Animation 101 with Sam Riegel | The Legend of Vox Machina 

Also, shout out to whoever made those amazing graphics!

Why IS Sam Riegel so unnervingly handsome, indeed?

Fun fact: "beat sheets" are also what Sam called his preparation notes for his master-debate against Liam.

so you're telling me 95% of the characters in the show won't be voiced by Matt Mercer?

I can’t wait for “Widogast’s Legend of Vox Machina” to come out

I would've titled this The Legend of Sam Riegels Legend of Animation of The Legend of Vox Machina Machina. Much more on brand

If Scanlan doesn't have at least 1 musical number... I want my money back...

I think everyone knows why Sam is so unnervingly handsome, it’s the afterglow from sleeping next to Liam

We couldn't get ONE more backer? Edit: Given some of the responses, I feel the need to clarify that this is not in any way meant as a criticism of those who could not or didn't get a chance to back the show. I just found the backer count number funny.

As an animator - I'd like to thank you for the wonderful service you're doing by explaining to the average Joe what it takes to create Animation

I still hope for a gag credits roll where 99% of the credits are Matthew Mercer Had a few likes, come back to over 3k. Nioce

I can't wait to see a teaser of this animated series.

Animation takes a very long time and this was explained really well! The emphasis on *by hand* was definitely a thing I think some people should really keep in mind. A few seconds of animation that go by in a flash on screen can take a few weeks to get done sometimes. I'm an animation student, and even 3d animation takes time to get right. You have to go through takes of blocking before you even see it fully moving in spline and then need to do further tweaks from there in a refinement and detail pass. So even with 3d if you think it'd be "easier" there's still a *ton* of work that goes into everything. And sometimes you don't get very long at all to get a shot done so you have to call it good enough when you hit your deadline. I'm *super* excited to see the series when it comes out, but I knew from the moment I backed it that it'd be a while before we get to see the final project. Especially when the pandemic came into play and everyone had to adjust. It may take some time, but I know the end product will be worth the wait.

i know this series isnt even out yet but i hope they do a M9 series as well. To see Jester and all her wackiness animated and such would be amazing :') (and all the cool stuff that's happened so far in C2!)

This is an INCREDIBLE overview of industry animation, thanks for putting this together! I'm seriously going to use this to send to friends and family who ask what being in animation is like. It's such a huge team effort, I don't think most people realize the depth of it. Really looking forward to the series!!

"And Scanlan Was His Name" appropriately climaxes on the G (string).

How is nobody talking about that sick score teaser at the end? That stripped back theme with the chanting and electric guitar got me all gooey.

Anyone who claims ADR doesn't stand for "After Dinner Radish" is wrong and clearly a terrible person.

If Matt doesn't voice Trinket, I think I'll genuinely cry.... But I'll be happy for whoever does...... 😭

Seems about right. According to the new series itself, Animaniacs took two years from writing the scripts to release this past week.

I love how the "Jokes" folder on Sam's desktop is a recycle bin. XD

“...will make you cry. Unless, like me, you have no soul” *existentialism intensifies* Sam finally revealing the deal with the devil he made to gain his powers of entertainment and awesomeness.

Excited to see more! Also, Super big props to Wendy Sullivan (aka Wendy Doodles) for the animation!

They 100 % should make an optional audio track where Matt voices every NPC. You know you’d watch it

As an animation student I can relate to how long the entire process takes. I cannot wait to see the series fully realised. :)

Calm down: 9 woman can’t make a baby in a month.

I will forever regret being late to the party and not being the 88,888th person to back this project. Just seeing the 7 gets me riled up!

That was really cool! Thanks Sam. WendyDoodles absolutely nailed the art and animations!

Don’t worry guys take your time we don’t want rushed

Thank you, Wendy Sullivan. (:

so realistically we're looking at another year and a half-ish out? give or take 3-4 months? alright. Current Objective: Survive 2 more years

It feels like forever, cause 2020 was a timesoup that took something between 2 and 10 decades and smushed into a year.

We're getting a hand-drawn animated cartoon!? I am excited!

Are we gonna tell him that hes the only person that can hear his teeth grow.

“Is that upside down? NO, it’s not.”

why are _you_ unnervingly handsome?

I would pay money to see Sam Riegel's cursed image folder.

