Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The same action may be presented in hundreds of different ways; each one of
them will present different outcomes offering differing levels of clarity, drama,
and audience interpretation. The key point here is communication.
There is a wonderful shot in Disney's
Hunchback of Notre Dame
(1996) where
the harlequin leads the parade of fools into the square at the front of the
cathedral. There is action everywhere in the scene. Crowds of onlookers are
making merry, waving flags and cheering, while a procession made up of
various characters in their festive costumes all show off to the audience with
their own distinctive movements. While all of this is going on, the harlequin
leads the festival attendees into the square as he performs his song. Over
the top of this background, multicolored pieces of paper gently rain down
on the whole scene. It sounds completely chaotic, but it isn't. It
is
very busy
and it
is
very lively, but because of the way it is staged, the action is very clear.
The audience's attention is drawn to exactly the point where the animators
intended; they see only what the animator wants them to see and in exactly
the manner the animator intends.
The way an action is staged for clarity not only allows the audience to focus on
any given action; it may also offer a nuance in the script, allowing for subtlety
of characterization and relationships—relationships that may shift during
the shot. Any such shift of emphasis throughout a scene is often determined
by the way it is staged and is not at all random. A shot or sequence is usually
planned well before the animation begins through storyboarding and the
use of animatics and character layouts. Each of these tools provides a level
of staging for the action.
Storyboarding,
or blocking out an action within an
individual shot by positioning the characters or objects in a shot along a
timeline, provides a very good indication of what is happening and when, and
more important, what the audience will see. Blocking out the action this way
gives the animator a clear indication of how the action may shift throughout
a shot or a sequence, enabling the animator to make decisions about the
performance before committing to animation. Clear communication is the key
to good staging.
Follow-through and Overlapping Action
In the early days of animation, animators would either move a character or
leave it at rest, regardless of its design or any detail it had. Seldom do we
experience in nature all actions beginning and ending at the same time or
moving at the same rate. Actions of a single figure will generally overlap one
another; the actions begin at different points in time, depending on their
nature and the inertia they possess, and they end at different times, again
depending on their nature. This, logically, is called
overlapping action.
The action of an object made up of a number of parts, often from different
materials or at least of a different nature—the hair on a young woman's
head, a dog's floppy ears, the fabric of a long garment, a sword hanging at a
knight's side—all demonstrate overlapping action and follow-through as the
