Cartoon Animation 9781560100843, 1560100842

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Chapter 1 - Chapitre 1: Introduction

Chapitre 1 : ÉLABORATION des PERSONNAGES I t can be an excit ing experience t o creat e and develop an original cart oon charact er. Const ruct ing and developing a charact er is not m erely a m at t er of drawing t he figure, each charact er also has it s own shape, personalit y, feat ures, and m annerism s. The anim at or has t o t ake t hese qualit ies int o considerat ion t o m ake t he charact ers seem lifelike and believable. For exam ple, t here are various personalit y t ypes such as " goofy," " cut e," and " screwball" . Think about t he t ype of charact er you wish t o design, t hen use t he diagram s and guides shown in t his chapt er t o begin your drawing. When creat ing a charact er, you should begin by drawing rough " idea" sket ches. These will give you a direct ion for t he t ype and nat ure of t he charact er you wish t o creat e. Develop t he basic shape of t he figure, t hen add t he feat ures and ot her det ails.

This procedure should be followed whet her t he charact er you are developing is a hum an, an anim al, or an inanim at e obj ect you wish t o bring t o life ( for exam ple, drawing a face on a com put er and m aking it dance) . Aft er you have developed t he charact er and t he proport ions arc t o your liking, develop t he m ovem ent expressions of t he body, head, and hands. Hands can t ell a com plet e st ory wit h j ust a sim ple pose. St udy and pract ice drawing t he hands shown on page 28, t hen creat e som e hand posit ions of your own. Also, t he " line of act ion" sect ion is a big help in creat ing at t it udes in post ure and m ovem ent . This chapt er is t he st art ing point t o a world of excit ing cart oon anim at ion.

Chapter 1 - Page 10

CARTOON CONSTRUCTION PROPORTI ON I S ONE OF THE MOST I MPORTANT FACTORS TO CONSI DER WHEN CONSTRUCTI NG A CARTOON CHARACTER. THE ANI MATOR MUST KEEP I N MI ND THE RELATI VE SI ZES OF THE BODY PARTS, BECAUSE SPECI FI C PROPORTI ONS ARE USED TO CREATE CHARACTER TYPES. FOR EXAMPLE, THE HEAVY, PUGNACI OUS CHARACTER HAS A SMALL HEAD, LARGE CHEST OR BODY AREA, HEAVY ARMS AND LEGS, AND THE JAW AND CHI N NORMALLY PROTRUDE, THE CUTE CHARACTER I S BASED ON THE PROPORTI ONS OF A BABY WI TH A LARGE HEAD I N PROPORTI ON TO THE OVAL BODY, A HI GH FOREHEAD, AND A SMALL MOUTH/ EYE/ CHI N AREA, " SCREWBALL" TYPES HAVE EXAGGERATED PARTS AND FEATURES ( DETAI LED I NFORMATI ON ON CHARACTER TYPES BEGI NS ON PAGE 32) .

CARTOON STUDI OS OFTEN USE HEAD SI ZE TO MEASURE THE HEI GHT OF A CHARACTER - FOR I NSTANCE, A CUTE BEAR MAY BE THREE HEADS HI GH, AND A PUGNACI OUS BEAR MI GHT BE FI VE OR SI X HEADS HI GH. THI S I NFORMATI ON HELPS THE ANI MATOR TO KEEP THE PROPORTI ONS AND HEI GHT OF A CHARACTER CONSI TENT. STUDY THE CHARACTERS ON THI S PAGE, AND MEASURE EACH ONE I N " HEADS." WHEN ANI MATI NG, YOU´ LL ALSO FI ND I T HELPFUL TO MAKE A REFERENCE DRAWI NG OF THE CHARACTER ON A SEPARATE PI ECE OF PAPER. THI S WAY, THE ANI MATOR CAN REFER TO THE PROPORTI ON GUI DELI NES WHEN DRAWI NG THE CHARACTER I N DI FFERENT POSES AND ACTI ONS.

THE PROPER USE OF CARTOON PROPORTI ONS MAKES A CHARACTER, SO ANALYZE THE PROPORTI ONS OF YOUR ANI MATED ACTOR BEFORE HE OR SHE GOES ON STAGE- UP ON THE SCREEN.

STANCE ( SOLI D MASSES) - DRAW A " LI NE OF ACTI ON" THROUGH THE THREE- DI MENSI ONAL PARTS TO ORGANI ZE AND SET THE ATTI TUDE OR ACTI ON. CONSTRUCT YOUR DRAWI NG AS I F YOU WERE FI TTI NG TOGETHER THE PARTS OF A PUPPET AT THE JOI NTS ACCORDI NG TO A CHARACTER FORMULA. THUS YOUR CHARACTER BECOMES BELI EVABLE , AND HE ACTS, THE AUDI ENCE EMOTI ONALLY RESPONDS.

Chapter 1 - Page 12

BODY BUILT FROM CIRCULAR AND ROUNDED FORMS THE ANI MATED CARTOON CHARACTER I S BASED ON THE CI RCULAR, ROUNDED FORM. I N A CARTOON STUDI O SEVERAL PEOPLE MAY WORK ON THE SAME DRAWI NG AND THE ROUNDED FORM I S USED BECAUSE OF I TS SI MPLI CI TY - I T MAKES ANI MATI ON EASI ER. ALSO, CI RCULAR FORMS " FOLLOW THROUGH" BETTER ON THE SCREEN.

Chapter 1 - Page 14

MORE CIRCULAR AND ROUNDED FORMS THE PARTS OF THE CHARACTER FI T TOGETHER AT SOCKET POI NTS. THESE EXAMPLES DEMONSTRATE THE EFFECTI VENESS OF COMBI NI NG CI RCULAR AND ROUNDED FORMS. THE ROUNDED, PEAR- SHAPED BODI ES SUPPORT THE CI RCULAR HEADS AND ADD I NTEREST TO THE OVERALL CHARACTER.

THE SKELETON FOUNDATION BUI LD THE CARTOON FROM A ROUGH SKELETON, BUT DON´ T EXPECT TO ALWAYS GET THE SKELETON RI GHT ON THE FI RST TRY - NOBODY CAN DO THAT! EXPERI MENT… DI SCARD... MAKE SEVERAL DRAWI NGS, THEN PI CK THE BEST ONE. BE SURE TO WORK LOOSELY WHEN CONSTRUCTI NG THE CHARACTER.

WORK OUT A SKELETON, CONSTRUCT BODY MASSES AROUND I T, AND THEN BUI LD DETAI L OVER THE MASSES.

Chapter 1 - Page 18

CONSTRUCTION OF THE HEAD THI NK OF THE HEAD AS A ROUNPED MASS: I T I S EI THER BALL- SHAPED, PEAR- SHAPED OR EGG- SHAPED. I N ANI MATI ON THE HEAD SHAPE MAY CHANGE PERSPECTI VE AND FORM MANY TI MES DURI NG A SCENE. TO SI MPLI FY MATTERS, A FRAMEWORK I N PROPER PERSPECTI VE MUST BE DRAWN FI RST, THEN THE DETAI LS ARE CONSTRUCTED OVER THI S FORM.

1/ THI S CHARACTER STARTS WI TH A BALL SHAPE. 2/ DRAW AN ELLI PTI CAL GUI DELI NE AROUND THE FI RST SHAPE THAT WI LL DI VI DE THE FACE I N THE MI DDLE LENGTHWI SE. THI S DETERMI NES THE TI LT OF THE HEAD. 3/ DRAW THE EYE GUI DELI NE AT RI GHT ANGLES TO THE SECOND CI RCLE. THI S SETS THE FACE UP OR DOWN. 4/ THE BASE OF THE EYES AND THE TOP OF THE NOSE TI E I NTO THE EYE LI NE. THE PERSPECTI VE MAKES THE LEFT EYE BI GGER THAN THE RI GHT EYE. 5/ NOW THE DETAI LS ARE DRAWN OVER THE FRAMEWORK.

START WI TH AN EGG SHAPE DRAW GUI DELI NES AROUND I T, AND THEN DRAW THE FACE. TURN THE EGG I N VARI OUS POSI TI ONS A ND DRAW THE SAME FACE. ANI MATI ON PRESENTS THE SAME CHALLENGE!

ADD A FEW DETAI LS AND DRAW THESE HEADS I N EVERY POSI TI ON USI NG THE EGG AS A GUI DE. CARTOON STUDI OS OFTEN MAKE SMALL CLAY MODELS TO HELP THE ANI MATOR DRAW DI FFI CULT CHARACTERS FROM DI FFERENT ANGLES.

Chapter 1 - Page 19

EGGHEAD MODEL METHOD

THE EGG I S THE BASI S OF A GREAT MANY CARTOON HEADS. DRAW AN EGG LI KE THI S AND STUDY I T FROM ALL ANGLES. ADD DETAI LS AND DESI GN SOME ORI GI NAL HEADS OF YOUR OWN. WATCH THE PERSPECTI VE CHANGE AS YOU TI P OR TI LT THE EGG MODEL. FOLLOWI NG THE CENTER AND MI DDLE GUI DE- LI NES WI LL HELP YOU CONSTRUCT HEADS.

Chapter 1 - Page 22

MORE HEAD CONSTRUCTION ALL ANI MATED CARTOON CHARACTERS CAN BE REDUCED TO A BASI C FORMULA. THI S FORMULA MAKES THEM EASI ER TO MASTER AND ENSURES UNI FORMI TY THROUGHOUT A FI LM, EVEN I F SEVERAL DI FFERENT ARTI STS WORK ON THE SAME CHARACTER.

/ / / /

DRAW AN OVAL WI TH PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES. ADD NOSE CONSTRUCTI ON, MAKE SURE I T FI TS SOLI DLY. NOW DRAW OVALS FOR THE EYES. BE AWARE OF THE PERSPECTI VE WHEN CONSTRUCTI NG THE REMAI NI NG DETAI LS.

