What Makes Arcane's Animation so Good?

[@thebradcolbow]

Sorry about the video capture being so glitchy at points. My first time doing something like this and clearly it didn't go well. I have a lot to learn.

[@JosephKim]

Not to worry, a ton of great comments and contents were in this video. :)

[@Avelinovski]

Great video, I thought the glitches were a cunning ruse so the algorithm wouldn't kick in - it didn't spoil it for me. The animation is indeed exquisite, nothing feels under or over-animated, and your comments on action sequences are spot-on; very few directors seem to understand pacing and editing these days - or basic filmmaking language, for that matter. This is very impressive stuff.

[@sotomonte_]

Don't worry! Next time you should use 4k video downloader, it works great and it's free

[@private8718]

One way to do it is to use OBS studios (free) as a screen recorder. You just have to set it up to record your monitor and then simply play the video section you want to record. Happy to help guide you through it if you need any help.

[@alkhudry8105]

Huion 2.5k review please

[@boxtears]

When I subbed to your channel, I never in a million years thought you'd ever review a TV show, let alone a show that ended up being what I consider one of the best if not THE best animated series of all time. What I'm trying to say is I'm glad I stayed subbed.

[@thebradcolbow]

haha, yeah. This time of yeah the tech coming out slows down so I experiment more. Glad you liked this one!

[@cuboidgamez7577]

Same

[@JohnCena-um5uo]

Watch AoT and you will forget about this arcane crap

[@cuboidgamez7577]

@@JohnCena-um5uo this is why i hate weebs

[@Luna-ip4ri]

@@JohnCena-um5uo aot

[@amandagfuller]

I ended up watching Arcane twice, because I kept getting distracted from the story by the beautiful art. Then I would get distracted from the art by the awesome story. It truly is a masterpiece.

[@sanjogranswal7935]

How do you watch a thing twice? I could never

[@amandagfuller]

@@sanjogranswal7935 There are a lot of hidden details, Easter eggs, and plot points that I noticed while watching it the second time. That's why it's such a good show. It's worth a second watch, but to each there own. 🤷‍♀️

[@aceparable1]

@@sanjogranswal7935 You've had sex more than once right? Eaten cake more than once? With the trash pumped out these days it is usually better to find comfort shows and re-watch. I've given up on Liam Neeson and Bruce Willis movies, that's for sure.

[@S3frog]

For me it's the facial expressions. There are so many subtleties that it's hard to believe there's no mocap baseline. They serve the storytelling as much as the dialogue or the action.

[@inigogc]

That thing about color, to separate timelines and character arcs, is very smart. That's actually one of the issues I have with The Witcher S1. It gets confusing to remember whose story your following.

[@aceparable1]

Yes, like Ciri's grandmother didn't seem to age. I was lost until the last episode. Then it made sense in retrospect.

[@graphosxp]

creative talent + money + time = great animation!

[@LawlietDeMonti]

I play league and their art team has always produced some of the best content imo, from their music videos (which i highly recommend watching) to their animated trailers and their character designs/skins. This show did an amazing job building the world of their game and lore for their characters and i loved your review! I would love to see more content like this as well as maybe some scene breakdowns(analyzing compositions, color, gesture, etc)?

[@tynce563]

I mean, the cupcakes on the balcony have more “relevance” than you’d think actually. It’s an easter egg really for the LOL fans. I would even consider it foreshadowing for Caitlyn. Her champion has an ability to use cupcakes in the game. So it’s more themed than it may seem if you know that. I love the detail though

[@shashanksharma4376]

Arcane and spiderverse are next generation animation 🛐🛐🛐

[@lmzn500]

just finished the season and this was so enjoyable to watch. arcane seriously blew my mind I can't even. Thing about it is that, I got so entranced that I forget it's animation sometimes, until a shot of something more illustrative is shown and I'm just like WOW

[@caseyjp1]

The most interesting technical thing is just how the series creators make you FORGET you're watching animation. Within a minute of the start of the brilliant intro sequence, I was watching a story. NOT animation. When the opening credits started, I had to pause it for a minute to wrap my head around what I was seeing. This is a sea change for animation. Literally one of the best series I have ever watched, (live OR animation) and I am not a spring chicken, so that's saying a lot. By the end of the first three episodes, I was in full worship mode. 😀

[@dagnabit1301]

Absolutely love this artist animation review. If you find out what software was used for this please let us know. I love how the brush strokes stayed static as the characters moved. It makes me want to do this so bad! Thanks so much for this new type of review!

