Got a comment that my fight scenes felt flat, so I started timing them to real punches

I post my anime fan fight animations over on another forum and someone said my characters looked like they were hitting air, not each other. That stung because I spent hours on the visuals. So I took a boxing class last month just to feel what a real jab and hook timing feels like. I recorded my own punches with a cheap mic and synced the audio to my next fight sequence. The difference was huge, suddenly the impacts had weight and the pauses made sense. Now I watch my old stuff and cringe at how floaty it looks. Has anyone else tried bringing real world motion into their fan work? What did you use to capture it?

2 comments

2 Comments

sethanderson19d ago

Read this thing online about how animators for old martial arts movies would literally shadowbox in the studio to get the rhythm right for their scenes. Makes total sense now after reading your post because you basically did the same thing but with audio. The timing thing is huge, I tried recording the sound of a heavy bag hit with my phone and layered it over a Street Fighter fight I was editing and it completely changed the feel. Your boxing class idea is genius honestly, most people just guess at what a real punch sounds like and it never lands right. The difference between staged hits and real impact is like night and day once you hear it side by side. Might have to steal your method and go hit some mitts at the gym this weekend.

price.jake19d ago

The heavy bag recording is a great idea. I might try that next time instead of dragging myself to class.