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Suggestions? Building a portable animation studio

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Suggestions? Building a portable animation studio

Hello, all...

So I'm looking to buying some hardware & software to get my own portable animation studio going. I'm getting a PC (that's not gonna change) souped up with 2GB RAM and the most hard disk space I can fit. I also need to get a few peripherals, and I want to get your opinions on what works and what to avoid.

My goal is to keep it simple, low-maintenance, small & inexpensive, without sacrificing too much quality (well, duh!). I want to be able to travel with this "kit" and be able to use it with people/artists who are not necessarily technology savvy.

So here's my list:

HARDWARE:
* Laptop: What kind of processor? How much memory? How much hard drive space?
* External hard drive (If I need one at all)
* Two digital movie cameras (miniDV?): one to film live-action suitable for broadcast, and one to use for stop-motion/pencil-test animation.
* Wacom tablet no bigger than a laptop.
* Digital projector no bigger than the footprint of a laptop.
* Digital sound recorder (would I have to get a DAT recorder or could a laptop-based program work? I once used a MiniDisc player and got good results.)

SOFTWARE:
* Pencil-test software?
* Stop-motion software?
* Film-editing software?
* Sound editing software?
* Ink-and-Paint software?
(Would Adobe Elements products work for this? Ideally, I want to find a few products that could do many things...so instead of getting 5 different software, to get two which work for them all)

Any books/websites/resources out there that you could recommend on digital animation and filmmaking gear?

Thanks for your help!

Bruce

I'd get a fast Pentium or AMD chip. A 160 to 200 gig external hard drive. I'd only get one Video camera. Why would you really need two? This is supposed to be portable right? Also I don't know why you'd need a projector. A Wacom would be good.

As for software, I'd pick Flash. You can us it as a pencil test program and animate directly in it as well as doing ink and paint. As for flim editing I'd go with Premiere or After Effects. Or if you're really on a budget, Quicktime Pro. For sound editor, Audacity is a good freeware program. Those are my picks

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

Thanks...a couple more questions...

Thanks for the reply.

I didn't know Flash could be used for pencil testing with a camera. Been a while since I tinkered with it, and I haven't seen the newest version (8, right?). I'll look into it.

I want the second camera to document the process...sort of make a documentary of the film (for example, to show video of artists animating with the other camera hooked up to the computer).

As for the camera that is used for animation, though...what is best? Mini DV? Flash drive? And are there any models worth looking at? Something digital, naturally, but can I just plug any digital video camera into a computer for use in Flash/Premiere?

The projector is for showing the finished product to a small audience (maybe in a classroom, maybe in a living room, community hall, etc.). I did some animation workshops abroad (we're talking Calcutta & Indonesia), and sadly, after the work was done, there was no available method to display the finished product. Projectors are also good for giving a demonstration (i.e. the camera, looking over my shoulder, is connected to the projector which is showing what I am drawing, demonstrating, etc.), or displaying a recently shot pencil-test to analyze it with a group of people.

Having my own projector on the road with me would also side-step any PAL/NTSC compatability issues. Besides, projectors are kinda small nowadays. As far as budget, I'm less concerned about the cost of software, so I can be a bit more generous to my hardware budget.

Also, how much RAM is enough to use these applications? I was looking at some laptops with 2GB Shared RAM. There's also 4GB, but that would run me at least $1500 more. Is 2GB enough?

What is the fastest processor out there right now? I used to be able to look at the highest-end machines to tell, but nowadays, there seem to be so many different versions of Intel processors.

What sort of equipment would you use to pick-up the sound? I still have my old MiniDisc recorder which served me well before, but I had to set up an impromptu recording studio (an inverted cardboard box, lined with a quilt...the voice artist would sit inside...a spit screen made from a stocking stretched over a wire hanger).

Thanks SO MUCH for your input. This is EXTREMELY helpful!

Bruce

Well you can import video and image sequences into Flash, but you can't veiw it directly in Flash. So you would have to shot the whole sequence, then load it into Flash. If you do an image sequence, you can move the key frames around and play with the timing to see whats working and whats not.

I don't know about cameras and audio equipment. Sorry. I think the camera should be compatible if it has a Fire wire or USB cable.

I think 2 Gigs should be enough. More is always better though. Yeah, chips are getting confusing. If you can get a dual core, that would be nice. They are basicly a dual processor, just all in one chip.

Aloha,
the Ape

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."

bump.......

...we must all face a choice, between what is right... and what is easy."