[@reyesngerardo]

I would love to hear you talk move about animated tv shows and movies or even comics or manga. In the end of the day products like tablets and computers are just tools to help us be creative so hearing you talk about these things is very refreshing.

[@mcbohdo]

I remember LoL as armies of fighting ants on a computer screen my son was constantly yelling at. That someone used *this* as inspiration for this fantastic animated show is a miracle.

[@ariels.hamilton9033]

I love what u said about the concept art / painting look - I thought the exact same thing ! It reminded me of digital fan art of the game in the best way

[@dbrh404]

Yesss the replication of a real life camera ...kinda ... sorta the camera shake and the blur defocus all that kind of things are the stuffs that I look forward in an animated series especially anime spoiler down there the fight in the shimmer factory was radddd the second one with vi and jayce

[@Bryzerse]

I honestly believe the scene where Viktor is running down the pier with his new leg has some of the best camerawork I've ever seen in animation. I also couldn't agree with the adult themes comment more, it's so boring when people just shove in random "mature" stuff because it's for older audiences, but Arcane handles the darker themes so well and never even comes close to this. I've just finished it but I could already watch the whole thing again.

[@ssrini2002]

Great video, tbh I wasn’t planning to watch any series at all in the near future, let alone a non-anime animated series but I saw this thumbnail like last week or something. Something clicked and for although I wasn’t particularly inclined,I searched up the trailer. I’ve seen some of League’s animated music videos before and they all look great but that alone didn’t compel me to watch this. Something clicked when I saw the trailer, maybe it was the colours I don’t know but there was something drawing me to the show. I watched the first couple of episodes and by then I was hooked. From the third episode on I made sure to watch it only at night on TV with the lights off to get that sweet theatre experience. And boy was it amazing! Frickin masterpiece! Top 3 greatest animated shows of ALL TIME, and this is with anime included!

[@lj3326]

This show is seriously a modern classic. We'll surely be talking about it for years to come, and it and spider-verse are surely going to influence the animation industry going forward with this style of 3d animation. Great breakdown Brad.

[@GoldenRvr]

This topic is the kind of stuff that makes you wanna keep watching you and keep you on my subscription list. Extremely informative and entertaining thank you

[@D_The_Crafter]

seams like a nice video, but there are a lot of glitches in it that makes it kinda annoying to watch.

[@jayrinaldi]

i agree. i had to stop watching it for this.

[@thebradcolbow]

Yeah, just watched it on YT... that's disappointing. I've never captured video like this before and it looked ok (just a bit washed out and grainy) on my end but clearly did not survive processing when uploaded.

[@zgileqend]

@@thebradcolbow I would recommend stop using Premiere Pro and switch to Da Vinci Resolve or Final Cut Adobe's software aren't being that efficient recently and have many bugs

[@naomipurple679]

I listened to it like a podcast and didn't notice till now lol

[@Dilligff]

For me it looked like it was dropping frames and I thought I'd hit some kind of memory limit or the player itself was glitching. But I really enjoyed the content as everytime I watch one of these 'analysis' videos on Arcane I get something new pointed out to me I hadn't caught before. In this case it was the use of color and clarity to establish location and the fact that the 'camera' was never still. In another it was pointed out that they went so far as to 'dirty' the camera lens with dust, blood, mud or water droplets to convey there was an actual camera there.

[@cheralynn4417]

Great review. My husband and I don't usually bother with animated stuff but we started watching this show and the characters, story, and visuals are epic. Please do more of these when you run across stuff that's worthwhile.

[@iCanbEYOURrUKIA]

I never played league of legends, heard of it but knew it was popular. I decided to take a chance on it since the story seemed interesting enough. Wow, was I absolutely BLOWN AWAY! This show is absolutely GORGEOUS, and I was compelled to finish it in one night. Very talented artist, animators, directors, and writers in this show and I can't wait for more!

[@jacobk9510]

Nice work Brad. I’m liking the new take on movie/show reviews

[@wyattcoe8825]

Glad to see you and many others giving Arcane the adoration it deserves!

[@Maksimousse]

Hello Brad, thanks you for this new kind of format. It’s interesting and everything you said is accurate. But you forgot to credit the creator from the French anime studio : Fortiche. They earn to be credited for this amazing job !

[@tubebuz]

Really really really well done 3D animation work with all the right details and the texture work is state of the art.