STUDY THI S BASI C FORMULA, THEN DRAW THE DOG I N DI FFERENT POSI TI ONS. ASSEMBLE THESE HEADS AS THOUGH THEY WERE S0LI D AND HI NGED TOGETHER.

Chapter 1 - Page 24

FACIAL EXPRESSIONS THE JOB OF AN ANI MATOR I S THE SAME AS THE JOB OF AN ACTOR I N LI VE ACTI ON PI CTURES. BOTH SHOULD BE MASTERS OF PORTRAYI NG EMOTI ONS. STUDYI NG YOUR OWN GRI MACES I N A MI RROR I S A MUST. PI CK A CHARACTER YOU KNOW AND GO THROUGH THE EXPRESSI ONS WI TH HI M, AS I HAVE HERE WI TH THI S LI TTLE PUP.

Chapter 1 - Page 26

STRETCH AND SQUASH ON HEADS A CARTOON HEAD CAN BE STRETCHED OR SQUASHED TO STRENGTHEN AN EXPRESSI ON.

NOTI CE THAT THE OVAL CONTAI NI NG THE EYES DOES NOT CHANGE MUCH, BUT THE MOUTH AREA VARI ES GREATLY. SMALL DETAI LS REACT ALONG WI TH THE LARGER FORM I N WHI CH THEY ARE CONTAI NED. THE WI DE VARI ETY OF EXPRESSI ONS SHOWN HERE I S THE RESULT OF STRETCHI NG AND SQUASHI NG SELECTED AREAS OF THE FACE. NOTI CE THAT THE EYES REFLECT THE EXPRESS1ON OF EACH STRETCH AND SQUASH.

Chapter 1 - Page 28

HANDS CARTOON HANDS ARE TRI CKY TO DRAW, STUDY THE HANDS SHOWN BELOW. THE FI NGERS SHOULD BE PLACED UNEVENLY TO PREVENT A MONOTONOUS QUALI TY.

TO DRAW THE HAND, BEGI N AS I F I T WERE A MI TTEN ( A & B) , THEN ADD THE TWO MI DDLE FI NGERS BY FOLLOWI NG THI S SHAPE ( C) . NOW PUT I N THE LI TTLE FI NGER, VARYI NG I TS POSI TI ON TO PREVENT MONOTONY ( D) . I T I S ALSO A GOOD I DEA TO EXAGGERATE THE BASE OF THE THUMB.

Chapter 1 - Page 30

MORE HANDS

DRAW YOUR OWN HANDS ( SI MPLI FI ED) FROM A MI RROR. THI S WAY THEY APPEAR AS THEY DO I N A DRAWI NG.

Chapter 1 - Page 32

THE CUTE CHARACTER

Chapter 1 - Page 34

THE CUTE KITTEN 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

DEVELOP THE KI TTEN´ S BODY WI TH A CI RCLE AND AN OVAL. ADD PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES. PLACE THE EYES AND THE NOSE. BUI LD THE EARS AND THE LEGS. ADD THE DETAI LS TO COMPLETE THE KI TTEN.

NOTI CE THE LARGE PAWS THAT ADD TO THE CUTE LOOK.

THE MORE COMPLEX THE POSE. THE MORE STEPS I T TAKES TO DEVELOP.

Chapter 1 - Page 36

CUTE PUP BEGI N WI TH A BASI C CONSTRUCTI ON OF CI RCLES AND OVALS. THEN DRAW PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES TO PLACE THE FEATURES.

NOTI CE THAT THE TONGUE ACCENTUATES THE HAPPY EXPRESSI ON OF THE MOUTH, AND THE CHEEKS OVERLAP THE EYES, ACCENTI NG THE EXPRESSI ON. A SI DEWAYS GLANCE LI KE THI S I S A " CUTE" EXPRESSI ON.

Chapter 1 - Page 38

GOOSE GANDER THESE ARE THE PROGRESSI VE STEPS THAT ARE TAKEN BY AN ANI MATOR TO CONSTRUCT AND DRAW A CARTOON CHARACTER.

1 . DRAW A " LI NE OF ACTI ON" TO ESTABLI SH THE GENERAL STANCE OF THE FI GURE. 2 . ADD ROUNDED MASSES FOR THE HEAD AND THE BODY. 3 . DRAW PERSPECTI VE LI NES AROUND THESE MASSES TO ESTABLI SH THE FRONT, SI DE, AND TI LT OF THE BODY AND HEAD. 4 . CONSTRUCT THE ARMS, LEGS, AND EYES ON ( OR " ANCHORED TO" ) THEI R PROPER PLACES ON THE PERSPECTI VE LI NES. 5 . FI T OR " HI NGE" THE DETAI LS I NTO THEI R POSI TI ONS. 6 . CLEAN UP THE CHARACTER AROUND THE CONSTRUCTI ON LI NES.

Chapter 1 - Page 40

ROWDY RABBIT DRAW ROWDY RABBI T FROM EVERY ANGLE. USE PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES TO ASSEMBLE THE SOLI D PARTS. WHEN CONSTRUCTI NG AN ANI MATED CHARACTER, VI SUALI ZE I T AS A THREE- DI MENSI ONAL PUPPET THAT YOU ARE JOI NI NG TOGETHER WI TH SOLI D MASSES. BUI LD " PUPPET PARTS" WHEN CONSTRUCTI NG A CHARACTER FOR ANI MATI ON.

EACH PART HAS A DEFI NI TE PLACE ACCORDI NG TO THE FORMULA. THE PARTS JOI N ACCORDI NG TO A FORMULA PLAN.

Chapter 1 - Page 42

LITTLE WOLF-HUNTER PIG

1 . DRAW A LI NE OF ACTI ON, AND THEN BUI LD THE OVAL BODY AND THE ROUND HEAD OVER I T. 2 . ADD PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES AND PLACE THE EYES. 3 . SET THE SHOULDER, ARM, HAND, AND EAR SOCKETS. DRAW THE NOSE. 4 . NOW BUI LD THE FEATURES - EARS, CHEEKS, MOUTH, ETC. FI T ON THE COAT AND THE GUN. 5 . USE AN ANI MATI ON BOARD TO MAKE A " CLEANUP" DRAWI NG BY PLACI NG A CLEAN PI ECE OF PAPER OVER STEP 4 AND TRACI NG.

Chapter 1 - Page 44

CUTE RABBIT ANI MATORS USUALLY DRAW WI TH A SCRI PTO PENCI L WI TH A NO. 2 LEAD. THEN A KNEADED ERASER I S LI GHTLY RUBBED OVER THE ENTI RE DRAWI NG TO PREPARE FOR A " CLEANUP" OR REVI SI ON DRAWI NG.

1 . DRAW A CI RCLE FOR THE HEAD AND A PEAR SHAPE FOR THE BODY. 2 . ADD PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES AROUND THE HEAD. 3 . THE EYES ARE PLACED ABOVE THE HORI ZONTAL GUI DELI NE. THE NOSE STARTS WHERE THE GUI DELI NES CROSS. 4 . ADD THE CHEEKS, AND FI T THE ARMS ON THE TOP OF THE BODY. 5 . DRAW THE EARS, EYES, MOUTH, AND LEGS. 6 . FI NI SH THE DETAI LS, AND THEN ERASE THE CONSTRUCTI ON GUI DELI NES.

Chapter 1 - Page 46

SQUIRRELS

HERE ARE ACTI ON I DEAS FOR DRAWI NG A SQUI RRELS WHI CH I S DEVELOPED USI NG ROUNDED AND CI RCULAR FORMS. LI KE OTHER CUTE CHARACTERS ( SEE PAGE 32) , THE HEAD I S LARGE I N RELATI ON TO THE BODY. THE TWO FRONT TEETH ARE I MPORTANT AND ADD EXPRESSI ON TO THI S CHARACTER.

THI S SQUI RREL CHARACTER CAN BE CHANGED TO A MOUSE, RABBI T, OR CHI PMUNK BY SI MPLY CHANGI NG THE TAI L, EARS, AND FEET.

Chapter 1 - Page 48

MORE CUTE CHARACTERS

Chapter 1 - Page 50

THE SCEWBALL TYPE I N THI S FORMULA YOU WI LL RECOGNI ZE SOME FEATURES THAT ALL THESE COCKY WI SE GUYS HAVE I N COMMON.

THE ANTI CS OF THESE LOONY CHARACTERS HAVE BEEN SOME OF THE FUNNI EST ON THE SCREEN.

Chapter 1 - Page 51

GOOFY CHARACTER HERE I S THE BASI C FORMULA FOR GOOFY TYPES THAT ACT LI KE A " SI MPLE SI MON" CLODHOPPER:

TRY USI NG THESE POI NTS TO DESI GN A CHARACTER OF YOUR OWN.

Chapter 1 - Page 52

THE HEAVY, PUGNACIOUS CHARACTER

STUDY THE FORMULA ( UPPER ABOVE) FOR THESE BAD BOYS. I T ALSO APPLI ES TO FOUR- LEGGED TYPES, SUCH AS THE BEAR ABOVE AND THE BULLDOG SAI LOR ON PAGE 72.

Chapter 1 - Page 54

MORE ANIMAL CHARACTERS THI S PAGE CONTAI NS A VARI ETY OF ANI MAL CHARACTERS WI TH DI FFERENT EXPRESSI ONS. THE CONSTRUCTI ON METHODS I NCLUDE THE USE OF SKELETAL FORMS I N COMBI NATI ON WI TH ROUNDED AND CI RCULAR FORMS.

THE FACI AL EXPRESSI ONS AND BODY ATTI TUDES MUST COMPLEMENT ONE ANOTHER.

NOTI CE THAT SOME OF THESE FORMS ARE SQUASHED WHI LE OTHERS ARE STRETCHED TO DEVELOP THE PERSONALI TY.

Chapter 1 - Page 58

MUSICAL WOLF LI FE I S JUST ONE WI LD CARTOON " TAKE" ( SEE PAGE 148) OR VI OLENT REACTI ON AFTER ANOTHER FOR THI S MUSI CI AN.

