Uploaded August 2025 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Today I’m reviewing an animation student’s first assignment — and it’s seriously impressive for a first project.
I’ll share detailed notes on spacing, arcs, overlap, chest compression, hip movement, head stabilization, and more. If you’re learning animation, watching critiques like this is one of the fastest ways to level up. You’ll see where beginners often struggle and learn how to fix those issues in your own work.
💡 Want your animation reviewed on the channel? DM me on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter with your reel or shot, and I’ll feature it in a future video.
Social Media 📰
Twitter: twitter.com/markmasters92
Instagram: instagram.com/markmasters92
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-masters-062a89a4
00:00 Intro
01:05 Idle Animation Critique
10:59 Run Cycle Critique
19:38 Kick Animation Critique
28:42 Final Thoughts + How to Get Your Work Reviewed
Today I’m reviewing an animation student’s first assignment — and it’s seriously impressive for a first project.
I’ll share detailed notes on spacing, arcs, overlap, chest compression, hip movement, head stabilization, and more. If you’re learning animation, watching critiques like this is one of the fastest ways to level up. You’ll see where beginners often struggle and learn how to fix those issues in your own work.
💡 Want your animation reviewed on the channel? DM me on Instagram, LinkedIn, or Twitter with your reel or shot, and I’ll feature it in a future video.
Social Media 📰
Twitter: twitter.com/markmasters92
Instagram: instagram.com/markmasters92
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mark-masters-062a89a4
00:00 Intro
01:05 Idle Animation Critique
10:59 Run Cycle Critique
19:38 Kick Animation Critique
28:42 Final Thoughts + How to Get Your Work Reviewed


![I Fixed My Old Student Animation - Heres What Changed
In this video, I dive into the archives to find one of my first student animations from Animation Mentor. Looking back with years of experience at studios like Blizzard and Archetype Entertainment, I break down the C+ grade mistakes I made and show you the professional workflow to fix them.
We’ll cover why brute-forcing keyframes on every frame leads to jittery motion, how to simplify overacted beats, and the technical side of cleaning up arcs in Maya. Whether you are a student or a working pro, these cleanup techniques will help you work faster and produce smoother animation.
What you’ll learn:
The Blocking vs. Spline Trap: Why a good blocking pass can fall apart during the polish phase.
Cleaning Up Jitter: How deleting 80% of your keyframes can actually make your animation look better.
Pantomime Acting: Reworking a scene to make the characters actions and accidents clear to the audience.
Technical Workflow: Using world space vs. local space to save hours of counter-animating [51:34].
[00:06] - Introduction and reviewing old student work.
[01:17] - The original Domino concept and reference.
[05:32] - Refining the blocking and adding Blocking Plus poses.
[07:08] - Analyzing the original 19-year-old video reference.
[14:15] - The mistake of brute-forcing animation on ones.
[17:44] - Identifying issues with body involvement and weight.
[20:16] - Starting the Maya cleanup: Deleting unnecessary keys.
[25:22] - Comparing the Handmade vs. Simplified motion.
[34:47] - Reworking the acting beat for better clarity.
[51:34] - Pro Tip: Switching arms to World Space for easier cleanup.
[56:10] - Final thoughts on keeping it simple. I Fixed My Old Student Animation - Heres What Changed](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/nmgX4z9GGLI/mqdefault.jpg)