[@austine6269]

This was my favourite series of last year , also I bet you must really love this tv show Brad surprised to see you talk about it on your channel😅🙌🙌

[@stanyngoteni8254]

You should do more of this. You’re bringing fresh style to the channel. It’s good to diversify by bringing something new but still about drawing and art. I love it.

[@BenFrankarts]

DEFINITELY do more videos like this. I just started the series and it was beautiful and now I understand why. You did an awesome job of breaking down why this style of animation just “works”. Lucasfilm should take note because there’s an entire universe that can be done in this style and I think Star Wars could benefit from it greatly. The Clone Wars’ final season came close, but this blows them away. Good job!

[@Jaseyrae213]

I’ve wanted to repursue art because of this show and have been all over your channel since then, so I love that you know have a video about the show!

[@markgoodchild9842]

I think the art and stylisation are stunning, even the lighting detail was spot on.

[@craigshorey6764]

I enjoyed this as I totally agree, this series is incredible. I would show more videos of art that catches your eye.

[@silviopina_111]

Just went to the TV Academy panel yesterday. Saw this for the first time (I know) and was blown away by it. Thank you for all that great insight, I'm still letting this sink in and will be catching up with the rest of the show. Too bad I won't be able to see them all on a big movie theater screen, like I did yesterday!

[@erwinmeisel2545]

It would be great if an artist like you analyzes what makes good or bad art. I guess we could learn a lot.

[@gorilla-san]

Huh, I watched it but never noticed any of these details. Great breakdown. Thank you! BTW since you're looking into new types of content, just putting it out there, I'd love to see a collab, maybe a drawing, or any art challenge for that matter, with Jazza. Heard of him? I'm sure you guys would have a blast creating something cool together

[@ilama_weeb]

I really enjoy your thoughts and opinion about the series which for me Arcane are the best animated series. I learn somethings from this vid too. Thanks Brad.

[@Isolanporzellator]

I quite enjoyed this take on Arcane and I think it could become a cool format to highlight some of the more technical aspects behind animated series or movies.

[@KrisHesselmark]

I think its a cool way to make content. Its nice to hear you breakdown these things since us "newbies" might not see :D

[@ThomasKrul]

Brad, you're doing such a great job discussing and bringing so much love to the animation field (I used to work in the industry) - your insights here are easily as good as a review of a new drawing tablet! One half-joking and simple answer as to why Arcane was sooo good? It's from France. LOL

[@Muhammed.Yaseen]

Ohh I like this. New variety in content! Keep going Brad!

[@LittleMissSquiggles]

I think you as an artist giving your thoughts on the "art and animation" techniques that you observed in a piece of animated content you watch is terrific. For me, what makes your "review" of Arcane so unique is that you talk about it from an artist perspective. You talk about techniques that you believe the showrunners and their team utilized in the making of their show and as a viewer who loves animation and is also interested in the making of it, that's the kind of input and perspective I'd like to hear. That's actually why I clicked on this video. I always watch your tech for artists content but for me, I was intrigued to hear your thoughts on the animation of Arcane and how it was made from your views. This is a very long winded way of me trying to say that I would love to see you do more videos like this. Reviewing other animated shows or movies that you genuinely like and would like to talk about from an artist/animator's perspective because you want to :D

[@thebradcolbow]

Thanks for the feedback! This is a different video for me so I'm really curious what you folks think 😃

[@daysoframpage]

Absolutely loved this analysis and pretty much agree with what you highlighted. Arcane and Spiderverse really breathed new life into the animation genre. One more feature I'd love to analyzed like this is Klaus.

[@thebradcolbow]

Oh yeah! Klaus was really good too!

[@Amanda-if7ey]

You should definitely check out Riot's animated music videos. Their ability to story tell without words is incredibly impressive, you don't need to know anything about the characters to have a general understanding of what's going on. I highly recommend More, Giants, Pop/Stars, Warriors, Awaken, and The Curse of the Sad Mummy.

[@driftingthrublu3650]

I think you should do more of these! 🌻 It's nice to see a review of some quality work and see a breakdown of what sets it apart from others. Sometimes it helps to have someone point out some good aspects and helps sharpen and hone the eyes for look for these qualities in other works and incorporate them into personal projects. So I enjoyed it, it still fits an artsey review to me = )

[@sadev101]

loved this video. should do more like it in future

[@Charles_Bro-son]

Extraordinary carefully craftet. They've done a hell of a job!

[@itsyaraz]

Awesome review! Agree with everything said. Would love it if you made more like it!

[@MS-uz4ix]

Brad, any idea what software is used to make Arcane? Thank you for the in-depth analysis!