- ROUGH I N THE BASI C CONSTRUCTI ON - FI T ON THE DETAI LS CAREFULLY. ANYTHI NG CAN HAPPEN WHEN WOLF SEES A PRETTY GI RL…

- CONTI NUE BUI LDI NG THE WOLF. - CLEAN UP FROM CONSTRUCTI ON.

Chapter 1 - Page 60

WOLF HEADS PRACTI CE DRAWI NG THESE WOLF HEADS, THEY WI LL HELP YOU TO DRAW MANY OTHER TYPES OF HEADS WI TH VARI OUS EXPRESSI ONS.

AN ANI MATOR MUST BE ABLE TO DRAW FROM ALL ANGLES. LOOK AT YOUR OWN FACI AL EXPRESSI ONS I N A MI RROR FOR A GUI DE ...

... OR STUDY OTHER EXPRESSI ONS I N THI S BOOK.

Chapter 1 - Page 62

LIONS AND TIGERS HERE ARE SUGGESTI ONS FOR FUNNY LI ON AND TI GER CHARACTERS.

Chapter 1 - Page 64

BIRDS

THE NATURAL SHAPE OF A BI RD´ S WI NG CAN BE CHANGED TO A MODI FI ED ( OF SUGGESTED) ARM AND HAND FOR CERTAI N ACTI ONS, THEN CHANGED BACK TO THE NATURAL SHAPE.

Chapter 1 - Page 66

OWLS

HERE ARE SOME ROUGH SKETCHES OF AN OWL TO SHOW YOU HOW I TS WI NGS CAN BE HANDLED. THEY CAN BE STRAI GHT OR THEY CAN TAKE ON THE CHARACTERI STI CS OF A HAND WI TH THE FEATHERS AS FI NGERS.

Chapter 1 - Page 68

MORE BIRDS NOTI CE THE HEAD SI ZES.

THESE CHARACTERS DI FFER GREATLY I N PERSONALI TY AND SHAPE DUE TO THEI R PROPORTI ONS. NOTI CE THE DI FFERENCES I N BEAKS, LEGS, NECKS, AND WI NG SI ZES. FOR EXAMPLE, THE BABY CHI CK HAS NO NECK ( THE HEAD SHAPE OVERLAPS THE BODY SHAPE) , WHI LE THE OSTRI CH´ S NECK I S EXAGGERATED. ALL OF THE CHARACTERS ON THESE TWO PAGES HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED USI NG THE CI RCLE AND ROUNDED FORM METHOD. DI FFERENT SHAPES CAN SUGGEST DI FFERENT PERSONALI TI ES: CUTE, GOOFY, PUGNACI OUS, ETC.

Chapter 1 - Page 70

THE BELLIGERANT BULLDOG SPI KE THE BULLDOG HAS A BARREL- LI KE CHEST, SMALL BOTTOM, HEAVY ARMS AND LEGS, NO NECK, PI GEON FRONT TOES, AND BOWED LEGS.

USE CONSTRUCTI ON GUI DELI NES TO HELP YOU DRAW THI S BULLDOG I N SEVERAL DI FFERENT POSES AND ACTI ON VI EWS.

MAKE A REPEAT CYCLE OF BULLOOG RUNNI NG USI NG THE DRAWI NG AT RI GHT FOR POSI TI ON ONE. SEE " GALLOP" I N " MOVEMENTS OF THE FOUR- LEGGED FI GURE" ON PAGE 102 FOR A GUI DE.

Chapter 1 - Page 72

BULLDOG SAILOR

THE BULLDOG HAS A DOUBLE JAW WI TH JOWLS. DRAW THE CI RCULAR FORMS FI RST, AND THEN DETERMI NE THE PERSPECTI VE LI NES TO BUI LD THE HEAD AND ASSEMBLE THE BODY. I N ANI MATI ON THE BULLDOG JOWLS FLOP AROUND LI KE COATTAI LS I N AN OVERLAPPI NG SECONDARY ACTI ON ( SEE CHAPTER 3) . THAT I S A VALUABLE TECHNI QUE FOR KEEPI NG POSES ALI VE.

BUI LD THE HEAD STEP- BY- STEP. CONTI NUE DEVELOPI NG THE CHARACTER AS SHOWN.

ANIMATION FORMULA FI T THE CLOTHI NG TO THE BODY BY USI NG PERSPECTI VE GUI DELI NES.

USI NG THI S FORMULA, YOU CAN DRAW THE CHARACTER I N ANY POSI TI ON AND LEARN TO BE AN ANI MATOR.

Chapter 1 - Page 74

FORESHORTENING - PERSPECTIVE

PERSPECTI VE GI VES ANI MATED DRAWI NGS THE DI MENSI ON OF DEPTH BY USI NG VANI SHI NG POI NTS ( VPs) ON A DI STANT HORI ZON LI NE AND FORESHORTENI NG ( WHEN AN OBJECT SEEMS TO COME TOWARD THE VI EWER) . THE HORI ZON LI NE RELATES TO THE VI EWER´ S EYE LEVEL. I F THE VANOI SHI NG POI NTS HAVE BEEN POSI TI ONED TOO CLOSE TOGETHER, THE DRAWI NG WI LL APPEAR DI STORTED. EXPERI MENT WI TH YOUR SUBJECT TO FI ND A COMFORTABLE POSI TON FOR THE VPs. DRAW A BOX I N PERSPECTI VE, AND THEN CONSTRUCT A CHARACTER WI THI N THE FRAMEWORK. ALSO, STUDY THE REVOLVI NG CYLI NDER ABOVE. NOTI CE THE RELATI ONSHI P TO THE ARMS AND LEGS. THE DRAWI NGS ON THI S PAGE ARE BASED ON TWO- POI NT PERSPECTI VE. THE VERTI CAL LI NES OF THE BOX ARE PARALLEL, AND THE HORI ZONTAL LI NES ARE PROJECTED FROM THE VPs, AS SHOWN AT UPPER LEFT. FOR CHARACTERS OF GREAT HEI GHT, A THI RD VP WOULD BE ADDED, AND THE VERTI CALS WOULD CONVERGE AT THE THI RD VP. THI S THREE- POI NT PERSPECTI VE I S USED TO EMPHASI ZE HEI GHT BY LOWERI NG THE HORI ZON LI NE ( EYE LEVEL) , AS I F THE VI EWER I S LOOKI NG UP. THUS, THE DRAMA OF ANI MATI ON I S HEI GHTENED. A GI ANT I S MORE FRI GHTENI NG FROM A WORM´ S- EYE VI EW. FORESHORTENI NG I S USED WHEN THE OBJECT I S NOT PARALLEL TO THE PI CTURE PLANE. NOTE THE HANDS, LEGS, AND ARMS OF THE MUSI CI ANS TO THE LEFT.

LEARN TO DRAW HANDS FROM EVERY ANGLE. AT THE LEFT I S A FORMULA FOR A HAND. A BOX SHAPE HI NGES FROM THE WRI ST UP OF, DOWN, THE ARM TURNS I T AROUND, AND THE BALL BASE OF THE THUMB FI TS ON. THI S THUMB BASE I S ACCENTED I N CARTOONS. NOTI CE THAT THE SHORT, STRAI GHT LI NES I N ALL OF THESE DRAWI NGS HELP DEFI NE THE PERSPECTI VE. PERSPECTI VE CAN CREATE A NORMAL THI RD DI MENSI ONS OF, I T CAN BE DI STORTED FOR DRAMATI C DEPTH, HEI GHT, OR FORESHORTENI NG.

Chapter 1 - Page 76

GNOMES

GNOMES ARE USUALLY HAPPY BUT SHY CHARACTERS.

I T I S BEST TO DEVELOP THESE LI TTLE FELLOWS WI TH ROUNDED FORMS.

Chapter 1 - Page 78

ELVES

Chapter 1 - Page 79

DWARFS

A MOTLEY CREW OF LI TTLE MEN ASSEMBLES TO PLAY NI NEPI NS ON AN ANI MATI ON LAYOUT DRAWI NG ( I N PENCI L) .

Chapter 1 - Page 80

WICKED WITCH

PERSONALI TY CAN BE PROJECTED THROUGH HAND EXPRESSI ON - YOU DON´ T NEED TO SEE THE WI TCH´ S FACE TO KNOW THAT SHE I S " WI CKED."

Chapter 1 - Page 82

KIDS

KI DS COME I N ALL SHAPES AND SI ZES. YOUNG CHI LDREN HAVE LARGE HEADS AND SHORT LEGS, AND THEI R DOVES ARE SLI GHTLY PEAR- SHAPED WI TH A PROTRUDI NG TUMMY ( LI KE " THE CUTE CHARACTER" , SEE PAGE 32).

AS KI DS GROW OLDER, THE PROPORTI ONS CHANGE, THEY ARE MORE LANKY AND AWKWARD LOOKI NG. THE HEAD FOR THI S TYPE REMAI NS A BI T LARGE.

Chapter 1 - Page 84

THE YOUNG HEROINE THE PROPORTI ONS OF THI S CHARACTER ARE DI FFERENT THAN THOSE OF THE CHI LDREN ON THE PREVI OUS PAGES. USE THE CHART BELOW AS A GUI DE TO DRAW THI S YOUNG GI RL. THE CHART SHOWS THE FULL FI GURE PROPORTI ONS BASED ON A HEI GHT OF FI VE HEAD LENGTHS. THE LEGS ARE HALF OF THE HEI GHT ( 21/ 2 HEADS) , THE WAI ST I S TWO HEADS FROM THE TOP. AND THE ARMS AND HANDS ARE A LI TTLE OVER TWO HEADS LONG. USE TH I S SCALE TO DRAW THE YOUNG GI RL ACCURATELY I N ANY POSI TI ON.

FI RST DO THE ROUGH CONSTRUCTI ON DRAWI NGS.

