Education
To become a timing director, you must understand all aspects of animation.
"You cannot tell somebody else how to do something if you don't know how
to do it yourself," says animation director Marlene Robinson-May.
She says timing directors have to understand how different characters move.
So you should have an eye for human movements and anatomy.
Do as much real-life drawing as possible, she says. "Take anatomy classes.
Know where the bones are. [You] have to know where they are at before you
can distort them."
One way to learn animation is by enrolling in one of the many colleges,
universities and specialized private schools that offer courses and programs
in animation.
But not just anybody can enroll. You have to have a portfolio of drawings
and you may have to pass a test.
And what else do you have to have to become a timing director?
"A stopwatch," says animation instructor Dave Howe.