A Sense of Drama - Frame-by-Frame Stop Motion: The Guide to Non-Traditional Animation Techniques - page 112

Subtle and Broad Performance
Time-lapse filming usually does not include performance, except by the
natural occurrence of an event. So, this single-frame technique is not included
in this subchapter. There can be some subtlety in performance in some of the
downshooting techniques, like sand animation. This more refined movement
can be achieved with small controlled moves in the sand or clay and can
even be attained by the use of dissolves from one frame to the next. Yet, on
the whole, these alternative frame-by-frame techniques are broader and less
refined than other forms of animation, like drawn and computer-generated
animation. These last techniques allow more control, and they are often used
in this way.
Generally, like action on the stage and in early film, broad acting is assigned to
the wide shot. The figures or objects are smaller in the frame (like seeing the
stage from the back of the theater), so the action has to be bold and broad.
Close-ups are usually reserved for the more subtle and refined movements
of an individual or object. In pixilation, these more subtle forms of acting are
more difficult to achieve because of the constant movement of a human that
is caught frame by frame. The constant moving in and out of registration or
exact placement of the person in the frame makes this technique broader
and less subtle. Broad exaggerated expressions help distract the viewer
from the constant vibration even in the close-ups. Using “freeze frames”
is not a solution to the constant vibration of pixilation. This approach kills
the continuity of a pixilated shot and pulls the audience right out of their
suspended reality. You can repeat two or three similar frames to keep the
vibration going although if this is done for too long the viewer can see the
cycle of frames. Extreme control on the subject/actor's part is the only way to
achieve some sort of subtlety in pixilation. It recalls Lindsay Berkebile's term
“chaotic life amongst silence.” Controlled breathing and eye movements along
with rig support for heads and hands help maintain stability and potential
subtlety without breaking the special energy prevalent in pixilation.
There is the potential for more subtlety in object animation and
downshooting, because the objects are inanimate and do not live and breathe
(at least not until they are projected). The subtle or broad approach, style, and
Fig 8.3 image from The Deep .
Courtesy of PES © 2010.