FACI AL FEATURES MOVE WI TH THE HEAD: UP AND DOWN AND SI DEWAYS. THE POSI TI ON AND ANGLE OF THE EYES CHANGE WI TH THE HEAD MOVEMENT, THEY MUST BE DRAWN TO LOOK I N THE DI RECTI ON SPECI FI ED BY THE HEAD POSI TI ON. HERE THE CHANGE I S FROM A 3/ 4 FRONT VI EW TO A 3/ 4 BACK VI EW WHERE THE EYES APE NOT SEEN AT ALL. USE THE RULES OF PERSPECTI VE AND FORESHORTENI NG TO ACCOMPLI SH THESE TRANSI TI ONS ACCURATELY ( SEE PAGE 7 4 ) . MODEL SHEET DRAWI NGS, LI KE THE ONES ON THI S PAGE, ARE I SSUED TO THE ANI MATOR AS A GUI DE WHEN HE OR SHE PI CKS UP THE SCENE FROM THE DI RECTOR.

DRAW THE BASI C FI GURE BY USI NG THE CHART FROM ABOVE. THEN DRAW THE CLOTHES OVER THE FI GURE.

YOU WOULD SEE THESE DRAWI NGS ON THE SCREEN FOR TWO FRAMES - OR 1/ 12 OF A SECOND ( SEE PAGE 196).

Chapter 2 - Introduction

Chapter 2 : CHARACTER MOVEMENT Once t he charact er has been developed, t he anim at or m ust consider t he t ypes of act ions t hat are appropriat e for it . A charact er´ s basic design should cont ain a sense of m ovem ent t o convey a m essage t o t he viewer about t he charact er´ s act ions and int ended act ions. One way t o accom plish t his is t o use t he " line of act ion" t hat is t he basis for rhyt hm , sim plicit y, and direct ness.

This chapt er includes rhyt hm chart s for creat ing m ovem ent s of bot h hum ans and anim als. These chart s dem onst rat e t hat not only m ust t he head, legs, arm s, and hands m ove in proper relat ion t o one anot her, but also t he body m ass m ust follow. The exercises on page 100 t hat dem onst rat e t he m ovem ent s of a m an diving int o a pool and of a bouncing ball are excellent exam ples of accurat e follow- t hrough. Movem ent s wit hin t he figure such as " squashing" , " t wist ing" , and " st ret ching" are only a few of t he m ovem ent s st udied in t his chapt er. An anim at ion cycle is a series of drawings t hat t ake a charact er t hrough a com plet e m ovem ent ( for inst ance, a walking st ep) . Com plet e cycles for cont inuous anim at ed m ovem ent and t he differences in body at t it udes for such m ovem ent s as running, walking, dancing, posing, and m uch m ore are also included. Anot her subj ect int roduced in t his chapt er is adapt ing a charact er t o a background. This subj ect is covered in det ail in t he " Technical" chapt er, but t his int roduct ion is an excellent st epping- st one t o t he m ore com plex inst ruct ions.

By following t he inst ruct ions in t his chapt er, you can m ake any charact er- person, anim al, or inanim at e obj ect com e t o life t hrough anim at ed m ovem ent . I t is excit ing and great fun t o do.

Chapter 2 - Page 90

LINE OF ACTION AN I MAGI NARY LI NE EXTENDI NG THROUGH THE MAI N ACTI ON OF THE FI GURE I S THE " LI NE OF ACTI ON." PLAN YOUR FI GURE AND I TS DETAI LS TO ACCENTUATE THI S LI NE. BY DOI NG SO, YOU WI LL STRENGTHEN THE DRAMATI C EFFECT. THE FI RST TO DRAW WHEN CONSTRUCTI NG A FI GURE I S THE LI NE OF ACTI ON.

[ left ] WRONG ! THE LI NES OF ACTI ON DO NOT FI T. [ right ] CORRECT! THE LI NES OF ACTI ONFI T AND ARE ACCENTUATED.

STUDY THESE DRAWI NGS I N WHI CH I ´ VE I NDI CATED THE LI NE OF ACTI ON.

Chapter 2 - Page 92

LINE OF ACTION IN ANIMATION THE LI NE OF ACTI ON I S THE BASI S FOR RHYTHM SI MPLI CI TY, AND DI RECTNESS I N ANI MATI ON. START YOUR ANI MATI ON WI TH A LI NE OF ACTI ON. THEN DRAW THE SKELETON AND THE DETAI LS.

( dow n loa d lon g im a ge )

FI NALLY ... ANI MATE ALL THE DETAI LS.

Chapter 2 - Page 94

RHYTHM AND DESIGN IN CARTOON ART RHYTHM AND DESI GN ARE THE SECRET FORMULAS BEHI ND THE APPEAL AND CHARM OF GREAT CARTOON AFT. ARTI STS HAVE I NSTI NCTS THAT TELL THEM THESE THI NGS. THE FOLLOWI NG ABSTRACTACT DESI GN BASI S SHOULD HELP YOU.

THE BASI C " S" CURVE OF RHYTHM AND THE OPPOSI NG ARCS ( SECOND FROM LEFT) HAVE GREAT VALUE FOR YOUR DRAWI NGS. LEARN THEI R VALUES, SUCH AS THE " VALUE OF A STRAI GHT LI NE." MANY DRAWI NGS FAI L WI THOUT I T.

REPETI TI ON OF LI NES I N DI FFERENT PARTS OF THE CARTOON ADDS CONTRAST TO OPPOSI NG LI NES. THE LI N E OF ACTI ON I S THE SWEEP OF BASI C FORMS FROM THE LEGS THROUGH THE HEAD. WEAVE THESE FORMS TOGETHER TO CREATE RHYTHM AND MOVEMENT. CON TRAST OF LI NES ENHANCES THE DESI GN. VERTI CALS, DI AGONALS, AND HORI ZONTALS WI TH ANGLES CONTRAST AND OPPOSE RHYTHM CURVES AND ARCS. GEOMETRI C SHAPES SHOULD BE I N SHARP CONTRAST FOR DESI GN AND CHARACTER DEFI NI TI ON.

Chapter 2 - Page 96

MOVEMENT OF BODY MASSES HERE ARE SOME SI MPLI FI ED FI GURES I N ACTI ON TO SHOW YOU THE TWI ST AND TURN AND THE VARI ATI ON OF PERSPECTI VE I N THE MAI N BODY MASSES. BUI LDI NG THE FI GURE I N SOLI DS MAKES ANI MATI ON EASI ER TO " FEEL OUT."

Chapter 2 - Page 98

MOVEMENTS OF THE TWO-LEGGED FIGURE A COMPLETE CYCLE FOR A TWO- LEGGED WALK I S TWO STEPS. DRAWI NGS ARE MADE OF THE KEY POSI TI ONS OF THE STEPPI NG ACTI ON UNTI L THE NEXT DRAWI NG WOULD BE A REPEAT OF THE FI RST. THE DRAWI NGS CAN BE USED OVER AND OVER AGAI N TO MAKE THE CHARACTER WALK AS FAR OR AS LONG AS DESI RED.

FOR A HALF- CYCLE, HALF OF THE ACTI ON ( ONE STEP) CAN BE DRAWN, AND THEN THE HANDS, ARMS. LEGS, AND FEET CAN BE SWI TCHED FROM SI DE TO SI DE, ESSENTI ALLY CREATI NG A COMPLETE ACTI ON WI THOUT REDRAWI NG ALL OF THE BODY AND HEAD POSI TI ONS.

Chapter 2 - Page 100

THE BASIC BOUNCING BALL ACTION

THE BALL FOLLOWS A DEFI NI TE PATH OF ACTI ON. STU DY THE SPACI NG OF THE BALL ALONG THI S PATH. NOTI CE THE SI MI LARI TY OF THE BALL ACTI ON TO THE HOP AND JUMP BELOW.

NOTI CE THAT A, C, AND E HERE ARE LI KE 5, 7, 12, AND 14 ON THE BALL ABOVE WHEN THE CHARACTER STRETCHES. B I S LI KE THE RECOI L ON 6 AND 13 AND D I S LI KE THE NORMAL 2, 10, AND 17.

HERE THE ARMS ARE FLUNG UP SUDDENLY TO CREATE MOMENTUM HELPI NG THE JUMP.

Chapter 2 - Page 102

MOVEMENTS OF THE FOUR-LEGGED FIGURE HERE I S A COMPARI SON OF THE MAI N CYCLES OF FOUR- LEGGED MOVEMENT. SOME OF THEM ARE COMPLETE OTHERS ARE HALF- CYCLES ( YOU CAN DRAW THEM ON THE OPPOSI TE FEET FOR THE REST OF THE CYCLE) . STUDY THE DI FFERENCES I N THE EXAMPLES. THE WALK, TROT SNEAK, STRUT AND TI PTOE ARE HALF- CYCLES. THE GALLOP, CANTER, AND SNI FF ARE COMPLETE CYCLES.

I N- BETWEEN DRAWI NGS ARE MADE BETWEEN THE KEY DRAWI NGS AS TRANSI TI ONS TO CREATE A SMOOTH MOVEMENT OF THE FI GURE. YOU MUST DRAW ENOUGH I N- BETWEENS TO MAKE THE ACTI ON SMOOTH FOR THE SPECI FI C SPEED OF THE ACTI ON AND THE TI MI NG I N FI LMI NG.

