Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
back into its initial state before the preparatory phase. This is common among
cyclic actions such as a repeated hammering action.
To fully understand a particular movement, we might find it useful to look
at the action and its various phases rather than try to analyze the overall
movement. There might simply be too much detail to take in all at once. As
we have already seen, there is some value in initially looking at the overall
action to get a feel for what is happening. It will then become useful to break
down the action into a series of separate parts or phases. This exercise will be
beneficial even if these separate parts or phases appear to flow smoothly from
one to the other or if the actions of different elements of a subject happen at
the same time, are staggered, or have different and variable timings. Indeed,
only by splitting up an action in this way will you be able to fully appreciate all
its detail and complexity. As part of this process, identifying the start and end
points of an action is vital.
Preparatory Phase
You may find that the preparatory phase of an action is commonly referred to
in many animation textbooks and by most animators as
anticipation
. In limited
animation or actions using very broad cartoonal animation conventions,
anticipation becomes an important part of reading a sequence. During this
phase the subject generally adopts a posture or position in preparation for the
subsequent action. For a figure to leap, for example, it might be necessary to
bend the knees; to throw a punch, it is necessary to draw the arm backwards
in preparation for the next phase.
Execution Phase
During the execution phase, the subject expends the force so that the action
can take place. The nature of this phase may be fast, extremely powerful, and
dynamic, as in a hammer being brought down onto a nail, or it may be a small,
subtle, and gentle action, as in a surgeon's knife cutting into a patient.
Resulting Phase
The resulting phase may be an extended phase or a rather short phase,
depending on the nature of the action. The extension of the arm at the
extremity of a throw may be momentary before the figure begins to recover
from the action or the throw. In jumping, the resulting phase would be part
of the action during which the figure lands, the feet make contact with the
ground, and the knees are compressed.
Recovery Phase
During the recovery phase the figure, having completed the main part of the
action through preparation, execution, and resulting phases, moves into a
more stable and balanced posture.
Let's take a look at these different phases and how they apply to a specific action.
In this case we will look at a figure jumping from a standing-at-rest position. We
may consider the action here in two distinct parts: taking off and landing.
