Principals of Animation
Animation – 12 Basic Principles Of Animation
0The Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas introduced a set of principles of animation called as the 12 basic principles of animation, in their 1981 book called as “The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation”. Johnston and Thomas based their book on the work of the leading Disney animators since 1930 onwards. It focuses on the production of more realistic animations. The main aim of the principles was the production of an illusion of characters that adheres to the basic laws of Physics, however they also dealt with more abstract issues such as emotional timing and character appeal.
The book and its principles are generally adopted everywhere in the industry and it is referred to as the "Bible of the industry". This book is also voted as the "best animation books of all time" according to an online poll. These principles are intended to apply for conventional hand-drawn animation and they also have great relevance in today’s widespread computer animation.
Squash and stretch – The most important principle of animation is the "squash and stretch" principle whose purpose is to give a sense of weight as well as flexibility for drawing objects. It can also be applied to simple objects such as bouncing ball or more complex constructions such as the musculature of a human face. If it is taken to an extreme point, then a figure stretched or squashed to an exaggerated degree results in a comical effect. In regards to the realistic animation, the most important aspect of this principle is that a volume of the object does not change when squashed or stretched. In case the length of a ball is stretched vertically, then its width as well as depth in three dimensions is correspondingly contracted horizontally.
Anticipation – Anticipation is basically used for the preparation of the audience for an action, and to make it appear more realistic. For example, a dancer has to bend his knees first prior to jumping off the floor. This technique is also used for less physical actions like character looking off-screen for anticipating the arrival of someone or focusing the attention on an object that a character wants to pick up. In case of special effect, the anticipation is also omitted in expected cases. The resulting sense of anticlimax will led to the generation of surprise in the viewer, and adds comedy to a scene. It is called as a surprise gag.
12 Basics Principles Of Animation – Arcs, Secondary Action And Timing
0Arcs – This principle states that most of the human and animal actions usually occur in line of arched trajectory, and the animation should be able to reproduce these movements for achieving greater realism. It can apply to a movement of limb by rotating a joint, or a throwing object which is moving along a parabolic trajectory. The exception to this principle is a mechanical movement that typically moves in the straight lines.
Secondary action – This principle of adding secondary actions to the main action offers more life to a scene and it supports the main action. For example, if a person is walking, he can simultaneously keep his arms in the pockets or swing his arms. Also, a person can speak or he can express emotions via facial expressions. The main intention of using the secondary actions is that they emphasize the main action. In case, the secondary actions are diverting the attention away from main action then they should be left out. In the case dramatic movement that includes the facial expressions, these expressions go unnoticed. In such cases it should be included in the beginning and the end of the movement instead of using them in between.
Timing – The principle of Timing in reality talks about two different concepts including physical timing and theatrical timing. Both the timings are essential to bring about the physical realism and the storytelling of the animation. In case of a purely physical level, the correct timing allows the objects to abide by the laws of physics. For example, the weight of an object decides how it reacts to the force. The Theatrical timing is usually developed through the experience and showcase less technical nature. It can also be pure comic timing or it is applied for conveying deep emotions. It is also used for communicating the aspects of a character’s personality.
12 Basic Principles Of Animation – Exaggeration, Solid Drawing And Appeal
0Exaggeration – Exaggeration refers to an effect that is especially useful for the animation. It is used as perfect simulation of reality that can look static and dull in cartoons. The level of exaggeration relies on whether one can get realism or a particular style such as a caricature or the artist’s style. Disney has explained the classical definition of exaggeration as to remain true to reality and showcasing it in a wilder and more extreme form. The other form of exaggeration includes the changes in the physical features of a character. It also refers to the changes in the elements within the storyline. While using the exaggeration, it is important to exercise a certain level of restraint. The care should be taken in the way different elements are exaggerated in relation to each other for striking balance between them and avoiding the confusing for the viewer.
Solid drawing – The principle of solid drawing implies that the principles applied to an academic artist hold true to the animator as well. The drawing artists is required to understand the basics of anatomy, balance, composition, light, weight, and shadow etc. In case of the classical animator, it involves taking art classes as well as doing sketches from life. In particular, Johnston and Thomas cautioned against the creation of "twins" characters whose left and right sides mirrored each other completely and hence they looked lifeless. In theory, Modern-day computer animators are not required to draw at all and yet their work gets benefitted to great extent from the basic understanding of these principles.
Appeal – This principle of appeal in a cartoon character reflects the charisma in an actor. A character that is appealing is not required to be sympathetic. The important thing to highlight here is to project the character as real and interesting to the viewers. There are various tricks for making a character gets connected better with the audience. The baby face and cute characters instantly strikes chord with the audience.
