Make, Watch and Have Fun With XtraNormal Animation – a Great Way to Bring Your Storyboard to Life
I just discovered the free version of XtraNormal and could not resist creating a short anime… 3 hours later:
The more I use it the more value I am discovering, especially in experimenting with the flow of shots and camera angles. It has limits, but it allows me to begin creating a rough draft, bench testing a screenplay as it takes shape. It’s like using a talking, animated storyboard. Add in the free Celtx project planner andyou are ready to start work on crafting a film, video, a stage play, machinima, an ad, a video game, music video, videocast – whatever method you use to deliver your story.
Now, I am hooked. It only took a brief exposure and I am finding all sorts of reasons to ante up for the pro version (for $39.95 per year.) The XtraNormal animation system is a great learning environment – one where I can type in the words of a script and then the auto-robots speak the dialogue, inserting pauses and gestures as I require. Lots more features and character choices with the Pro version… Here’s what evolved from my first effort above after I moved up to the Pro version:
This animation, done for my girlfriend Debra, is pushing 500 views in just a few days online at her Braveheart Women blog. So, it will become a regular series.
Dave Kaminski provides an alternative in a video revue of GoAnimate.com in this post. That program is a bit less complex – with the dialogue taking place in text bubbles like in a newspaper cartoon strip. It features repetitive motions rather than synchronized animation – but it’s free and also fun.
This entry was posted on Saturday, October 3rd, 2009 at 1:14 am and is filed under Films. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