[@foggyforest2625]

It was mostly done with blender At least everything in 3d was done in blender

[@udbhavshrivastava]

@@foggyforest2625 wait is this true !? can I get a source on this please ? That sounds awesome !

[@foggyforest2625]

@@udbhavshrivastava i saw it in behind the scenes

[@udbhavshrivastava]

@@foggyforest2625 woah ! That's so cool !! if possible I would really love the link to the video.

[@ducky4303]

@@udbhavshrivastava kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYncqZSOfNidnLM

[@mmmmmmm2514]

I think what you are doing is great in changing the content and since now there are no devices coming until after two months Can you make a video questions

[@deepmoy]

I really loved your character design course in Udemy.Can you make videos about studying the characters of animated shows (rick and Morty) and animes, like demonslayer , miyazaki animations something like that

[@nicetrayyy]

Loved this video Brad, really interesting to hear your thoughts on the series, and your explanations are fantastic too. I feel like Arcane and Into the Spiderverse have combined traditional and digital mediums in such a beautiful way that they’re gonna influence new animated shows big time.

[@cool24a]

Do more videos like this! Loved it! Arcane is awesome!

[@sakumaFR]

Definitely the eyes, I feel like I could tell how Mel felt when she was at Piltover Bridge with Jayce and Victor.

[@MichaelScherotter]

Great job, Brad - I loved this - and learned a whole lot - keep it up. I love how you were very specific about the techniques used and aspects to look for.

[@danteackroyd551]

On the topic of the dark parts- I've always loved the dark pieces of fiction, but I've also hate fiction that I would describe as "grimdark". And I think the dividing factor between what I like and what I don't is beauty. Some shows are dark and gritty and violent and never let up and never give you a break, even for a second. What I love about arcane is that it showed amazing, asthetic parts of its world, even in the depths of the undercity. This show oozes style and revels in its ability to depict the beauty in its setting.

[@estycki]

When the show was first advertised, I was really excited about it… no one else being creative or appreciating art in my life (family, friends, boyfriend) they just didn’t get it >.< I’m like, am I crazy for being so impressed by this series? Nobody wanted to watch it with me, they were like “I don’t like cartoons” my face was right up to the screen sometimes, pausing and rewinding like whooa

[@sensaishadowninja9717]

Great series I loved this it is epic. Loved hearing you take on why it has made such an impact 🤓

[@Galaxies3000]

Is this video glitching for anyone else??

[@LihimSidhe]

tl;dr: please do more reviews of shows that are digital art in motion (BLAME!, DotA, etc.). HELL BRAD... feel free to do reviews where art is involved at all (manga, comics, anime, etc). I'm here for it! I was hardcore watching your vids right up until I took your advice and bought an iPad 2021 and Procreate. I stopped watching your vids after that because I feel I got the best hardware and software on the market for digital drawing and I just didn't care about what Samsung, Huion, etc were doing since I had the best. After that if it wasn't a vid dealing with software for PC or the iPad... i just wasn't interested. That's not a knock against you but if I feel I own a lambo reviews of a Prius or Ford just don't hold the same luster. I wanted 'one device to rule them all' and I feel I have that. BUT... I still really like your energy, your personality, and your artistic insight. So vids like this... they give me a reason to come to really come back an be a Brad fanboy all over again. I get to see what a digital artist I really respect (you) think about a show that literally looks like concept art come to life. While I wouldn't mind more of a general review, I did absolutely love your artistic insights like use of color, detail, and composition. There's no other reviewer that I know of that has critiqued a show like that AND has your level of authority. Also even though I thought season 1 of The Witcher was okay, I gave up on ep2 of season 2. The season 1 recap SUCKED and I had no idea what was going on.

[@MADWAVE_CGI]

Please do more like this explainer it makes your channel richer 🙂 TO THE 1 MILLION 🙂

[@dyscotopia]

I haven't watched this yet because the property it's based on is repellent... But wow, when I was a kid this was how I imagined computer animation going. Not the pixar/dreamworks CGI look, but allowing artists to create individual frames with all the detail and care you'd put into a single painted masterwork.

[@vsiarv]

We need more videos like this!!

[@MohammedShehab11]

You really need to do more videos like this.

[@hellofellas9896]

I was just gonna watch arcane, great timing and of course great vid!

[@trowawayacc]

There are whole channels out ther about this awsome topic. Off course you can. Animation is magic.

[@thewikiddreamer]

Oh now this is a treat!

