“I’ve had the pleasure of working with John for many years, and he consistently stands out as a thoughtful and supportive mentor. He genuinely cares about the artists he works with and takes the time to understand their needs and helps them grow. He makes everyone he works with feel truly supported and valued.”

Dan Pozo - Head of Character Animation: Sony Imageworks

“To this day, I still remember when John went over his blocking process with me in one of my first feature jobs. Nearly a decade and a half later, his techniques, insights, and thought process have stuck with me, moulding me into the animator I am today.”

Scott Guppy - Animator, ILM, Sony Imageworks

About the Course

Crafting an Animated Performance is for anyone looking to improve their character animation skills. Whether you are using Blender or another software, having a professional workflow is key to great shots. Watch as veteran film animator John Vassallo walks you through a shot creation from story to polish and shares his insights along the way. The class will dig into character acting and subtext to create a believable performance. 

Instructor

John Vassallo

With over 20 years of experience, John has worked on movies like Hotel Transylvania and Big Hero 6. He's taught online at Animation Mentor and Animschool. Currently he is a Supervising Animator at Sony Imageworks.

Course curriculum

    1. Course Overview

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Process Overview

    1. Time Management

      FREE PREVIEW

    2. Planning

    3. Assignment: Planning

    4. Reference: Crafting a Performance

    5. Reference Analysis

    6. BONUS LESSON: Editing Reference in Davinci Resolve

    7. Assignment: Shoot Reference

    1. Scene Setup

    2. Setting Initial Poses

    3. Assignment: Set Up Your Scene

    1. Step Blocking Part 1

    2. Step Blocking Part 2

    3. Spline Blocking

    4. Assignment: Block Out Your Shot

    1. Blocking Plus: Adding Breakdowns

    2. Blocking Plus: Spline Blocking Details

    3. Blocking Plus: Spline Blocking Face Details

    4. Assignment: Add Detail to Your Blocking

    1. Lip Sync Lecture

    2. Creating Swing Sets

    3. Lip Sync Step Blocking

    4. Lip Sync Spline Blocking Part 1

    5. Lip Sync Spline Blocking Part 2

    6. Assignment: Add Lip Sync

About this course

  • 39 lessons
  • 4 hours of video content
  • Character Animation techniques in Blender

On Sale for a Limited Time!

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Learn Pro Animation Workflows in Blender:

  • Start with Planning

    Learn what goes into the planning of a shot for a hollywood animated film, from initial idea to organizing your time.

  • Block with Confidence

    Learn to block your shot like the pros with both Layered and Pose to Pose methods to speed up your process no matter what software you use!

  • Develop Your Characters

    Learn how to bring your characters to life with a deeper understanding of acting and subtext so you can animate your characters with purpose!

  • Learn High Level Polish

    Develop your eye for detail with in depth course instruction, tips on what to look for and how to improve all the tiny details that take your shot from student to pro level.

Start Animating Like a Pro

On Sale for a Limited Time!

Enroll Now