Some Questions

I was emailed some questions by an animation student, and I thought I should share those questions and answers here since others might be struggling with similar things.  Thanks for your interest, Shib!
(re-posted with Shib’s permission)

While filming myself acting for reference one main problem is being self-conscious, ’cause I am not a professional actor. This problem often makes the acting a bit stiff and unnatural. How do you cope with that?

There’s always lots of debate about video reference.  In my personal taste, I try not to use video reference in any major way, so my poor acting abilities don’t hinder me too much.
One way to try to overcome stiffness and self-consciousness in your acting on camera is  to be in a room all by yourself.  Close the door and be comfortable in knowing that no one is going to see you making a fool out of yourself.  You might have to keep doing it over and over and over until you start to perform naturally and lose the insecurities.  Keep the tape rolling and just keep on trying.  Some of your later takes might be golden.

For me, in terms of acting (mechanics analysis is a different story), I really would rather go to video reference last.  I plan out most of my acting without the use of video – either with thumbnailing, or more commonly, just in my head (which is a pretty stupid way to go. hah).
After I’ve figured out want I want to do in the shot (most of the major storytelling poses and expressions), then I might go ahead and record some video reference.  I’ll see if any entertaining nuances show up that I wouldn’t have thought of – perhaps a little head shake or a hand position, eye flutter or micro anticipation.  These are usually all just little things that will plus the shot – but I’m not really figuring out my acting choices from the video.  Therefore, I don’t really have to be a professional actor (thank god!).  I can find those little nuances that will add a little life to the performance, but they aren’t character-specific nuances.

If I were animating, lets say… Aladdin – if I act in front of the camera I’m still just Jacob, I am NOT Aladdin.  I can’t just use whatever I do in the video for Aladdin’s performance because it would just be an animation of ‘Jacob pretending to be Aladdin.’  I have to figure out how HE would be in the scene, not how I would be if I were in the same situation.  This is where my pre-video shot planning comes in.  Afterward I can do the video for some added nuance.

How do you decide the hand gesture, the finger positions, etc. Do you pose the fingers just making them asymmetrical or is there any psychological motivation?

How do you write the whole creative process after going through it? The writings you post have a logical step by step structure, but in the course of creation many times we make decisions subconsciously.