Production - Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance - page 284

Would some form of movement notation, like Benesch, help? Is musicality
necessary? Do you think like a choreographer?
JD - I can't read music, but I'm very aware of rhythm. I stop myself from listening to music because I get
ideas for short fi lms (which I know I won't be able to do) and it hurts. Yes, I'm very aware of key poses.
TB - Yes, I'm musically aware, having grown up with and studied music formally. I can't help being
aware of rhythm. The key pose is the heart of the performance. If you study live actors, their movements
breaks down into key poses. The application is the same for animation.
KD - Music is such an important tool for the fi lm that I become slightly obsessed with what it I want it
to say. If you have someone who you can work with then it's fun when they compose and you can get
stuck in.
RC - I appreciate music and the timing in an acting performance. I do thumbnails and frame numbers …
that's my notation. I try to work towards the pose in order to make the statement needed. Without that, it
could be easy to miss the mark, or drift in terms of timing and performance … much like a computer will
do if you give it too many frames and too few keys.
DC - Yes!
AW - I don't read music, but I feel rhythm. I'm always aware of the shape in the camera.
SB - Rhythm is one of my weaker points, but I think strong positions and shapes are very important.
RH - I'm very musical, although I don't play a musical instrument now (I used to play piano).
I understand music, though, and have a strong sense of rhythm and timing. When animating I'm always
thinking of key positions. I consider negative shapes as well as positive ones, and the silhouettes of the
characters in the camera.
JC - Animation uses rhythms, even when there is no music. Poses held play as important a part as the
action. I've some musical training but don't use a prescribed notation technique. It's useful to have
musical beats marked out and, when there is dialogue, notes on the dope sheets that indicate which
words are emphasised and the pitch of the dialogue. I feel you must always be aware of the puppets'
position in relation to the camera.
Series
I would encourage every animator to work on a series. There is no better training and discipline.
Students come out of college l ush with success from a i rst i lm, hoping that the
next step is directing their own bigger i lm. It can happen, but the reality is usually
working for someone else's studio. This can be hard, relentless work, and not
always artistically satisfying, but you learn the craft. Working on a tightly scheduled
series teaches you about focus. You instantly get to know how that puppet should
perform. You learn do the bare minimum to get the most across. This economy is
no bad thing. Animators love to move things, but that doesn't mean that things