Blender 3D - How NOT to make a Short Film

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00:00 intro
01:12 Make a plan
03:08 Budget your time
04:44 Forget perfectionism
06:02 Don't overcomplicate it
06:49 Use asset pack
07:17 Save your own templates
07:49 Baby steps
08:57 Don't give up

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[neonice]

Him: "I'm not saying you can't spend 10 years on a short film"
My school: "..you get two weeks"

[ralphcalzada]

my favourite quote - "If you're not good at drawing, don't worry. As long as you understand what the drawings are, that's all that matters."

[TheCrafsMan]

My man, this is some fine advice. About three years ago I thought I'd have an animated film out by now. But my goals weren't realistic - I was biting off more than I could chew, while trying to balance a full-time job and making regular YouTube crafting videos. Add to that the feeling that "This needs to be QUALITY", and I just froze up.
You have given some *VALUABLE* advice here.

And mannn I like your style so much. I have downloaded Blender every few years, since it first came out, and I always wind up going back to the old 3D software I'm comfortable with. You are the guy who makes me want to actually break down and LEARN that mess.

Thank you for what you do!

[BrianWenger]

The tutorial loop is so real. Been learning how to use Blender for years, but only spent a few months actually using it.

[queertales]

I would add a couple of points to that, especially for your first short film:

1. Keep it short. 1 minute or less. Animation is extremely time consuming.
2. Keep it simple. Stick to a simple and clear idea for your story and try to limit yourself to as few characters, sets and props as possible. Some great animated shorts have been made with a couple of characters and a prop or two on a white background.

Have fun with it and look at it as a learning experience. Once you've got one short film under your belt, you're in a better position for making your next one.

[DarkSpaceStudios]

Great advice man. I once gave up on a project I worked on constantly for several years. The scope was too big for what I had or could do then.

[faus]

favorite quote: "at some point you just have to accept it's time to let go of your perfect vision, and make the best you can for the skill level you're at." I struggle with perfectionism in visual arts so much, and it's incredible how universal this advice is.

[josephvanwyk]

From a filmmaker, let me explain simply this,
1a) think of a clever premise, character, concept & outline it.
1b) write your 5-10min script. or longer if you want to animate forever.
2) Draw your STORYBOARDS. Shot for shot, so that you don't model 1000 things, and only end up showing 1/4 of it.
3) Do things only towards camera in other words.
4) Pre-production (build assets), Production (build animation), Post-Production (build lights & effects)
6) Use Adobe Premiere or After Effects to edit the film. (putting the rendered scenes on a timeline).

[Midrule]

The best part is that this video can apply to just about anything not just short films.

[brettabraham]

99% of this advice goes for any creative field. Love that.

[sonario]

Forget perfectionism is the thing I'm struggling with the most at the moment.... and this is just with walk cycles. I've just been kinda stuck doing just this cycle, trying to improve it multiple times, I have video references, and I feel like I've gotten to a good point, but I just keep working on it without doing other animations I need to get to where I want to be...

[JB-dmzt]

I don't even use blender, but these concepts can be applied to almost any form of art. Thanks for the wisdom.

[Eu.Claire]

Just done a simple 15sec animation and it feels way more good than my good-looking but unfinished work.

[somrender]

please add this under the video so it is easier to get back to the video! And if I missed a section please add. Thank you
00:00 intro
01:12 Make a plane
03:08 Budget your time
04:44 Forget perfectionism
06:02 Don't overcomplicate it
06:49 Use asset pack
07:17 Save your own templates
07:49 Baby steps
08:57 Don't give up

[damarezcurtis]

I started with Blender in 2019 and I must admit I got stuck in the tutorial loop. Thanks for this one!

[DiggoryJiggory]

4:50 this reminds me of a piece of advice I heard awhile back, I forget who made the video but the message was to "fail faster", or spend less time trying to be perfect as you said. That mentality has carried me so far since I've learned it

This is a great vid

[Rose_Harmonic]

This is clearly good advice for large projects in general. I want to make a handful of indie games but I'm having trouble creating a routine that can survive my twelve hour work day at the factory. The other points also translate well in my mind.

[commenter]

This is good advice, not just for making films, but also for any creative endeavour. I've been making children's books since my best friend had her first child 14 years ago. I had made him a book for his first birthday (it was really not good at all, but she loved it because it was from the heart), now I have continued making a book for all my friends and family's babies' first birthdays. So basically, when a baby is born, I give myself one year to write the book (where the baby is the main character). Every book has been better than the last and, at this point, they look like any book you'd find in the children's section of the book store. But it took me 14 years to get to this point. I still want to get them published at some point. I'm terrible with that sort of thing (I have social anxiety and the idea of the whole process terrifies me). But I feel like I have to redo most of the books, especial my first few which were made on Microsoft Paint and drawn with the mouse. It was really quite awful. What I really want is an iPad Pro with Procreate! It's not in my budget right now. I have a drawing tablet, but my computer isn't good enough to run the drawing programs for it. I feel like I'll have these books in a file on my computer for years and never make anything of them (aside from printing off one book per kid). I just need to take the steps and just do it.

[RaiderAvian]

Am glad to have found this.
I made a short film in 1 year for my bachelor's degree in art.
It was a challenge that was a journey that taught me more than I could have hoped for than the final product.
From the writing, design, modelling, rigging, set dressing, animation to rendering, I did it all.
Thanks for sharing this video, I will be looking forward to watching the other videos on the channel.

[ephskt]

This is what I NEEDED to hear. I left the 3D entertainment industry to work in a more stable stress-free environment, but I wanted to continue my craft of 3D/animation. Several years later, and I haven't done much of anything worth sharing. Just a few things here and there, but nothing substantial. Several things held me back: lack of motivation, analysis paralysis, the paywall to use certain 3D programs, and the tutorial loop to fill my lack of knowledge. Well, you motivated me to learn Blender since I already have a SkillShare acct. That takes care of 3 things that were holding me back. Hopefully, I can get over the analysis paralysis part and actually produce something. haha