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Frequently Asked Questions
Please
mail me
if you have any other questions that are not answered here.
Right now, the not particularly frequently asked questions are:
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Where can I download the
JavE Ascii editor and animator?
The JavE editor by Markus Gebhard can be downloaded from
http://www.jave.de". It is freeware,
and should work anywhere (PC, Mac, Linux etc.) as long as you have
the necessary Java runtime files downloaded: there are detailed instructions
on the site. More information about the tools used to create the animations
on the links page, and scattered
throughout the diary.
Ww I hate
,-. oo bad hair
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~-~-
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Are those MM characters part of Chickenman's head?
Yes. That's his hair!
This is all part of the fun of Ascii art...
The C on his chest however, represents an actual 'C'
(the logo on his superhero suit).
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The animation goes too fast: Why?
Because slowing down an animation is hard (or can be).
I'm learning a lot about timing: right now, I think this is one of
the hardest/most important things to learn about animation.
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Sometimes it's very easy to just hold frames for longer.
For example, at the end of every 'speech bubble' or important action,
I tend to hold the action for between 1000ms - 5000ms.
Obviously, when you are constantly viewing an animation while designing
it, and you know the plot, there is a big temptation to speed up to
get it over and done with. You have to pull yourself back and slow
it right down. Sometimes I forget to do this...
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At other times you can't just pause: something else is moving (for
example: the wheels of the car in Ep2), or you want to create a sense
of urgency by starting a move then. This means that you need to create
in between frames, and that means more drawing and more design.
This takes time.
-
Sometimes I've experimented with having more than one thing
happening
at once (like Chickenman talking while getting out of the car). I don't
think that this is bad in itself - The Simpsons has all kinds of things
going on all the time. One difference is that the people
who create the Simpsons are better writers and animators, and have
better timing... (The other difference is, I think, that, until you
get used to decoding Ascii images, your brain is actively working on
making these strings of characters into pictures, while reading other
strings - the speech bubbles - as plain text. This takes longer
to change your attention to another part of the screen. Unlike a
conventional cartoon, where the speech is naturally represented by
real sound...)
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