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

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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!

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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.
Check our Recommended Products page!