Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
a little stretch to the ball on the beginning of the fall, the action of the fall is
enhanced. Squash and stretch may even be used to good effect in animating
objects where no squash and stretch could be possible. A little squash and
stretch may be applied to quite rigid material such as glass or ceramic—
material that would not normally be subject to squash and stretch. If this
is done subtly, it will enhance the action. If it is overdone, which can easily
happen, it will make the material look like rubber and will destroy the illusion.
One of the key things to bear in mind in using squash and stretch is that
although the object may deform in shape, it retains volume. In this regard it
neither grows nor shrinks—it merely changes shape.
When taken to extremes, squash and stretch creates very cartoon-like
animation, which may be very good for comedy effect but is less useful for
naturalistic actions. The master animator Tex Avery regularly used squash and
stretch in his animation to such extreme levels that the movement looked
completely abstract. His almost unique approach to the animation principles
makes his work distinctive and almost instantly recognizable.
Anticipation
Most actions undertaken by most living creatures capable of independent
thought and motion are anticipated in some way or another. Though the
anticipation of a movement often begins as a thought process, sometimes
conscious but on other occasions completely instinctive, it instigates a form of
physical anticipatory movement quite separate from (but not independent of )
the main movement itself. Reflexive movement brought about by unanticipated
external forces such as receiving an electric shock, a physical impact, and steady
pressure from something like a high wind or the ocean's wave action will not
be accompanied by anticipatory actions. The preparation for an action varies
depending upon the nature of the action and may be very slight or rather
extreme. A human figure making a simple upward jump does not simply entail
the upward movement of the figure; it is preceded by a downward movement
by bending the knees in order for the figure to contract muscle and limbs, very
much like a compressed spring. This is done so that the figure can then push
off against the floor, flexing muscle and stretching limbs quickly to create the
jumping action. The movement of an athlete making a jump may be far more
exaggerated in the anticipation of the jump itself because more energy needs
to be expended early to fuel the greatest jump possible.
An anticipated action does not have to be undertaken by the entire body; it
may be limited to a part of the anatomy such as the arms, the legs, the head.
To throw a punch, for example, it is necessary to draw the arm backward,
again rather like compressing a spring, before releasing it with a high level
of energy. A punch may entail the movement of the entire figure, but it
need not. If we consider a fisherman about to cast his line into the river, he
must raise the rod tip over his shoulder and move it backward. This action
will more than likely entail not only the movement of both arms but also a