[@IronHacker-im4lb]

Please use animation also while using clips like somethings you say are a little bit harder to understand so animation can really help. Anyway enjoyed the video

[@JosBlomsma]

Didn't know the show, thanks for the review. And yes, this is good content.

[@TerraEmperor1]

Absolutely cover more animated stuff. Take it back to the merry melodies cartoons of you can

[@StephenFeehily]

Can see why you felt the need to talk about Arcane outside of your normal content. It has blown me at every turn. Not just the visuals but the depth of the story and characters to go with it. I think about this shown daily, but it seems not too many people are talking about it. Not that I know anyway.

[@yuppymike]

The animation in this show looks very similar to Mitchells vs the Machines. They both look amazing.

[@markbasin3053]

Please do more like this!

[@abhijitmandan7987]

Brad is the best art teachee

[@vanteal]

I can forgive the glitchy video. When something is so good that it brings you out of your comfort zone to try something new, it's all good when you goof.

[@JoshKeatonFan]

Do a video on some of the animated shows and movies from Disney+ like Encanto or some of the shorts they made exclusive for The Simpsons.

[@morpheushg]

Very insightful, do more!

[@ellishawk3242]

could you do a video breaking down the art style of Arcane? it reminded me of the last season of clone wars a lot but obviously there's a lot of small differences that make arcane completely different.

[@mr.lonely947]

Nice video thanks bro

[@ammarsanad5685]

Hey Brad I'm a huge fan of your videos and I got a question .. I bought an iPad Pro just recently and applied a screen protector whenever I draw a 45 degree line slowly it kinda wobbles even with a ruler it's annoying .. is that because of the screen protector?and what is the solution for that .. thank you in advance!

[@SilvioBritto]

amazing animation, impressive

[@SabexTiger]

do more of this videos

[@richarda3764]

Arcane is one of the best shows I've seen in a long time. The beautiful animation and artwork grabbed me initially, then I started noticing just how well done the animation was. As I progressed through the series, the character development and storyline really sucked me in and made me interested in all of the characters. I've enjoyed just being in this world they made so much that I have the show on repeat with me getting through the series 4 times already. I can't wait until they come out with season 2.

[@RonWaller]

This was an amazing animated show. The story was great as well.

[@dbbgba]

Also, scenes are blocked magnificently, there are almost always multiple characters on-screen talking and moving without doing the boring cut/reverse cut that every TV show does. One cut shows more than just one thing, it's almost an art that is getting lost.

[@imshubhajit]

Really dug this video. 👍🏻

[@ericwanner7966]

Look. I’ve been trying to solidify my thoughts regarding your point # 8 for some time. You nailed it. This is exactly how I feel. Though I’ll take it a step further. The mature themes gone wild shows (like GOT) not only distract me from the story, they are deeply disturbing to me. Almost giving me nightmares. It ruins an otherwise great story for me. Done well like Arcane, it would enhance the story IMO. My adult kids think I’m just out of touch. This review probably won’t change that. Thanks though!

[@cuboidgamez7577]

Underrated!

[@kentivan5551]

I like the vid, and its great to explore some content you want

I love the fact that they don't go for ultra real life-like design but for something that is clear that it's been painted. It's like acknowledging that it is in fact animation, everything there has been drawn and painted, they're not flesh&bones people and those are not real life buildings. I'm growing weary of all the ultra-real design in animation.

[@unleashthedog]

Is there some behind the scenes/featurette that confirms no mocap for the animation? I know mocap is always touched up, so it would seem possible to take that as a base and then exaggerate movements? (And could still save time compared to frame animation?)

[@geneticallygamer]

Now i want a series for valorant agents

[@inigogc]

why did you capture your browser video, with the "Picture-in-Picture" overlay? LOL. Just FYI, if you press that and then close it, you never have to see it again. Nice video. Probably gonna start watching it now. Haven't seen it yet, but heard good things.

[@julioasencio501]

Very nice comment’s thanks!

[@stevieb1432]

Very NIce review!

[@notchilli]

I would be happy to see more of this just to break up the tech reviews. And not just good stuff but stuff that you feel has done it a bit wrong maybe?

[@RD-july]

For those who didn't know arcane is a mix between 2D and 3D where the backgrounds are all 2D and all the people and characters and the items they interact with are 3D.

[@kidsworld3129]

great job

[@ahmedelbadry63]

make more videos like this one.. I like it

[@auitynagabhooshanam3460]

That's a great video. I didn't expect it but I love it tho 😍