12 Basic Principles Of Animation – “Staging” And “Straight Ahead Action And Pose To Pose”
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Staging – This principle is similar to the staging in theatre and films. It is intended to attract the audience’s attention, and highlight the importance in a specific scene such as what is happening in the scene and what will happen next. As per the views of Johnston and Thomas, the staging is a presentation of any idea which makes it completely clear without any mistake or doubt. It may involve an action, a personality, or even an expression. The staging is achieved by various ways such as by placing the character in the frame, by using the light and shadow, and by manipulating the angle and position of the camera. The basic idea of staging is to keep focus on only the relevant, and avoid the unnecessary details.
Straight ahead action and pose to pose – This principle involves the two varied approaches to the actual drawing process. "Straight ahead action" implies the drawing out a scene on the frame by frame basis from starting to end. On other hand, "pose to pose" involves the drawing a few, key frames in the beginning, and then filling it in the intervals afterwards."Straight ahead action" results in a more fluid and dynamic illusion of movement which is better for creating realistic action sequences. However, it is challenging to maintain the proportions, and create exact and convincing poses along the way. "Pose to pose" function well for dramatic or emotional scenes, where the composition and relation to the surroundings assumes greater importance. The combination of the two techniques is used frequently.
Computer animation eradicates the issues of proportion that are related to "straight ahead action" drawing. However, “pose to pose" is used for computer animation, as it offers the advantages in composition. The use of computers makes it easy to use this method because computers can automatically fill in the lost sequences between the poses.
12 Basic Principles Of Animation – “Follow Through And Overlapping Action” And “Slow In And Slow Out”
0Follow through and overlapping action – These techniques are closely related to each other and assist in the render movement to make it more realistic. It led to the impression that characters are following the laws of physics. "Follow through" implies that different parts of a body are in continuous motion even after the character has stopped. "Overlapping action" refers to the tendency for body parts to move at varying rates. For example, an arm will move at different time than the movement of the head. A third technique is called as "drag", that causes character to move and its parts take up few frames for catching up. These parts include inanimate objects such as clothing or the antenna on a car. It may also include the parts of the body like arms or hair.
Thomas and Johnston formulated the principle of the "moving hold" that implies that if a character is not moving then it can be rendered absolutely still. It is done specifically to draw attention of the audience to the main scene. However, Thomas and Johnston did not encourage its usage as it leads to a dull and lifeless result. Those characters who are sitting still can also display some movement, like the torso moving in and out along with the breathing.
Slow in and slow out – The movement of the human body and many other objects requires time for acceleration and slowing down. Therefore, an animation appears more realistic in case it comprises of more number of frames near the start and end of a movement with few frames in the middle. This principle applies to the characters that are moving between the two extreme poses like sitting down and standing up. It is also true for inanimate, moving objects, such as bouncing ball.
12 Basic Principles of Animation
0The Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas introduced a set of principles of animation called as the 12 basic principles of animation, in their 1981 book called as “The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation”. Johnston and Thomas based their book on the work of the leading Disney animators since 1930 onwards. It focuses on the production of more realistic animations. The main aim of the principles was the production of an illusion of characters that adheres to the basic laws of Physics, however they also dealt with more abstract issues such as emotional timing and character appeal.
The book and its principles are generally adopted everywhere in the industry and it is referred to as the “Bible of the industry”. This book is also voted as the “best animation books of all time” according to an online poll. These principles are intended to apply for conventional hand-drawn animation and they also have great relevance in today’s widespread computer animation.
Squash and stretch – The most important principle of animation is the “squash and stretch” principle whose purpose is to give a sense of weight as well as flexibility for drawing objects. It can also be applied to simple objects such as bouncing ball or more complex constructions such as the musculature of a human face. If it is taken to an extreme point, then a figure stretched or squashed to an exaggerated degree results in a comical effect. In regards to the realistic animation, the most important aspect of this principle is that a volume of the object does not change when squashed or stretched. In case the length of a ball is stretched vertically, then its width as well as depth in three dimensions is correspondingly contracted horizontally.
Anticipation – Anticipation is basically used for the preparation of the audience for an action, and to make it appear more realistic. For example, a dancer has to bend his knees first prior to jumping off the floor. This technique is also used for less physical actions like character looking off-screen for anticipating the arrival of someone or focusing the attention on an object that a character wants to pick up. In case of special effect, the anticipation is also omitted in expected cases. The resulting sense of anticlimax will led to the generation of surprise in the viewer, and adds comedy to a scene. It is called as a surprise gag.
Arcs, Secondary action and Timing
0Arcs – This principle states that most of the human and animal actions usually occur in line of arched trajectory, and the animation should be able to reproduce these movements for achieving greater realism. It can apply to a movement of limb by rotating a joint, or a throwing object which is moving along a parabolic trajectory. The exception to this principle is a mechanical movement that typically moves in the straight lines.
Secondary action – This principle of adding secondary actions to the main action offers more life to a scene and it supports the main action. For example, if a person is walking, he can simultaneously keep his arms in the pockets or swing his arms. Also, a person can speak or he can express emotions via facial expressions. The main intention of using the secondary actions is that they emphasize the main action. In case, the secondary actions are diverting the attention away from main action then they should be left out. In the case dramatic movement that includes the facial expressions, these expressions go unnoticed. In such cases it should be included in the beginning and the end of the movement instead of using them in between.
