What Separates the Good Animator from the Bad Animator?

Victor Navone的原文地址。

Victor Luo个人认为很有道理，故做出译文如下：

当然，当谈及动画师的时候，我们不喜欢用“bad”这个词，虽然我们都指的是那些动画做的糟糕的镜头。动画既是技术也是艺术上的造诣，有足够多的机会在两个领域都失败。技术方面更加学术，而且是基于真实物理特性，所以更加易于教授和学习。
Of course, we don't like to use the term "bad" in reference to animators, though we can all point to badly animated shots. Animation is both a technical and an artistic endeavor, and there are plenty of opportunities to fail in both those areas. The technical stuff is more academic and is based on real physics, and is therefore more easily taught and learned.

我相对有把握说，你尅教任何人动画基本物理特性，假设他们想学而且至少具备中等智商。更复杂的身体力学，则需要更强的分析思维力，以及很好的观察技巧。表演和设计就主观多了，这部分是很大的一块。动画的艺术方面要难教得多，因为很难去量化。我们知道我们喜欢什么，可是怎么去实现？哪里是培训力所不能及而需要才华发挥作用的地方？我不认为人人都能成为了不起的动画师。你可以教人们设计原理，表演理论，叙事惯例，镜头调度，他们再进行一定的改进。但是有一个问题，就是需要一定的与生俱来的才华。你必须要有好的表演直觉，你需要天生对时间掌握有感觉，你要知道怎么样去娱乐观众。

I'm relatively confident that you can teach anyone to animate basic physics, assuming they have the will to learn and at least an average intelligence. More complex body mechanics will take a stronger, more analytical mind and good observational skills. Acting and design are much more subjective, and they form the great divide. The artistic side of animation is much harder to teach, because it can be hard to quantify. We know what we like, but how do we arrive there? Where does training end and talent begin? I don't think that everyone has the capacity to be a great animator. You can teach people about design principles, acting theory, storytelling conventions and staging, and they will improve to a degree, but there comes a point where a certain amount of natural ability is required. You have to have good acting instincts, you have to have a natural sense of timing, and you have to know how to entertain and audience.

我觉得“good”动画师必须具备天生的表演和创建吸引人的pose和action的能力。一个“bad”动画师要么没有学到足够的东西去达到他的潜能的高度，要么没有那些才华去超越平庸。
I think "good" animators have an innate knack for performance and creating appealing poses and actions. A "bad" animator either hasn't learned enough to reach his or her potential yet, or just doesn't have that natural talent to rise above mediocrity.

/////////////////////////////// Victor's supplementary Comments /////////////////////////////////////
说的好。我也应该提到才华本身并不会让你成为了不起的动画师。没有纪律和努力的才华不会带你走很远。你绝对需要工作去开发你的表演和娱乐直觉，不管他们本来就有多么强烈。
Good points, Frank and Dhar. I should also have mentioned that talent alone does not make you a great animator either. Talent without discipline and hard work wont take you far. You definitely need to work to develop your acting and entertainment instincts, however strong they may naturally be.

比如（我希望自己在这个帖子里不会看起来像一个精英混球）：我的动画在过去的十年中取得了长足的进步，通过练习和观察，而且越发学而知不足。但是不管我怎么努力，我知道自己也永远做不到像Doug Sweetland 那样优秀（或者其他一些神奇的Pixar动画师那样）。他具有的一些与生俱来的天才我永远无法通过教或者学去获得。
As a matter of example (so I hopeful don't sound like an elite jerk in this post): my animation has improved a lot over the past 10 years, through practice and observation, and the more I learn the more I realize I have a lot more to learn. But no matter how hard I work at it, I know I will NEVER be as great an animator as Doug Sweetland (or some of the other fantastic animators at Pixar). He has a certain inborn genius that can't be taught or learned.

你可以选择视此情形为激发斗志或者是感到挫败。对我而言，这有点两者兼具！总体而言我只是享受我所从事的事情并希望能做到更好学到更多。
You can choose to see this situation as inspiring or frustrating. For me, it's a little of both! Mostly I just enjoy what I'm doing and look forward to learning more.