animation

1. Cedrick Zabala
Flash Animation Seminar

2.  Timing is, in essence, how
long a given action lasts.
 Physical Timing. Correct
timing makes objects appear
to abide to the laws of
physics. This is represented
by how many frames an
animator assigns to a given
action.

3.  Theatrical Timing. Less technical nature, and
is developed mostly through experience. It
can also be a device to communicate aspects
of a character's personality.

4.  The purpose of which is to give a sense of
weight and flexibility to drawn objects.

6.  This concept relates to how things move.
More appropriately, how living, organic, non-
mechanic things usually move. Arcs of
motion refers to how the source of the action
moves. Mnatural motions move along a
curved path, or an arc, not a straight line.

8.  The basic jist of this principle is that we add
more drawings to the beginning and to the
end of our sequence. In essence, the
animation slowly moves into the arc, and then
slowly leaves.
 If you observe how people move, how actions
are made, you'll begin to witness slow in slow
out in life. It all has to do with inertia and
gravity where it takes more effort to begin or
end a sequence of movements.

10.  Now do ALL things slow in and slow out?
Absolutely not! It's up to you as an animator
to experiment and find out what types of
actions slow in, but don't slow out. Here are a
few examples:
◦ Slow in, but don't slow out
A car driving fast from a distance, but as it passes
you, it whizzes by.
◦ Slow out without slowing in
Someone getting ready to sneeze.

11.  Anticipation is used to
prepare the audience for
an action, and to make
the action appear more
realistic.
 It's the precursor to the
main action. It's like a
visual hint that you give
the viewer to let them
know whets about to
happen.

12.  A dancer jumping off the floor has to bend
his knees first;
 A golfer making a swing has to swing the
club back first.

13.  Its purpose is to direct the audience's
attention, and make it clear what is of
greatest importance in a scene; what is
happening, and what is about to happen.
 This can be done by various means, such as
the placement of a character in the frame, the
use of light and shadow, and the angle and
position of the camera. The essence of this
principle is keeping focus on what is relevant,
and avoiding unnecessary detail.

14.  Readability
 Personality
 Mood

15.  "Straight ahead action" means drawing out a
scene frame by frame from beginning to end.
 It creates a more fluid, dynamic illusion of
movement, and is better for producing
realistic action sequences. On the other hand,
it is hard to maintain proportions, and to
create exact, convincing poses along the way.

16.  “Pose to pose" involves starting with drawing
a few, key frames, and then filling in the
intervals later.
 "Pose to pose" works better for dramatic or
emotional scenes, where composition and
relation to the surroundings are of greater
importance.

17.  "Follow through" means that separate parts of
a body will continue moving after the
character has stopped.
 "Overlapping action" is when a character
changes direction, and parts of the body
continue in the direction he was previously
going.

18.  A secondary action is an action that results
directly from another action. Secondary
actions are important in heightening interest
and adding a realistic complexity to the
animation.

19.  Exaggeration is an effect especially useful for
animation, as perfect imitation of reality can
look static and dull in cartoons. The level of
exaggeration depends on whether one seeks
realism or a particular style, like a caricature
or the style of an artist.
 Other forms of exaggeration can involve the
supernatural or surreal, alterations in the
physical features of a character, or elements
in the storyline itself.

20.  Common
characters in
Japanese modern
visual culture are
characterised by
a more realistic
body and
exaggerated
facial features, in
particular the
large eyes.

21.  The principle of solid — or
good — drawing, really
means that the same
principles apply to an
animator as to an academic
artist.
 The drawer has to
understand the basics of
anatomy, composition,
weight, balance, light and
shadow etc.

22.  Appeal in a cartoon character
corresponds to what would be
called charisma in an actor.
 A character who is appealing
is not necessarily sympathetic
— villains or monsters can
also be appealing — the
important thing is that the
viewer feels the character is
real and interesting.

23.  There are several tricks for making a
character connect better with the audience;
for likable characters a symmetrical or
particularly baby-like face tends to be
effective.

24.  1. Timing
 2. Squash and Stretch
 3. Arcs
 4. Slow-in and Slow-out
 5. Staging
 6. Anticipation
 7. Straight ahead action and pose to pose
 8. Follow Through and Overlapping Action
 9. Secondary action
 10. Exaggeration
 11. Solid drawing
 12. Appeal