After Dinner Radish is a key aspect of the project.

Hey Sam I just recently learned you were the Voice director on Elena! I was an animator on that show! I'm so happy I got to work with you even though I never met you in person xD!

Don't stress, guys! Most animation studios take _years_ to go from first drafts to finished cartoon. It's a process, as you're well aware. I hope people weren't complaining about the wait, because honestly? This is moving _much_ quicker than I was expecting. Take your time, make this as good as it can be, and also,,, take a break every now and then. I'm serious. Please. ;D Godspeed guys, love you! ❤️

omg, I was so hoping Sam would have just gone into a skit about his beauty regimen, lol

I swear any time a progress video comes out I get emotional all over again. I'm so freaking excited for this series and so proud of this cast!

Yes, making an animated series is really tough work. I have only witnessed one in the making and it was an animated short some dear friends made. They took more than a year, with only 5 or 6 people working on it, and it was all by hand and the result was gorgeous. They won an award! But it takes time, effort, carpal tunnel issues and lot of sleepless nights. Obviously our beloved team making TLOVM is bigger and it helps, but it's far more complex and it has so much detail on it, plus they also have to take precautions because COVID. Of course I'm looking forward to see the first chapters, but I respect and (most of all) I'm grateful that they are taking their time to make an awesome production. I saw the drawing of the backgrounds and they were just mind blowing. I would say "I can't wait to see it" but I will wait, because I believe it will be worthy. Thank you Sam for the update and a huge "thank you" to all the team that it's making this amazing animation. I know it's going to be epic!

Let's hope Covid does not delays the series too much

...also, I need more of RecordingCloset Travis!

2:24 it's kinda weird that I feel like it's actually Travis screaming

I am so ready to see literally anything, but we have to be patient and let all of the people working on the show shower it in love and creativity! It's going to be so worth it

Sam, you and everyone involved in this project to make this show are flipping legends to put all the love and care you do into this. I am so excited to see what the final product of this show will be like and I know it is going to take a long time because you guys are doing everything you can to make this perfect. Take all the time you all need to make this show a reality. Best of luck to all of you. I hope you all have an awesome day and that you all stay safe and stay sane!

So, that line about animal voices has me wondering: What if we end up having Dee Bradley Baker voice trinket???

People must've mistaken the dislike for the like button when trying to figure out why Sam Riegel is so unnervingly handsome.

This was honestly great to see. You never really think about how much work goes into projects like this, it’s something people honestly take for granted. Also the fact the animation is hand drawn makes me so god damn happy to hear. Been on a trend for the past few months of watching old Don Bluth movies and other hand drawn and animated movies. It’s something I kinda miss when everything nowadays is 3D computer generated stuff. A lot of times you can feel and see the love and hard work put into each part of the animation when someone sat down and drew it by hand instead of just using a 3D modeling program or something. Can’t wait to see the first episode of this, it’ll feel like a crowning achievement for both the cast, the team behind the animation and us critters because it’s something we’ve all contributed to in some form.

As someone who works in animation, I really appreciate how detailed and accurate this pipeline explanation is!

I've been MILDLY curious about how it's going :D

Not gonna lie, when the outro played i heard Laura singing the theme song in my head

I randomly appreciate that the play bar under his in frame picture kept up with the actual timing of the video. A little fun detail.

Thank you for the update guys! looking forward to seeing the series when its finished. I get paid tomorrow so i'll be visiting the crit role store too, just in time for christmas :D

BIDET! "Improve performances." Hahaha

Is he just a producer? He should also be directing..i mean he has an Emmy for it..

Every time these update videos get to the end where the theme song comes in I get goosebumps. This show is going to be amazing!!!

When the world needed him the most, the last backer vanished.

Love the explaning of the whole process, silly fun and very educational! Can't wait until the series get released!

Thank you for breaking this down, it puts the whole thing in perspective, and makes us appreciate all the hard work even more!

Thank you so much for taking the time to make this explanation! I've known that animation is an involved process, but I didn't know just *how* complicated and time-intense it is. This really helps my under and appreciation for the project!

I can't be the only one who's really annoyed every time I'm reminded of the 88.887 backers... Why couldn't there have been just ONE more 😫

Please. Can we get an bonus voicetrack where Matt voices everyone. Call it a DM feature. Not like this series gonna have enough shits and giggles

I dare not ask what "Cursed Images" Sam deemed worthy to put in his folder.