FRONT AND REAR VIEWS OF FIGURE MOVEMENTS ALL ACTI ONS TAKE ON DI FFERENT CHARACTERI STI CS. HERE I S A WALK AND RUN FROM THE FRONT AND REAR VI EWS. ANI MATI NG FROM THESE ANGLES I S LI KE WATCHI NG A FOOTBALL GAME FROM THE END ZONE. STUDY THE ACTI ONS BELOW, THEN USE THEM AS A GUI DE TO ANI MATE SOME OF THE CHARACTERS SHOWN I N

Chapter 2 - Page 106

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WALK AND RUN

ABOVE ARE THE CONTACT DRAWI NGS FROM ( A) THE WALK, ( B) THE RUN, AND ( C) THE FAST RUN. THE CONTACT DRAWI NG I S THE DRAWI NG I N WHI CH THE FOOT, AFTER BEI NG LI FTED, STRI KES THE GROUND. I N THE LAYOUT OF A RUN OR A WALK FOR ANI MATI ON, I T I S USUALLY THESE CONTACT DRAWI NGS THAT ARE DETERMI NED FI RST. THEY SET THE SPEED AND THE SI ZE OF THE CHARACTER. THE REST OF THE ACTI ON I S THEN BUI LT AROUND THEM. MORE THAN ANY OTHER SI NGLE FACTOR, THE POSI TI ON OF THE BACK FOOT ON THE CONTACT DRAWI NG DETERMI NES THE SPEED. NOTI CE THAT ON STEP A THE BACK FOOT I S STI LL TOUCHI NG THE GROUND. ON STEP B THE BACK FOOT HAS LEFT THE GROUND. ON STEP C THE POSI TI ON OF THE BACK FOOT I S EVEN HI GHER. ON THE WALK, THE FRONT FOOT I S STRETCHED OUT AND THE BODY I S UPRI GHT, DENOTI NG SLOW SPEED. ON THE RUN, THE BODY LEANS FORWARD AND THE FRONT FOOT I S FARTHER BACK. ON THE FAST RUN, THE BOPY LEANS FAR FORWARD, DENOTI NG SPEED, AND THE FRONT FOOT I S BACK UNDER THE BODY. THE ARMS SWI NG CONVERSELY WI TH THE LEGS. THE LEFT ARM SWI NGS WI TH THE RI GHT LEG AND VI CE VERSA. THE ARMS SWI NG MORE VI OLENTLY I N THE RUN, BUT I N THE FAST RUN THE SWI NG OF THE ARMS WOULD BE TOO VI OLENT, THEY ARE MORE EFFECTI VE WHEN HELD STRAI GHT OUT I N A REACHI NG POSI TI ON.

COMPARE THE ACTI ON OF THE WALK WI TH THE RUN. I N THE WALK THE ARMS AND LEGS ARE STRETCHED OUT THE FARTHEST I N THE CONTACT DRAWI NG, HOWEVER, I N THE RUN THE STRETCH COMES WHEN THE FI GURE I S I N MI DAI R AT THE HI GH POI NT OF THE ACTI ON.

Chapter 2 - Page 107/108

THE WALK & THE RUN ( dow n loa d la r ge im a ge )

THE WALK 1. LEFT FOOT CONTACTS THE GROUND. 2. SI NKS I NTO RECOI L POSI TI ON. 3. RI GHT FOOT LI FTS. STARTS COMI NG THROUGH FOR STEP. 4. HI GH POI NT I N STEP, RI GHT FOOT RAI SED. 5. RI GHT LEG STI FFENS I NTO CONTACT POSI TI ON. 6. RECOI L POSI TI ON, LEG BENDS. 7. RABBI T RI SES AS LEFT LEG LI FTS. 8. HI GH POSI TI ON, # 1 FOLLOWS THI S. ( dow n loa d la r ge im a ge )

THE RUN 1. RI GHT FOOT DOWN I N CONTACT POSI TI ON. 2. RI GHT FOOT TAKES WEI GHT OF BODY. 3. RI GHT FOOT PUSHES BODY OFF. 4. BODY AT HI GHEST POI NT I N RUN. 5. LEFT FOOT REACHES FOR GROUND. 6. RECOI L WI TH RI GHT FOOT COMI NG THROUGH. 7. LEFT FOOT STRETCHES FOR RECOI L. 8. ARMS AND LEGS STRETCH. # 1 FOLLOWS THI S.

Chapter 2 - Page 109

THE FAST RUN ( dow n loa d la r ge im a ge )

WHEN ANI MATI NG THE FAST RUN, TRY NOT TO HAVE TWO ACTI ON DRAWI NGS I N THE SAME SI LHOUETTE POSI TI ON WI THI N ONE OR TWO FRAMES ( EXPOSURES) . THI S WOULD MAKE THE ACTI ON APPEAR MONOTONOUS AND MI GHT EVEN CREATE A FALSE I LLUSI ON AND A DI FFERENT EFFECT THAN THE ONE YOU ARE TRYI NG TO ACHI EVE ( FOR EXAMPLE, THE WAGON WHEELS I N OLD WESTERN MOVI ES THAT APPEAR TO BE GOI NG BACKWARDS. I N THE WALK AND THE RUN THERE ARE ENOUGH DRAWI NGS BETWEEN SI MI LAR SI LHOUETTE POSI TI ONS - STEPS 1 AND 5 AT LEFT- SO THERE I S NO PROBLEM. BUT THAT I S NOT THE CASE WI TH THI S FOUR- DRAWI NG CYCLE OF A FAST RUN. NOTI CE THAT ALL FOOT ACTI ON DRAWI NGS ARE VARI ED: STEP 3 I S DI FFERENT THAN STEP 1 AND STEP 2 I S DI FFERENT THAN STEP 4. THERE I S A SI NGLE CI RCULAR ACTI ON ON THE HEAD AND BODY I NSTEAD OF A DOUBLE CI RCULAR ACTI ON AS I N THE WALK AND RUN. NOTI CE HOW THE SPEED LI NES AROUND THE FEET HELP I LLUSTRATE THE FAST ACTI ON. THE CROSSES ABOVE AND BELOW THE DRAWI NGS REPRESENT A FI XED POI NT ON THE SCREEN. THEY ENSURE THE PROPER POSI TI ONI NG OF THE FI GURE. I F YOU TRACE THESE REPEATS, BE SURE THE CROSSES COI NCI DE.

Chapter 2 - Page 110

THE SNEAK THESE ARE THE KEY DRAWI NGS I N A 64- DRAWI NGS SNEAK CYCLE. THE MI SSI NG NUMBERS ARE I NBETWEENS. DRAWI NG 1 FOLLOWS DRAWI NG 64. WHEN TRACI NG, BE SURE THE CROSSES ABOVE AND BELOW THE CHARACTER COI NCI DE. THE SNEAK I S A WALK I N WHI CH THE RECOI L ( AFTER THE FOOT CONTACTS THE GROUND I S EXAGGERATED AND THE SPEED OF THE FOOT COMI NG DOWN I NTO THE CONTACT POSI TI ON I S SLOWED. THI S CREATES THE I LLUSI ON OF STEALTH - THAT THE FEET ARE CAREFULLY PLACED TO PREVENT NOI SE AND EVADE DETECTI ON.

NOT ALL SNEAKS ARE AS VI OLENT AS THI S ONE, BUT THEY ARE BASED ON THE SAME PRI NCI PLE. THI S I S A SLOW SNEAK, FEWER I N- BETWEENS WI LL SPEED I T UP.

Chapter 2 - Page 112

THE SKIP HERE ARE THE EXTREMES OF A 24- DRAWI NG SKI P CYCLE. THE MI SSI NG DRAWI NGS ARE I N- BETWEENS ( DRAWI NGS SPACED EVENLY BETWEEN THE EXTREMES) . THE EXCEPTI ONS ARE STEPS 12 AND 24. NOTI CE THE CHARTS ( CALLOUTS AND NUMBERS) EXPLAI NI NG THE UNEVEN SPACI NG ON THESE DRAWI NGS. I NSTEAD OF BEI NG SPACED EVENLY BETWEEN STEPS 11 AND 13, I S 1/ 3 OF THE WAY ( CLOSER TO 11) , THE SAME THI NG HAPPENS WI TH 24, WHI CH I S 1/ 3 OF THE WAY BETWEEN STEPS 23 AND 1. DRAWI NG 24 COMPLETES THE CYCLE.

THE BODY AND THE HANDS I N THE SKI P ARE THE SAME AS I N THE RUN. THE DI FFERENCE I S I N THE ACTI ON OF THE FOOT THAT PUSHES THE BODY OFF THE GROUND AND THEN RAI SES I N AN ARC AND CONTACTS THE GROUND FI RST. THE CROSS MARKS ABOVE AND BELOW EACH DRAWI NG ARE REGI STRATI ON MARKS. TRACE EACH DRAWI NG ON A SEPARATE SHEET OF PAPER- MAKI NG SURE THE CROSSES OVERLAP THEN FLI P THE DRAWI NGS AND STUDY THE ACTI ON.

Chapter 2 - Page 114

THE STRUT BEGI NNI NG WI TH A POSE ON STEP 1, THE STRUT STEP STARTS ON 8, AND ENDS ON 36. THEN THE CHARACTER GOES I NTO ANOTHER POSE ON 42. THE ACTI ON I S COMPLETE AS I S AND CANNOT BE HOOKED UP I NTO A CYCLE. THE WALK I S SI MI LAR TO THE STRUT, EXCEPT I N THE STRUT THE HI GH POI NT I N THE ACTI ON I S WHEN THE FOOT CONTACTS THE GROUND, AND THE LOWEST POI NT I S WHEN THE FOOT I S LI FTED. ( I N THE WALK THI S I S REVERSED.) MI SSI NG NUMBERS I N THI S ACTI ON ARE I N- BETWEENS, SOME ARE UNEVENLY SPACED. WHEN AN I N- BETWEEN I S UNEVENLY SPACED, A CHART I S MADE NEXT TO THE EXTREME SHOWI NG THE I N- BETWEENS POSI TI ON. ALL OF THESE DRAWI NGS ARE EXTREMES. BELOW ARE THE I N- BETWEEN CHARTS THAT WERE PUT ON THEM.

