Early effects in music videos
Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer:
The Brothers Quay who provided claymation, pixilation, and stop motion animation for the music video. Innovative. Especially for it’s time.
How to’s
thought for studying body mechanics:
Google a “how to” on a movement you want to animate. Not only will you find video examples, but also written explanations. I found that seeing the written next to the video can help with understanding what’s happening in the movement. You’ll understand where the force is coming from and, sometimes, the thought process of the person or animal doing the action. The thought process is just as important to understanding how your character should act/feel during the action.
Try it! 
Miming for pantomime
This weekend I’ve been talking to friends who are starting up the pantomime shots in AM (beginning class 4).
Patomime:
1. Communication by means of gesture and facial expression: Some tourists make themselves understood abroad by pantomime.
2.
a. The telling of a story without words, by means of bodily movements, gestures, and facial expressions.
b. A play, dance, or other theatrical performance characterized by such wordless storytelling.
So! I decided to look up some miming examples:
I recommend this youtube channel. There’s fifty+ videos on miming techniques. Can help out with acting for both animation and improv 
Big thing I’ve learned! : If you can make it read without an object, the animation as a whole will read much stronger.
3D cartoony references
I found this a while ago, but still am in awe of Josh Carey’s rigs. I reversed-engineered a couple of them to better understand how they were built – lots of creative, effective solutions.
Reel Fx’s Looney Tunes (opening scene):
Josh Carey’s VES submission:
http://youtu.be/qU8ZVrZUYPM
Goofy cartoony references :)
Goofy is ridiculous. I love it. Awesome reference for exaggerated timing/poses/everything. Got a few to share:
I want to see more of this in 3D…
Bats Improv info
Wanted to share a source for improv in the San Francisco city:
I highly recommend to look into improv groups you can get involved with in your area. Improv is excellent practice for quick thinking and creativity. I found that I’m also becoming more aware of poses, stances, and space (which, of course, we must always be thinking about in animation!)
stretching tip
Tony gave an awesome tip tonight ~
When exaggerating/stretching a pose:
Put less stretch into “solid” parts of the body, such as the head or hands) and more stretch into the skinnier/elongated parts of the body (such as an arm or neck). This will read better in motion as a stretch rather than a deformation.
demo reel tips
Drew shared some resources on demo reels (for those who haven’t seen these)
Spline Doctors on Reels:
http://splinedoctors.com/2009/08/more-on-demo-reels/
http://splinedoctors.com/2006/02/demo-reel-tipspart-2/
http://splinedoctors.com/2008/05/revisiting-what-makes-a-good-reel/
Carlos Baena on Reels:
Magnetic Hands – space object improv tip
In improv I learned a technique that I can help with animation:
First I should explain space object:
An object that`s used in the scene but which doesn`t really exist. A mimed object. In general, anything that doesn`t support weight (like a chair) should be a space object.
To better sell your interaction with a space object, pretend that your hand and finger tips are magnets. For example, when grabbing a space object cup: let your hand ease into the position, then snap into a grab. Try it with different types of items: grabbing a door knob, placing your hands on a surface, grasping a ledge. Snap the position to sell to the audience your commitment to it’s existence.
Without the snap, motions can feel floaty, as if hands are floating through the objects — like there’s nothing there.
Mimic this technique in animations to sell commitment to an object.
thought of the day…
“There is no particular mystery in animation…it’s really very simple, and like anything that is simple, it is about the hardest thing in the world to do. ” – Bill Tytla, at Walt Disney Animation Studios (1937)
Great quote I found on Scott Owen’s page:
http://www.siggraph.org/education/materials/HyperGraph/animation/anim0.htm