Welcome to Just Make Animation! Here you can learn to make your own cool, or quirky, animated films. You can learn lots of techniques for making your unique animation, unlike any other. This site is dedicated to making a wide range of unique forms of animation, from the earliest techniques to the latest. You won’t learn about how to make the latest Pixar film, but you will learn how to make quirky stop motion and traditional hand made animation, as well as exploring the latest key software for professional digital animation, as well as some of the best cheap or free fun apps that will help get you started.
MY STORY
I’ve been making animation since the 1980s. Made my first film at 14, in the days when there were only Super-8 cameras. I had to wait weeks to get the developed film stock back to see my Plasticine animation, and had to wait all year for my next birthday, or Christmas when I would get new rolls of film sock to use. I taught myself because back then there was no internet and no courses for kids. In fact very few people seemed to know what it was. But the moment I started to move that ‘thing’ in front of the camera, whatever it was, I just felt the magic.
In the 90s I have trained in the traditional hand made techniques, drawn animation, cell animation and then being who I am made films directly hand-painted onto 16mm film, then ‘bipacked’ it with sand animation (basically that means putting the painted film stock through a rostrum camera doubled up with unexposed film stock, guessing the exposure whilst animating sand under the lens). I went to Russia and learned multiplane oil paint animation, then made cut-out animations mixed with live-action before finally learning digital animation. Now I’ve used loads of different software, and still love to explore new techniques. I’ve just discovered VR, and I’ll use it to make animated films in any wild way I can.
Every film I make uses a new technique, I think the way a film is made is part of what the film is about, so it makes sense to me to reinvent animation for each new film. Maybe I get bored easily. But it means I have loads of moving image techniques to share with the world. I studied at the National Film School, UK, and have an MA from University of Derby, I regularly do courses on different aspects of film (animation, software, visual effects). I’ve been taught by some of the best, I’ve also taught myself. I am always learning, and trying something new. I have won many awards for my films and they have been screened at festivals all over the world, shown in key art venues, reviewed and written about, I’m also a Visiting Lecturer. So I have lots to share with you.
SHARING THE MAGIC
When I do a simple stop motion workshop with kids and often with adults too, there is a moment of magic when they first see their image move. Recently I’ve seen this moment of magic enthusiasm happen when anyone at all puts on a VR headset and uses Tiltbrush. I want to share the magic of bringing images to life now through the internet.
We love the magic of a moving image, and anything that seems to move or take on a life of its own when it shouldn’t is just captivating. I’ll share in one of my blogs the research on the brain while watching animation as opposed to live-action, it’s quite fascinating. Right now it seems that people are really interested in animation, and whilst there are many websites offering to make it or teach it, much of it looks quite similar to me, and I am always finding people asking how to make animation that looks different.
For my whole filmmaking life I have always expected people to comment on the content or message of my film, but the first thing they always say is “it looked amazing, how did you make it”. Up ’till now I have always been confused by that comment, but now I’ve decided to listen to my audience and give them what they want, which is – How Its Made!
THE GOAL OF THIS SITE
So the purpose of this website is to teach people many of the different techniques I have used, teach the principles of animation filmmaking, storytelling, and all the ideas around this topic that can help you make better and more unique-looking films.
Please leave a comment of you need something elaborated on.
All the best, Lucy Lee
justmakeanimation.com
Hello Lucy,
I just wanted to drop you a quick message because it seems like we are doing some similar work and it’s always nice to meet people with a passion for animation. If you have a minute, check out my website: cartoonsforpeace.com/education. It has some of the films I’ve made with kids in the last couple of years. I’m trying to figure out how to take my classes on the road next. I’d love to travel and teach animation as I go. Thanks for making such a great site.
Thanks Justin. I love what you are doing! I hope my site can be more useful to you as it grows. I’m aiming to have lots of how to’s, help, things you need, and great films, so it will be a great resource for your animation workshops as you travel. Thanks for the link, hope others find your site too.
Lucy, I Love Your World! Soooo beyond me, but you make my imagination run 100 miles per hour.
I’ve got a new song I recorded and my Producer suggests a video to animate part of the song for Youtube upload. I can “see” the stick-figure story I want to animate, but there’s no way I can make it happen practically. Can you help–or direct me to someone that can? Expensive?
I’m just a professor here in Korea that sings as a hobby. But the song I just recorded is actually pretty good.
Wow, thanks for the compliment James! I hope something on this website will inspire you to have a go at animating a music video for your music! I’m pretty sure you can make it happen.