Using the Body - Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance - page 248

Animators can learn from this ebb and l ow, and there is seldom a move that isn't motivated by
some sort of story or relationship. The dance is also about communicating to the audience, not
just for the benei t of the couple. The shapes are clearly structured so an audience can see the
strong limb extensions. At other angles, the impact of the dance would be lost.
It's not a bland, dull dance. Some aspects of tango would be impossible to animate, just because
of the sheer speed, but you will see the dancers letting the strong pose read for just long enough.
I would kill to work on something that could exploit these strong shapes, the dangerous energy
and the exhilaration of such movement. I have danced tango, both in the UK and in Buenos Aires,
where I took the excuse of three visits to sneak in some classes. While the apparent spontaneity of
it terrii es me (the man is improvising from variations, communicating this to his partner through
his hold), as I cannot think that quickly, I respond to the drama and the storytelling.
Sport is another invaluable activity to study. When working the sportsmen may not be
conscious of the shapes they are making, as dancers are, except for gymnasts and the like, but
they will push their bodies into extraordinary extensions and contortions. The act of kicking
a ball needs all manner of coordination in the body and i ne balance, and it's good to see the
lines, especially the diagonal lines made by the body. Gymnasts and divers are just a step
removed from dancers, depending on precision control of their bodies. To see how a body
works and balances, you can't go wrong in freeze-framing a gymnast. This is a perfect way to
study movement. Dancers are great for the shapes and rhythms, but they do try to disguise any
signs of ef ort, making it look easy, whereas sportsmen are all too happy to show that ef ort.
In animation, I have always tried to have absolute clarity in a pose, whether it's a strong
extension or a more closed movement, and some of the guests in this topic have picked up on
that, rather satisfyingly, especially in regard to Next . I'm frustrated by movements that reach
their storytelling pose and ruin it with insui cient frames for it to read, or a pose that is not
clear enough. On stage a while back, I danced a bit of Swan Lake as a pas de deux for one - don't
ask! While not exactly going for the jumps or the spins, I went for the drama, wringing every
ounce of emotion from that sensational music. A ballet teacher in the audience did not exactly
rush to sign me up, but did comment that she had seldom seen 'such open and clear upper
body extensions. I hope that was a compliment, and I was chuf ed. If only I had the agility and
rhythm to go with it … but then that is why I am an animator. Since then, those words have
summed up exactly what I try to do with animation.
Making movement l ow is a huge trick to master, especially as many animators tend to
improvise a shot without totally thinking how the puppet is going to end up. The secret is
to make all the movements relate to each other and to plan the shape of a sequence. A well-
plotted bar sheet or storyboard can help that. If there's music or dialogue in the scene that is
good discipline, but otherwise we need to visualise the structure of the whole sequence.
On the bar sheet or dope sheet, do you draw little stick fi gures to help you
plan the movement in advance, or do you just let the puppet take you with it?
JD - I use bar sheets only for dialogue. In the early days, I sometimes used them when there was diffi cult
sync required between live action and puppet. Gene Warren and George Pal drew little 'animation'
miniatures showing eye actions and so on, but I never did that.