Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
Designing aesthetically pleasing actions
Appeal
,
solid drawing
, and
follow through/overlapping action
are principles that address the aesthetic
design of an action or action sequence. To keep the audience's attention, the animator needs to make
it enjoyable to watch (appeal). In addition, actions should flow into one another (follow through/
overlapping action) to make the entire shot appear to continually evolve instead of looking like dis-
jointed movements. Solid drawing refers to making the character look pliable and not stiff or wooden.
Squash and stretch can also be used in this regard. Secondary actions and timing considerations also
play a role in designing pleasing motion.
Effectively presenting action
Often the animator needs to employ
exaggeration
so a motion cannot be missed or so it makes a point
(Tex Avery is well known for this type of conventional animation).
Anticipation
and
staging
concern
how an action is presented to the audience. Anticipation dictates that an upcoming action is set up so
that the audience knows it (or something) is coming. Staging expands on this notion of presenting an
action so that it is not missed by the audience.
Timing
is also involved in effective presentation to
the extent that an action has to be given the appropriate duration for the intended effect to reach
the audience.
Secondary action
can also be used to create an effective presentation of an action.
Production technique
Straight ahead
versus
pose to pose
concerns how a motion is created. Straight ahead refers to progres-
sing from a starting point and developing the motion continually along the way. Physically based ani-
mation could be considered a form of straight ahead processing. Pose to pose, the typical approach in
conventional animation, refers to identifying key frames and then interpolating the intermediate
frames, an approach the computer is particularly good at.
1.3.2
Principles of filmmaking
Basic principles of filmmaking are worth reviewing in order to get a sense of how effective imagery is
constructed. Several of the basic principles are listed in the following sections, although more complete
references should be consulted by the interested reader (e.g., [
28
]
). Some of the following principals are
guidelines that should be followed when composing a single image; others are options of how to present
the action.
Three-point lighting
There is a standard set of three lights that are used to illuminate the central figure in a scene. These are
the
key light
, the
fill light
, and the
rim light
. The key light is often positioned up and to the side of the
camera, pointing directly at the central figure. This focuses the observer's attention on what is
important. The rim light is positioned behind the central figure and serves to highlight the rim, thus
outlining the figure and making the figure stand out from the background. The fill light is a flood light
typically positioned below the camera that fills the figure with a soft light bringing out other details in
the figure's appearance. See
Figure 1.6
(Color Plate 1) for an example.
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