Chapter 2 - Page 118

FOUR-LEGGED ANIMALS

THI S SI MPLI FI ED SKELETON DI VI DES THE ANI MALS BODY I NTO THREE SECTI ONS: THE FOREQUARTERS, THE BELLY, AND THE REAR QUARTERS. NOTI CE THAT THE JOI NTS OF THE SHOULDER BLADES AND THE HI P FORMS NEED TO BE DEFI NED OR AT LEAST SUGGESTED I N YOUR DRAWI NGS. AFTER LOCATI NG THESE PI VOT POI NTS, PROCEED WI TH YOUR DRAWI NG. MAKE THE LEGS I RREGULAR - NOT TOO PARALLEL. AFTER ESTABLI SHI NG THE BODY SHAPE AND SWEEP, SET A CENTERLI NE OR BACKBONE, THEN MARK OFF THE THREE POI NTS AS SHOWN ON THE HORSE BELOW ON THI S PAGE. FI T OR WEAVE THE PARTS TOGETHER WI TH THE BODY RHYTHMS. THE LEGS FOLD UP OF, STRETCH OUT WI TH THE BODY BASED ON THE ACTI ON OF THE PI VOT POI NTS I N THEI R PATHS OF ACTI ON. CHARACTERS WI TH THESE ANATOMI CAL ELEMENTS SEEM MORE REALI STI C. DOGS AND DEER RUN WI TH A ROTARY GALLOP I N WHI CH THE OPPOSI TE FRONT AND BACK LEGS LEAD, CATS, HORSES, AND MOST OTHER ANI MALS RUN WI TH A TRANSVERSE GALLOP I N WHI CH THE SAME FRONT AND BACK LEGS LEAD. I N ANY RUN EI THER THE LEFT OR THE RI GHT FRONT LEG CAN LEAD, SO THERE ARE TWO VERSI ONS OF EVERY ANI MAL RUN I N THI S BOOK - SI MPLY REVERSE THE LEAD LEG.

CONSTRUCTION AND MOVEMENT

Chapter 2 - Page 120

MORE FOUR-LEGGED ANIMALS WALK AND RUN CYCLES

Chapter 2 - Page 122

THE FLIGHT OF BIRDS ( dow n loa d la r ge im a ge )

HERE I S A CYCLE OF A BI RD FLYI NG FROM BOTH THE FRONT AND THE SI DE VI EWS. DRAWI NG 5 I S FOLLOWED BY DRAWI NG 1. DRAWI NG 1 HERE I S THE SAME WI NG POSI TI ON AS DRAWI NG 1 BELOW ON THI S PAGE. NOTI CE HOW THE WI NGS FOLD UP AS THEY RI SE I N DRAWI NGS 2. 3, AND 4. THI S PART OF THE ACTI ON I S SLOWER SO THERE ARE MORE DRAWI NGS TO I T. CONSEQUENTLY YOU WI LL SEE I T LONGER. I N DRAWI NGS 5, 6, AND 7, THE WI NGS ENLARGE TO CATCH MORE AI R. THEN I N DRAWI NG 8 THEY QUI CKLY COME DOWN WI DE OPEN ( ONE DRAWI NG) TO GI VE THE BI RD THE PUSH THAT CARRI ES I T THROUGH THE AI R.

( NOT ALL BI RD WI NG ACTI ON I S AS VI OLENT AS THI S, BUT THE ACTI ON I LLUSTRATED HERE CAN BE MODI FI ED FOR SMALLER BI RDS.

Chapter 2 - Page 124

CYCLES IN COLOR

Chapter 3 - Introduction

Chapter 3 : ANIMATION An anim at or m ust consider a num ber of t hings when planning and creat ing anim at ed m ovem ent . First , he or she m ust devise a plan for t he act ion t he charact er is supposed t o perform . Once t he plan is set , t he act ual m ovem ent s of t he charact er can be designed and rough sket ches of t he m ovem ent s drawn. ( At t his st age, t he anim at or should be well acquaint ed wit h t he charact er so t he m ovem ent s will appear nat ural.) Next , key ( or " ext rem e" ) charact er poses are drawn, t hen t he key poses are used as guides t o draw t he in- bet ween m ovem ent s.

This chapt er includes excellent pract ice exercises t o help develop an underst anding of t im ing in t he anim at ed sequences. The poses and ext rem es shown on pages 138 - 139 are sim ple, but excellent , exam ples. Overlapping act ions, holding poses, and ot her m ovem ent s, as shown in t he exercises involving t he sheriff, t he dancing girls, t he hippo, and t he alligat or, are valuable exam ples of t he highest - qualit y professional anim at ion.

Ot her act ions included in t his chapt er are t he " t ake" ( a surprise expression) , st raight - ahead and rhyt hm anim at ion, balance and t ilt in m ovem ent , and arcs, curves, and pat hs of act ion. The m ovem ent of legs, arm s, and hands, and t he ant icipat ed m ovem ent or act ions are covered in t he sect ion ent it led " The Wave Principle." These are excellent m et hods for " waving" t he anim at ed m ovem ent in t he proper direct ions. The chain react ion of waving act ions is ext rem ely im port ant t o charact er m ovem ent . Changing t he speed of t he anim at ed m ovem ent , along wit h expressing at t it udes, em ot ions, gest ures, and react ions, can all be com bined and fit t ed t o your charact er.

Chapter 3 - Page 128

SKETCHING BASICS - A SHORTHAND ART ANI MATORS MAKE A SERI ES OF ROUGH OUTLI NE SKETCHES THAT SUGGEST THE MOVEMENT OF A CHARACTER. I T I S LI KE HANDWRI TI NG WORDS WI TH NO THOUGHT ABOUT FORMI NG I NDI VI DUAL LETTERS ONLY ABOUT WHAT YOU´ RE SAYI NG ( OR ACTI NG) . TO DRAW A POSE, MAKE SCRI BBLES OF WHAT YOU SEE I N YOUR I MAGI NATI ON, THEN STUDY BY THE SCRI BBLES FOR SUGGESTI ONS. FORGET DRAWI NG - SCRI BBLES !

A BEGI NNER CAN ONLY BECOME AN ANI MATOR THROUGH MANY HOURS OF SKETCHI NG. MAKE MANY ATTEMPTS. THE SKETCH I S LI KE A PLAN FOR A BUI LDI NG, SO PI CK FROM SEVERAL SKETCH ATTEMPTS. REVERSE YOUR SKETCH ( TURN I T OVER ON A LI GHT BOARD) AND REDRAW. GENTLY ERASE I T WI TH A KNEADED ERASER AND REDRAW. SKETCH I T I N COLORED PENCI L AND THEN REDRAW I N BLACK.

THI S I S AN ANI MATOR´ S " ROUGH." A CLEANED- UP, FI NI SHED DETAI L DRAWI NG I S MADE FROM THI S. YOU SHOULD KNOW ALL ABOUT THE SKELETON, BUT ANI MATORS DON´ T DRAW THE SKELETON FI RST, THEY SKETCH THE OUTLI NE. SCRI BBLES CAN BECOME MULTI PLE SKETCHES. KEEP TRYI NG TO GET A SUGGESTI ON OF WHAT YOU WANT. A ROUGH OUTLI NE SUGGESTI ON I S THE FI RST STEP I T MAY TAKE MANY SCRI BBLE ATTEMPTS. USE YOUR I MAGI NATI ON TO DEVELOP THE DRAWI NG.

DRAWI NG SMALL, " THUMBNAI L" SKETCHES OF I MPORTANT POSES BRI NGS OUT THE OVERALL STRUCTURE AND APPEAL AND MAKES FOR BROADER DRAWI NG AND LESS ATTENTI ON TO DETAI LS.

THESE KEY POSES OF A TI GER ACTI ON ARE FROM TRI AL SKETCHES. THEY MAY BE CHANGED TO FI T THE ACTI ON AS I T EVOLVES I N ANI MATI ON.

Chapter 3 - Page 130

BALANCE AND TILT IN MOVEMENT

THE " CENTER OF BALANCE" LI NE TI PS I N A FORWARD MOVEMENT I N PROPORTI ON TO THE SPEED OF THE ACTI ON. HOWEVER, CHARACTERS CAN ALSO RUN LEANI NG BACKWARDS. ALSO, THE BALANCE LI NE CAN BE A CURVE I N AN ACTI ON ( I N ANY SLANT) .

A THRUST I N ANY DI RECTI ON TRI GGERS A CHAI N REACTI ON BALANCE I N THE OPPOSI TE DI RECTI ON I N PROPORTI ON TO THE SPEED. THESE BALANCI NG REACTI ONS DO NOT NEED TO BE SI MULTANEOUS TO THE THRUST ACTI ON OR TO EACH OTHERTHEY MAY OVERLAP.

A THRUST I N A CI RCULAR SWI NG TRI GGERS A CORRESPONDI NG SWI NG ON THE OPPOSI TE SI DE OF THE CI RCLE MOVEMENT. THI S CI RCULAR PATH OF ACTI ON CAN BE HORI ZONTAL OR TI PPED TO ANY DI AGONAL ANGLE, OR I T CAN BE A VERTI CAL CI RCLE.

AS THE CHEST TWI STS WI TH A THRUST, THE HI PS TWI ST I N THE OPPOSI TE DI RECTI ON I N A BALANCE REACTI ON ( OR VI CE VERSA) . THESE BALANCI NG REACTI ONS NEED NOT FOLLOW THE THRUST, THEY MAY PRECEDE AND/ OR MOVE AFTER THE THRUST OF ACTI ON.

I N A WALK OR A RUN THE HI PS SAG WI TH THE LEG LI FTED, WHI CH TRI GGERS A CHAI N BALANCE REACTI ON I N THE TI LTS OF THE CHEST, SHOULDERS, AND HEAP. THE ARMS SWI NG HI GHER ON THE RELAXED SI PE AND LOWER ON THE OTHER SI DE. THI S ACTI ON GI VES WEI GHT TO A HEAVY GI ANT OR A LARGE ANI MAL WI TH A PONDEROUS, CRASHI NG GAI T. I T I S NOT TYPI CAL OF CLOSELY KNI T ATHLETES. THE RESULTI NG HI P SWAY I S A TYPI CAL FEMALE MOVE.

