Twinimation Studios/How to Create a 2D Film on a Budget

  • $80 or 4 monthly payments of $20

How to Create a 2D Film on a Budget

  • Course
  • 32 Lessons

Learn how to create your own 2D film without breaking the bank. Starting from story development, all the way to post-production, we'll guide you on how to create your own 2D animated production, with numerous free programs.

2D Film Creation From Start to Finish

Want to make a 2D short film, but don’t know where to start? Learn how to create a 2D film from start to finish with our 5 hour course. We’ll guide you through the process of developing your story, designing your characters, creating an environment, and finally adding the animation!

Teaser

Let's see what'll you'll be learning.

Contents

Here's what this course offers.

Chapter 1: Story

A PowerPoint introduction to planning a story for your film.
Chapter 1: Story

Chapter 2: Preproduction

Learn the basics of Krita, character/environment design, storyboarding, and more.
Chapter 2: Preproduction
Krita Basics
Creating a Storyboard
Simple vs. Complex Character Design
Environment Design
Creating an Animatic from Storyboard Panels
Creating a Background and Animatic in Krita

Chapter 3: Animation 101

Learn the 12 principles of animation and how to animate from reference footage.
12 Principles of Animation
Using Reference Footage

Chapter 4: Animatics and Animation

Learn how to translate an animatic to animation, and learn the two different animation methods: pose to pose and straight ahead. 
Animatic to Animation
Animating Straight Ahead
Animating Pose to Pose

Chapter 5: Acting and Dialogue Tips

Learn how to improve acting with strong posing and facial expressions.

Master dialogue through learning proper mouth shapes and timing.
Acting
Dialogue

Chapter 6: Clean Up and Color

Learn to clean up and color your rough animation.
Clean Up and Color

Chapter 7: Backgrounds

Learn how to take advantage of 3D programs to create 2D backgrounds. Also learn how to properly choose a color palette for your environments and paint it.
Creating 3D Background References: Tinkercad
Creating 3D Background References: Blender
Creating 3D Background References: Setup
Background Painting
Color Palettes

Chapter 8: Sound and Effects

Incorporation sound and special effects into your films.
Adding Sound to Animation Programs
Animating Effects: Water Splash
Animating Effects: Bubble Pop
Animating Effects: Fire
Animating Effects: Smoke
Animating Effects: Introduction to Magic

Chapter 9: Postproduction

The final stages of the film creation process; learn how to create digital effects in After Effects and add finishing touches.
Creating Effects Preview
Rendering and After Effects
Finishing Touches

Programs Used and Recommended Projects

Recommended Programs
✏️
Recommended Projects

Recommended materials

  • A computer/drawing tablet for digital work; paper (preferably animation paper) for traditional art.
  • A cintiq pen for digital work; pencils (preferably colored pencils) for traditional art.
  • A light table is recommended for traditional art, but is not necessary.