Timing – The principle of Timing in reality talks about two different concepts including physical timing and theatrical timing. Both the timings are essential to bring about the physical realism and the storytelling of the animation. In case of a purely physical level, the correct timing allows the objects to abide by the laws of physics. For example, the weight of an object decides how it reacts to the force. The Theatrical timing is usually developed through the experience and showcase less technical nature. It can also be pure comic timing or it is applied for conveying deep emotions. It is also used for communicating the aspects of a character’s personality.
Exaggeration, Solid drawing and Appeal
0Exaggeration – Exaggeration refers to an effect that is especially useful for the animation. It is used as perfect simulation of reality that can look static and dull in cartoons. The level of exaggeration relies on whether one can get realism or a particular style such as a caricature or the artist’s style. Disney has explained the classical definition of exaggeration as to remain true to reality and showcasing it in a wilder and more extreme form. The other form of exaggeration includes the changes in the physical features of a character. It also refers to the changes in the elements within the storyline. While using the exaggeration, it is important to exercise a certain level of restraint. The care should be taken in the way different elements are exaggerated in relation to each other for striking balance between them and avoiding the confusing for the viewer.
Solid drawing – The principle of solid drawing implies that the principles applied to an academic artist hold true to the animator as well. The drawing artists is required to understand the basics of anatomy, balance, composition, light, weight, and shadow etc. In case of the classical animator, it involves taking art classes as well as doing sketches from life. In particular, Johnston and Thomas cautioned against the creation of “twins” characters whose left and right sides mirrored each other completely and hence they looked lifeless. In theory, Modern-day computer animators are not required to draw at all and yet their work gets benefitted to great extent from the basic understanding of these principles.
Appeal – This principle of appeal in a cartoon character reflects the charisma in an actor. A character that is appealing is not required to be sympathetic. The important thing to highlight here is to project the character as real and interesting to the viewers. There are various tricks for making a character gets connected better with the audience. The baby face and cute characters instantly strikes chord with the audience.
“Staging” and “Straight ahead action and pose to pose”
0Staging – This principle is similar to the staging in theatre and films. It is intended to attract the audience’s attention, and highlight the importance in a specific scene such as what is happening in the scene and what will happen next. As per the views of Johnston and Thomas, the staging is a presentation of any idea which makes it completely clear without any mistake or doubt. It may involve an action, a personality, or even an expression. The staging is achieved by various ways such as by placing the character in the frame, by using the light and shadow, and by manipulating the angle and position of the camera. The basic idea of staging is to keep focus on only the relevant, and avoid the unnecessary details.
Straight ahead action and pose to pose – This principle involves the two varied approaches to the actual drawing process. “Straight ahead action” implies the drawing out a scene on the frame by frame basis from starting to end. On other hand, “pose to pose” involves the drawing a few, key frames in the beginning, and then filling it in the intervals afterwards.”Straight ahead action” results in a more fluid and dynamic illusion of movement which is better for creating realistic action sequences. However, it is challenging to maintain the proportions, and create exact and convincing poses along the way. “Pose to pose” function well for dramatic or emotional scenes, where the composition and relation to the surroundings assumes greater importance. The combination of the two techniques is used frequently.
Computer animation eradicates the issues of proportion that are related to “straight ahead action” drawing. However, “pose to pose” is used for computer animation, as it offers the advantages in composition. The use of computers makes it easy to use this method because computers can automatically fill in the lost sequences between the poses.
“Follow through and overlapping action” and “Slow in and slow out”
0Follow through and overlapping action – These techniques are closely related to each other and assist in the render movement to make it more realistic. It led to the impression that characters are following the laws of physics. “Follow through” implies that different parts of a body are in continuous motion even after the character has stopped. “Overlapping action” refers to the tendency for body parts to move at varying rates. For example, an arm will move at different time than the movement of the head. A third technique is called as “drag”, that causes character to move and its parts take up few frames for catching up. These parts include inanimate objects such as clothing or the antenna on a car. It may also include the parts of the body like arms or hair.
Thomas and Johnston formulated the principle of the “moving hold” that implies that if a character is not moving then it can be rendered absolutely still. It is done specifically to draw attention of the audience to the main scene. However, Thomas and Johnston did not encourage its usage as it leads to a dull and lifeless result. Those characters who are sitting still can also display some movement, like the torso moving in and out along with the breathing.
Slow in and slow out – The movement of the human body and many other objects requires time for acceleration and slowing down. Therefore, an animation appears more realistic in case it comprises of more number of frames near the start and end of a movement with few frames in the middle. This principle applies to the characters that are moving between the two extreme poses like sitting down and standing up. It is also true for inanimate, moving objects, such as bouncing ball.