Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Do this in a systematic manner, and don't be tempted to skip from one to the
other. We covered these classifications earlier in the text, but it is timely to
discuss them here as well. The following list of the four stages of analysis is
not exhaustive, though it does provide a good working framework for your
analysis:
1. Start by identifying the primary sources of the animation; these are
the parts of the figure that are the driving force behind the motion.
Depending on what the action is, it might be provided by the legs, the
arms, the torso, the head, or a combination of these. Identify whether the
source of primary action shifts throughout an action—for instance, in ris-
ing from a chair, a figure might start with the primary action in the torso,
then shift to include the arms, and then shift again to the legs.
2. Once you have taken note of the primary source of animation, look to
those other movements that assist the action and make the action easier
or more efficient but that are not the driving force behind the movement.
An example is the swinging arms during a walk cycle. They assist with the
movement but are not essential to it.
3. Once you are happy with noting the secondary actions, go on to identify
tertiary actions—the actions that happen simply as a result of the primary
and secondary actions and that play no part in motivating or causing the
overall movement. An example might be the movement of a horse's tail as
it walks. The tail's action is a result of the walking and does not contribute
to the walk.
4. Finally, you should go back to looking at the action overall, trying to assess
how all these different elements fit and work together to create a cohesive
whole.
It is important to understand that all actions do not fall neatly into simple
classifications, nor do they necessarily occur one after another. Actions can
occur as simultaneous actions (a number of different actions occurring at the
same time), combination actions (a number of different actions happening at
the same time to create a single dynamic), or sequential actions (one discrete
action following on from a previous action). However, most movements, even
a very short sequence of movements, involve more than one of these different
classifications of action throughout. The trick to getting a full idea of the
dynamic is close observation. As I have already mentioned many times, this
takes time and it takes practice.
In addition to the other classifications of movement, an action may be
deconstructed and broken down into different phases:
• Preparatory phase
• Execution phase
• Resulting phase
•
Recovery phase
Not all actions demonstrate each of these phases. Furthermore, there is
an additional phase—the return phase—that can occur when a figure moves
