Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
7. Try to identify the various phases of the action, such as the preparatory
phase, the execution phase, the resulting phase, the recovery phase
(see the following for a fuller example). Depending on the nature of the
action, not all of these phases may apply.
8. If necessary, start to view the detail of a
specific
action frame by frame,
shuttling backward and forward to reveal all the detail.
9. Now begin to compare the different states and positions of the various
parts of the figure at a given moment. When one foot makes contact with
the ground, for instance, notice what the other feet are doing.
10. Go through these separate stages of analysis for each of the actions:
primary, secondary, and tertiary.
11. Finally, view the footage again in real time, this time observing how each
of the three categories of action (primary, secondary, and tertiary) work
together to create the entire movement.
Analysis of Timing
Timing gives meaning to motion. In animation, timing is everything, and
without controlled motion through timing we are left with movement that
is little more than simple activity—objects moving through space and time
without any indication of purpose. Timing provides the
illusion
of speed,
weight, and balance—and ultimately character and personality.
So, how do we go about making an analysis of motion? To start with, we need
to understand the importance of being able to discern the subtle differences
in timing. This is fundamental to the development of animation skills. As
animators we need to develop a highly evolved appreciation of timing, rather
like a photographer has a highly developed appreciation of light. Animators
use timing as a raw material the way painters use paint or masons use stone
and fashion designers use fabrics. Time is the raw material for animation, and
the basic unit of time is the
frame
. The great animator Norman McLaren knew
full well the importance of the frame. He said:
Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of move-
ments that are drawn; what happens between each frame is much more
important than what exists on each frame. Animation is therefore the art
of manipulating the invisible interstices that lie between the frames.
The analysis of timing takes practice and it takes patience, and it can be learned
through a systematic approach. When students first begin to study animation,
they tend to make things move in a rather crude manner, and they find it very
difficult to analyze the action they have created. Many of them find it very
difficult to discern between footage that they themselves have shot on one, two,
or three frames and are generally amazed when these variations are pointed
out to them. Within a matter of two or three weeks of practicing animation—
and more important, analyzing their animation—they too are capable of
undertaking subtle analysis of timing and recognizing errors of a single frame in
a sequence.
