Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Probably every close-up of a puppet is i lmed with nothing to react to, although it always
helps to have a prop, if not an actual puppet, standing in a position to suggest the eyeline
of another character. It's easy to get the eyeline wrong when you are shooting a series of
close-ups from the same angle, and as soon as that happens the whole geography of the
scene collapses. Establishing the geography in a scene is utterly important, and it surprises
me that in even the biggest budget movies, i lm grammar gets sloppy and immediately
disorientates the viewer. In the fragmentary nature of shooting stop motion, when some
consecutive shots are i lmed months apart, it is easy to lose sight of i lm grammar. Every
director prattles on about 'crossing the line, and a detailed description of its mechanics can
often totally confuse people, but the best way to remember about this is to ensure that a
character is looking in the same direction from shot to shot (if in real space that's what they
are doing).
The smoothest cut is if, in the new shot, the character occupies much the same portion of
the frame and is at least looking the same way. Like most things in animation, the more one
shot relates to the other the more l uid the cut. It is essential to use a strong movement to
smooth through a cut, at the same speed. It is tempting, and I'm guilty of this, to treat a shot
as a complete story, and resolve the action in the shot, even if the next shot is sequential. It's
best to start the next action in the previous shot, giving a reason to cut to a dif erent angle.
I ask animators to start the action of the next shot and sometimes have been given just one
frame or two of the next action. This is not substantial enough. Something needs to happen
to draw the eye's attention. A move in one or two frames is just a twitch, but a i ve-frame
move reads.
Every time a shot is cut, there is a momentary jar which sets up a beat, and a series of very
quick shots will give a rapid beat and you end up with a rhythm like a Rossini overture. Long,
sustained shots suggest a Mahler adagio, so where you cut a shot is hugely important to the
pacing of a i lm, and animators who extend shots or cut them short need to be aware of the
musicality and rhythm the director or editor has plotted. The enforced discipline of animating
to music makes me much more focused and creative.
The animator has to have the skills not only of a choreographer, but also of all the dancers. The
animator must be able to move characters around in space, hopefully keeping them all visible
if that's required, or staging it so that the important characters read. Invariably in most scenes,
there is a dominant character that the director needs the audience to focus on. Other characters
busy doing their own thing are distracting. Making a character stand out is not just a matter of
sticking him in the front of the shot. Grouping the other characters in a certain way can make
even a character at the back be important. Colour and lighting can pick out characters. Telling
the viewer where and when to look is the job of the director and the purpose of an editor, and
with close-ups, dif erent angles and camera moves, there's a whole range of tricks. On stage
these tricks are very dif erent, thanks to the sheer joy of the artii ciality of the medium. On i lm
it is rare to see lighting change obviously during a shot. Usually the lighting is set,
and dimming one area and highlighting another in the middle of a naturalistic
scene might destroy the scene's credibility. On stage, lighting is a prime means
of storytelling, and it is very acceptable for a character to be standing alone in a
spotlight. This is the equivalent of a i lm close-up. Lighting has a million ways to
manipulate the audience. Just watch the end of a big joyous musical number on
stage, and see how the lights brighten, urging the audience to burst into applause.
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