yourself? Then you must choose your software well!
There are many free alternatives to expensive ones like Adobe After Effects and Flash. These apps can be learned quickly so that you aren’t wasting money on unnecessary features.
We recommend Kino Creator because not only is it cheap, but it has great reviews too! (It even has its own community site with tips and tricks.
Write down your theme and your characters
Writing a script for any genre includes defining your story, character, and setting. For a cartoon movie, you will need to write a plot, create characters, and brainstorming locations and settings.
A good way to begin writing a funny screenplay is to first write a short scene with two or three characters in an open area. This can be very simple like two kids arguing over which one got more candy at the store. It does not have to be about something serious either; anything goes!
The next step would be to add some music. Try using free sound effects website such as SFE Audio. You can also use music that relates to the scene - like soft piano for a romantic encounter.
After editing the audio and video quality, upload the finished product onto YouTube. See how many views you get and determine if it is worth investing time into producing your own film.
Research your setting
The next step in filming your cartoon is determining what area of the set or environment you will film in. You do not want to start editing your movie before this stage, as it could very easily waste time if you have to re-shoot lots of things.
It’s important to know where the characters are allowed to be and whether or not there are any rules about that space. For example, if your character must enter another room during the course of the scene, then make sure that they are able to get into the other room first!
You also need to determine how much back ground you have in the settings. If there is a lot of scenery around, then you may want to use some camera tricks such to cut away so that the audience can focus only on the characters.
If there isn’t too much background, then you don’t need to worry about this quite as much.
Practice filming
While most people are comfortable using their camera for at least some of the functions, filming is definitely not your average task! Filming a cartoon requires different skills than taking stills or making videos with no animation.
Filmmaking is an art form that integrates many mediums such as writing scripts, producing music, directing actors, designing sets, etc. All of these components play important roles in creating an engaging movie segment or full-length film.
Luckily, you do not need any formal training in filmmaking to produce quality animated films! With the right guidance, anyone can create their own movie via YouTube and other online resources.
Start by looking through various short cartoons to get inspiration from the styles and techniques they use. Many successful filmmakers have made their careers off of sharing their knowledge and creative talent so why should you be shy?
Once you have gathered enough material, it’s time to start developing your filming technique. There are several ways to achieve this. You can either learn how to direct an actor, create a background scene, or both. Both types of shooting require a good amount of understanding of timing, composition, and logistics.
Make a good studio space
When it comes to filming your cartoon, you want to make sure that you have enough room to do so. This will depend on the length of the film as well as the number of people involved in production.
If your film is only one minute long then you can usually get away with using your bedroom or kitchen floor as a setting. If the movie is longer than two minutes then we would suggest picking a less crowded area like a empty classroom or restaurant.
For more advanced filmmakers look into renting an office or creative suite space from a business centre or university. These days most places offer affordable monthly subscriptions which makes this option very cost effective!
These settings include access to internet, printers, meeting rooms and other equipment used for creating content.
Get the right equipment
The first thing you will need to do is make sure your filming device is of good quality. You don’t want to have to buy extra gear because you didn’t invest in the initial one!
A camera is the most important piece of filmmaking equipment as it connects you with the rest of the world. Almost every aspect of film making requires a camera, from writing scripts to editing videos.
You can pick up very affordable beginner cameras that are perfect for starting out (Think Amazon!). As you become more experienced, you could move onto advanced settings like using Aperture or Shutter speed modes to create some interesting effects.
Another crucial part of filming is having strong lighting. Lighting takes away from the intensity of any shadows being in the wrong place can totally change the feel of an otherwise powerful scene.
We would recommend investing in a light source that does not contain too much color. This will help neutralize the image and give a better exposure.
Know your cast
As mentioned before, writers write stories, directors direct those stories, and actors play those characters. The same goes for creating cartoons! If you are ever asked to take over as director of an animated show, or if someone comes up to you with ideas for new episodes, you should be able to give them at least a basic idea about their character.
This is especially important if they are asking you to add something new to a character or changing something about a character that has been established already. For example, if Iggy Azalea’s character in My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic was never shown having hair, then it is very unlikely she will ask you to make her character have one in the next episode.
Likewise, if Spike had only two main traits- his love of meat and ponies- then it is highly likely he would not ask you to include other features like clothes, shoes, or even furniture in his home. This could easily happen in a fan made movie where people rework old scenes or create brand new ones, so being familiar with your characters is essential to ensuring the success of the film.
General tips: when filming a cartoon, there are some things that can help ensure the quality of the final product.
Plan out your story
Before you start filming, you will want to make sure your script is fleshed-out. A good way to do this is by creating an outline. You can use plain paper or better ones that are designed for writing.
In both cases, put yourself in the role of writer and create a simple paragraph followed by bullet points that correspond to each scene.
As you write, the bullets should tell a story on their own with transition words and phrases. Make sure to organize the scenes into chapters based on how they connect to other chapters.
After all of that, take some time to think about what the movie needs before starting to film it. Are there any special effects needed? Does it need music or voiceover? Once you have those covered, then you can begin filming!
General tips: if you’re having trouble coming up with the storyline, try thinking about things around you and apply them to a situation. For example, if there was a car accident, what would normally happen next is police cars getting involved and investigating.
Filming a cartoon is no different! Use real life situations as inspiration and add humor to keep it fun.