Chapter 3 - Page 132

BALANCE AND TILT - CONTINUED

I N A PENDULUM BALANCE, THE ARMS SWI NG AS A REACTI ON TO THE THRUST OF THE PENDULUM LEG ACTI ON OF A WALK OR A RUN. THE EXTREME OF THE ARM SWI NG I S NOT ON THE LEG CONTACT DRAWI NG BUT ON THE RECOI L. THE LEG MOVES BACK AND STRAI GHTENS I N THE PUSH- EXTREME. AS A BALANCE TO THE LI FTED LEG, THE ARMS MOVE FORWARD I N A LOWER ARC THAN THEI R RETURN. A VERTI CAL THRUST UP OR DOWN CAN CREATE A VERTI CAL REACTI ON. THI S ACTI ON I S I MPORTANT I N DI ALOGUE MOVES OF THE HEAD AND ARMS AND I N ANTI CI PATI ON ACTI ON DRAWI NGS OF A HUNCHCONTRACTI ON I NTO A THRUST. WHEN THE LEG LI FTS, THE HEAD AND THE ARMS REACT BY LOWERI NG. I N A HEAVY DRAFT HORSE ACTI ON THE HEAD LOWERS AS THE LEG LI FTS I N A PULL.

THE BASEBALL PI TCHER GOES THROUGH AN ELAB0RATE BALANCI NG ACT AS HE LI FTS HI S FOOT I N A WI NDUP BEFORE A LEG SWI NG THAT HAS BEEN EXAGGERATED I N FORESHORTENI NG AS HE STARTS THE PI TCH, THE ARM I S DELAYED TO GI VE MORE VI OLENCE TO THE ACTI ON. SI NGLE- DRAWI NG DRAFTSMANSHI P I S ABANDONED FOR THE DRAFTSMANSHI P OF A SERI ES WE SEE I N LESS THAN A SECOND.

Chapter 3 - Page 134

STRAIGHT-AHEAD AND RHYTHM ANIMATION

STRAI GHT- AHEAD ANI MATI ON ( DRAWI NG EACH MOVE FROM THE BEGI NNI NG I N A GROWTH SEQUENCE) I S USED FOR ACTI ONS THAT I NVOLVE RHYTHMS I N CHARACTER MOVEMENTS. THERE MAY BE SEVERAL OVERLAPPI NG SECONDARY ACTI ONS MOVI NG I N A CHARACTER, AND EACH ONE HAS DI FFERENT TI MI NG AND RHYTHM. THEY ARE STARTED UNEVENLY BY TURNS, TWI STS, AND OTHER BODY ACTI ONS. THEY ARE I MPOSSI BLE TO POSE- PLAN, AND MANY ARE DI SCOVERED AS YOU ANI MATE STRAI GHT- AHEAD. START WI TH A PLAN OF ACTI ON AND WORK WI TH ROUGH SKETCHES- SCRI BBLES AND RHYTHM LI NES, AI M FOR THE SWEEP OF THE CHARACTER. KEEP A MODEL DRAWI NG ON A SLI P OF PAPER TO CHECK SI ZES AND SCENE PERSPECTI VES. A METHOD TO ANI MATE - VI SUALI ZE THE ENTI RE SCENE WI TH PROJECTI ON POSES AT THE MOST I MPORTANT POI NTS. THEN USI NG THESE DRAWI NGS AS A GUI DE, MAKE PATHS OF ACTI ON ( I F PRACTI CAL) AND ANI MATE STRAI GHT- AHEAD FROM THE START TOWARD THE FI RST POSE. WHEN YOU NEAR TH I S POSE, USE I T ONLY AS A GUI DE AND DO NOT WORK I NTO I T UNLESS I T FI TS THE RHYTHM PROGRESSI ON OF YOUR ACTI ON. DON´ T HESI TATE TO REVI SE, DI SCOVER I MPROVEMENTS AS YOU PROGRESS. RESEARCH THE SCENE BY ACTI NG I T OUT I N FRONT OF A MI RROR OR STUDY LI VE- ACTI ON FI LM RESEARCH. MAKE THUMBNAI L SKETCHES, ANI MATE FROM YOUR I MAGI NATI ON, CREATE. ROUGHLY COMPLETE ALL DRAWI NGS AND MAKE A FI LM PENCI L TEST ( FI LMI NG THE PENCI L ROUGHS) .

NOTI CE HOW THI S SMOOTH- FLOWI NG " RHYTHM PATTERN" RELATES TO THE ANI MATI ON CYCLE OF THE DOG ABOVE. THE SMOOTH MOVEMENT OF THE LI TTLE CHARACTER BELOW I S BROKEN WHEN HE FALLS.

Chapter 3 - Page 136

ANTICIPATION – ACTION - REACTION AN ACTI ON LI KE THE SWI NG OF A PENDULUM I S A MOVE BETWEEN TWO EXTREME POSI TI ONS. AN ACTI ON DRAWI NG OF THE PENDULUM I N CENTER POSI TI ON HAS LI TTLE VI SUAL VALUE TO DEPI CT THE ACTI ON. I T I S THE EXTREME POSI TI ONS OF THE PENDULUM THAT DEPI CT THE ACTI ON - AND MEASURE I T. THE FI RST. EXTREME I S ANTI CI PATI ON: GET- SET, WI ND UP, PULL BACK CONTRACTI ON- CROUCH OR RI SE, OR PULL UP ( THE LATTER FOR A DOWN MOVE) . THE SECOND EXTREME I S THE REACTI ON- RECOVERY FROM THE MOVE EI THER A CRASH OR A STRETCH- AND- SETTLE THAT MAY VI BRATE.

THE SLI GHTEST MOVE I N ANY DI RECTI ON MAY BE REI NFORCED WI TH A MOVE I N THE OPPOSI TE DI RECTI ON, I NTO AN ANTI CI PATI ON BEFORE THE ACT, AND THEN A RECOVERY PROCESS. NOTE: THE ACTUAL CONTACT DRAWI NG I S OF SUCH LI TTLE VALUE THAT I T I S OFTEN BEST TO ELI MI NATE I T, AS SHOWN BELOW. I N THE GOLF SWI NG WE ELI MI NATE THE CENTER DRAWI NG OF THE CLUB ACTUALLY HI TTI NG THE BALL, I N A FOOTBALL KI CK, WE SKI P THE FOOT CONTACTI NG THE BALL, ETC. THE EFFECT OF THI S TRI CK I S A CRI SPNESS OF EXECUTI ON BECAUSE YOU NEVER SEE I T. I N THE ACTI ONS BELOW WE DON´ T ACTUALLY SEE THE RABBI T CONTACT THE BULLDOG OR THE WOODCUTTER HI T THE TREE. THI S I S NOT A TRI CK, I T´ S A TI MI NG EXAGGERATI ON.

HOWEVER, A TRI CK LI KE THE MAGI CI AN´ S SLEI GHT OF HAND I S VALUABLE TO THE ANI MATOR. CALLED A " FAKE" , I T I S USED I N SI TUATI ONS LI KE THE DRAWI NG OF THE WOODCUTTER. HI S AXE FI TS THE ACTI ON SI MPLY, AND THE TRUTH I S A QUI CK, CONFUSI NG TWI ST ON THE AXE. WHEN AN ACTI ON I S CONCEALED FOR A FLASH OR WHEN A QUI CK MOVEMENT LOSES THE EYE, CHANGE THE LEGS, HANDS, OR WHATEVER AWKWARD SI TUATI ON YOU ARE I N.

Chapter 3 - Page 138

STRAIGHT-AHEAD ANIMATION

THERE ARE TWO DI STI NCT METHODS OF ANI MATI NG: ( 1) THE STRAI GHT- AHEAD METHOD ( SHOWN ABOVE) , WHI CH SI MPLY I NVOLVES DRAWI NG ONE MOVE AFTER ANOTHER I N AN EVOLVI NG SEQUENCE OF GROWTH, AND ( 2) THE POSE- PLANNI NG METHOD, WHI CH I S ACCOMPLI SHED BY SKETCHI NG " KEY" OR " EXTREME" POSES ( AS SHOWN WI TH THE MOUSE ON PAGE 1 3 9 ) AND THEN FI LLI NG I N THE ACTI ON WI TH I N- BETWEEN DRAWI NGS. THE CHARACTER ABOVE WALKS FOR THREE STEPS AND THEN REACHES DOWN FOR THE KI TTEN, HERE THE FOOT CONTACT EXTREMES ARE PLACED I N A STRAI GHT PATH OF ACTI ON. THEN THE CHARACTER CHANGES H I S " ACTI NG" - HE ANTI CI PATES THE REACH FOR THE KI TTEN BY LI FTI NG HI S ARMS AND MOVI NG HI S HEAD BACK. THE HEAD STAYS BACK TO COUNTERBALANCE THE REACHI NG ARMS, I T THEN FOLLOWS THROUGH I N AN OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON AS THE KI TTEN I S LI FTED. THE WALK I S AN OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON. EACH ACTI ON MUST FI T THE MOOD OF THE STORY, THERE I S A TI ME AND A PLACE FOR EACH ANI MATI ON APPROACH.

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POSE-PLANNING DRAMATICS

THE I MPORTANCE OF THE EXTREME DRAWI NG I S BEST I LLUSTRATED USI NG PENDULUM ACTI ON ( SEE PAGE 1 3 6 ) . PLAN WELL- DEFI NED ACTI ONS ( SUCH AS A WALK OR RUN) BY FI RST DRAWI NG A PATH OF ACTI ON USI NG PERSPECTI VE ( PAGE 7 4 ) , AND THEN RENDERI NG THE SAME CYCLE DRAWI NG I N PROGRESSI VE POSI TI ONS. THE I N- BETWEEN DRAWI NGS ARE PLANNED WI TH SPACI NG CHARTS ( WHI CH ALSO I NDI CATE THE " ARC" OF THE ACTI ON I N CASE OTHER ARTI STS COMPLETE THE SCENE) AND ROUGHED I N BY THE ANI MATOR. THE I N- BETWEENS CAN RADI CALLY CHANGE AN ACTI ON- EI THER I MPROVI NG OR STUNTI NG I T. THE MOUSE I N THE EXAMPLE DEMONSTRATES THE I MPORTANCE OF POSE- PLANNI NG. THESE TYPES OF SCENES ARE BASED ON THE DRAMA, GESTURE, OR ATTI TUDE OF POSES - NOT THE SPECI FI C ACTI ON. THE KEY POSES MUST BE CAREFULLY THOUGHT OUT BECAUSE THEY ARE USED TO ENHANCE THE ACTI ON, PRESENTATI ON OF DRAMA AND MOOD, THEY REI NFORCE THE STORY, SCENE COMPOSI TI ON, AND DRAWI NG POI NTS.