The fact that the entire is going to be hand drawn and animated blew my damn mind. The show is going to look absolutely amazing if thatˋs true.

I really appreciate how much credit you give to the usually small things that big companies would not give credit too.

As a WIS 20 man once said "9 women can't make a baby in 1 month!".

It takes me like 50 hours or more to draw a single character design xD and that’s only a small fragment of the process if I wanna animate someday. Take your time guys

Honestly I'm happy you all are taking your time and doing it right. I do not regret funding the kickstarter for what little bit I was able to do.

I never realised the crazy amount of work that goes into projects and shows like this

Honestly the more time it takes; and rather few speedbumps, the better it’ll be

And don't forget COVID kinda threw wrenches into everything

It has taken so long that I've managed to get fully caught up in CR since the kickstarter began and honestly I couldn't be more excited to see this come to fruition.

Bro, I will gladly wait multiple years for the show

Sam we know you have a soul, Mephistopheles gave it back after he took back his infernal pact with you

Appreciate the update, I never mind waiting a very long time for something like this, like yall said when its finished it'll be worth the wait and I'd rather get a perfect finished product than a loosely thrown together show like its some kinda triple a game. Much love keep up the good work!

thank you for giving such careful explanation of, and attention to, ALL of the show's CRITICAL ROLES that deserve our respect and appreciation

That is one of the best clear and concise pipeline explanations for creating hand drawn animation I have seen since Walt explained it on the Wonderful World of Walt Disney. Bravo Sam and all those involved.

I could listen to sam explain shit for DAYS! It's great to get an insight into the bts on these types of things, loved the video!

They... couldn’t have just snuck a backer in there to make the magical number 88,888?

As someone who just now started learning a little animation on my own...the idea of anyone making their own cartoon is insane and wonderful and I just have so much respect for all of you and everyone and everything that goes into projects like this. You fill my heart with joy and wonder and jdjdhdhshsaaahdhshsa literally just all of my soul is filled with happy inspirations. Every piece of this is a gift. So good. ♡ May you all be well.

Take all the time you need! I'm so ready for this but after all the hype it should be painstakingly fantastic

This was great. I learned so much.

can’t wait for this entire comment section to just become a place to call sam handsome

Shout out to Percy’s Cup of Tea designer/animator! Your days of work are appreciated.

I have several uestions: 1- Who is the voice over director of the animation? I hope it is you, Sam. I dont think CRcan afford another Emmy award winning VO director otherwise. 2- Who is the composer of the soundtrack?I hope it is Jason Charles Miller. 3-Is it possible to announce some of the new cast members for major characters? Who plays the Briarwoods? 4-Do Matt play a character or more in the animation? 5- Did you have to write and record new original songs to replace the pop songs you used in the game? 6-And finally where are we right now on the overall journey of the project you told us about? Are all the scripts written? Did you guys start recording VO? Or is it already on the animation phase?

I'm 1000% ok with waiting. Im glad to hear an update though. Love these nerds and the awesome animators who are working on this project. Best of luck.

Pf, who needs hand drawn disney animations anymore when we have Vox Machina

Take your time! It all looks so good so far! I'm so excited to see the final product.

I love the image of Grog stepping in a recording booth thats to small for him and just rage yell and scream for an hour

I'm so excited for this

"Oh awesome how far along are you" "Well it's taking a long time, let me take you through all the steps it takes to make an animated series." "Oh, well that was neat and highly informative! So what step are you guys on roughly?" "My work here is done!" *tuxedo mask exit

I love these updates that show us all the love and work that goes into this. I love seeing what the cast does for a living!

This is really useful! Thank for this explainer, as it gives us a short but thorough look into the process. I knew there were a lot of steps, but not what they were! (And, as I'm still working my way through Campaign 1, I'm not in a rush even though I'm looking forward to it!)

The by-hand animation is being outsourced overseas? Perhaps I missed something but, I thought Titmouse was doing the animation.

So how is background design done before story boarding? Don't you need to know shot angles to design the background?

Thank you so much for making this video! I'm an illustration major and its so so intriguing to now what the whole animation process looks like.

Animatrimony must be a beautiful ceremony... And so much work too! The wait will be worth it!