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ARCS – CURVES - PATHS OF ACTION

A CHARACTER MOVES I N PATHS OF ACTI ON THAT EI THER CURVE OR GO STRAI GHT. I F A DRAWI NG I S PLACED I N AN ACTI ON THAT DOES NOT FI T THE PATH OF, SPACI NG PLAN, A JI TTER, A JERK, OR AN UNREALI STI C ACTI ON WI LL OCCUR. YOU DON´ T NEED TO CHART ALL THE PATHS, YOU CAN SEE THEM WHEN YOU FLI P THE DRAWI NGS. THE DEGREE OF ARC I N AN I N- BETWEEN CAN EI THER I MPROVE OR STUNT AN ACTI ON.

EXPERI MENT WI TH THE DEGREE OF ARC I N THE I N- BETWEENS. WI LL THE GI RL´ S ACTI ON ABOVE BE I MPROVED I F A DRAWI NG BETWEEN 1 AND 2 DI PS LOWER I N A CROUCH ANTI CI PATI ON THAN THE PATH I NDI CATES ? WHAT I F A DRAWI NG BETWEEN THE HI GH 3 AND 4 WERE HlGHER ? WHAT I F A DRAWI NG AFTER 7 WERE LOWER ? TRY TO THI NK LI KE THI S ... EXPERI MENT ... FLI P THE DRAWI NGS TO SEE I F YOU ARE CORRECT !

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MULTIPLE ACTION PATHS IN BOUNCE-STRUT USI NG THI S DOUBLE BOUNCE- STRUT AS A GUI DE, TRY ANI MATI NG THE SAME ACTI ON AND PATHS USI NG ROWDY RABBI T FROM PAGE 4 0

I T I S I MPERATI VE THAT YOU CONSULT THE DRAWI NGS GOI NG I NTO A AND OUT OF B. CHECK AT LEAST TWO PRI OR DRAWI NGS AND A FOLLOWI NG EXTREME. THERE ARE TWO THI NGS TO NOTI CE: ( 1) WHAT I S THE RI GHT ARC, I F ANY, AND ( 2) I S THE DRAWI NG EXACTLY I N BETWEEN, OR I S I T CLOSER TO A OR B ACCORDI NG TO THE PROGRESSI ON OF DRAWI NGS? THI S I S ARC AND SPACI NG. EXPERI MENT ! YOU WI LL LEARN THE TRI CK OF TAKI NG DRAWI NGS OFF PEGS, SHI FTI NG THE EXTREMES SO THE DETAI LS COI NCI DE, PLACI NG THE CORNERS OF YOUR I N- BETWEEN PAPER BETWEEN THE TWO SHI FTED EXTREMES, AND MAKI NG AN I N- BETWEEN ON MUCH EASI ER TERMS THAN THE PEGS ALLOW. I T I S BEST TO MAKE A LI GHT MECHANI CAL DRAWI NG- NO MATTER HOW CRUDE - BETWEEN LI NES, AND THEN CORRECT THE DRAWI NG OF THE I NBETWEEN, FLI PPI NG ALL THE TI ME.

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THE WAVE PRINCIPLE

RYTHM I N ANI MATI ON ACTI ON I S BASED ON THE WAVE PRI NCI PLE. THE " LI NE OF BEAUTY CURVE" ( LI KE AN " S" ) ANI MATES AS A WAVE I NTO THE OPPOSI TE Z- SHAPE AND BACK THE WAVE I S PUSHED OR MANI PULATED FROM ONE SI DE TO THE OTHER. THE FI RST THREE DI AGRAMS ABOVE ARE WAVED FROM THE BASE, THE FOURTH I S WAVED FROM THE TOP. BE SURE TO WAVE RHYTHM I N THE RI GHT DI RECTI ONS. I N THE EXAMPLE, THE HORSE WAVES THE COWBOY AROUND LI KE A FLAG.

I N ANI MATI ON WE BUI LD FROM THE FI RST DRAWI NG ( AS WI TH THE HORSES AND START A CHAI N REACTI ON OF RHYTHM LI NES WAVI NG. USE THE SECOND DRAWI NG AS A GUI DE. THEN WHEN YOU GET THERE, REVI SE I T SO I T FI TS THE SERI E´ S WAVE PROGRESSI ON AND ANATOMY PROGRESSI ON. THI S PRI NCI PLE APPLI ES TO ALL ANI MATED CURVES.

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DELAYED SECONDARY ACTION MAKE OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON WHENEVER YOU CAN. WHEN ANI MATI NG A CHARACTER FROM ONE POI NT TO ANOTHER, DON´ T GO THERE WI TH ALL PARTS OF THE CHARACTER AT ONCE. I NSTEAD, ARRI VE WI TH DELAYED SECONDARY ACTI ONS, AS I LLUSTRATED ON THI S PAGE.

WI TH DELAYED SECONDARY ACTI ONS, ALWAYS GET A GOOD FOLLOW- THROUGH ON LOOSE- MOVI NG SECONDARY OBJECTS, SUCH AS COATTAI LS, HAI R, EARS, AND TAI LS. I N THE SQUI RREL ACTI ON AS BELOW, THE FEET ARRI VE FI RST, THEN THE BODY RI SES. AFTER THI S, THE ARMS MAY ARRI VE, FOLLOWED BY THE TAI L. THE DOUBLE PENDULUM ACTI ON ABOVE I LLUSTRATES A PRI MARY ACTI ON OF THE DARK CI RCLE FROM A TO B, FOLLOWED BY TWO SECONDARY ACTI ONS OF THE PENDULUMS. THI S PRI NCI PLE I S ALSO APPLI ED TO THE ACTI ON OF THE DOG GRABBI NG A BUTTERFLY WI TH THE PRI MARY ACTI ON OF HI S ARMS. HI S HI PS AND BODY ARE SI MI LAR TO THE TOP PENDULUM, AND HI S FEET AND TAI L ARE SECONDARY TO HI S HI PS, LI KE THE LOWER PENDULUM DI AGRAMS. THI S PRI NCI PLE I S ALSO APPARENT I N HI S HEAD, WHI CH SWI NGS FROM HI S ARMS, AND THE EARS PENDULUM FROM THE HEAD. DELAYED SECONDARY ACTI ONS ARE EFFECTI VE I N PUTTI NG LI FE I NTO POSES AND HOLDS. A CHAI N OF PARTS CAN ARRI VE LATE AT DI FFERENT TI MES AND I N DI FFERENT TI MI NGS TO TAKE THE CURSE OFF ANY HELD DRAWI NG. THEN VARI OUS PARTS, SUCH AS THE EYES, CAN " TELEGRAPH" THE NEXT MOVE I N SECONDARY ACTI ONS THAT PRECEDE I T. THUS, LI MI TED ANI MATI ON FOR TV CAN BECOME VERY CONVI NCI NG. HOWEVER, THI S I S NOT AN ECONOMY ANI MATI ON FORMULA, I T I S BASED ON LI FE. NOTHI NG MOVES I N EQUAL COMPARTMENTS OF ALL PARTS I N UNI SON.

STUDY THE DELAYED ACTI ON OF THE SQUI RREL´ S TAI L.

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FAST ACTION – IMPACT - SPEED

I N FAST ACTI ON AS ABOVE, THE CHARACTER STRETCHES, GOES I NTO A BLUR EFFECT, DI SAFFEARS FOR A FRAME, AND THEN REAPPEARS AT THE OBJECTI VE. MULTI PLE I MAGES CAN SPEED THE ACTI ON. THE ANI MATED BLUR REPLACES LEG ACTI ON I N A THREE OR FOUR DRAWI NG TWI RL, AS SHOWN. CHARACTERS EXPLODE FROM ANTI CI PATI ON OUT OF SCENE WI TH ANI MATED SPEED LI NES, AS SHOWN BELOW. AS SHOWN I N THE ELF ( BELOW) , MULTI PLE I MAGES OF A FAST- MOVI NG HAND ( OR LEG) CARRY THE I LLUSI ON OF THE MOVEMENT BETTER. THUS, A FAST- MOVI NG LEG OR ARM PASSI NG THE BODY I S AN I MAGE ON EACH SI DE.

SPEED EFFECTS - CLOUDS OF DUST AND/ OR SMOKE ARE STI RRED UP BY THE SPEED OF THE BULL CHASE. SPEED- LI NE BLUR EFFECTS OFTEN FOLLOW, I NCLUDI NG FRAGMENTS OF DOUBLE I MAGES. AS SUCH SPEED GOES THROUGH A QUI ET, STI LL BACKGROUND, THE GRASS AND TREES ARE SUCKED I N THE DI RECTI ON OF THE PASSI NG TORNADO. THESE SPECI AL EFFECTS I NVOLVE ANI MATED BACKGROUNDS.

I MPACT, AS SPEED I S ABRUPTLY HALTED, ENHANCES THE I MPRESSI ON. AS SHOWN I N THE STORYBOARD ( BELOW) , THE BULL COLLI DES WI TH THE TREE ON A FASTMOVI NG PAN. NOTI CE THAT THE I MPACT KNOCKS THE FAN AND TREE BACKWARD, THEN I NTO A FORWARD AND BACK RECOVERY, AND THEN I NTO A STOP. ALTERNATELY, THE PAN ACTI ON CAN BE ENLARGED TO A STAGGER / JI TTER ACTI ON, OR THE BULL CAN GO I NTO A STAGGER ACTI ON AFTER THE I MPACT.

VERTI CAL I MPACT - AFTER A FAST FALL, THE I MPACT WI TH THE EARTH I S USUALLY HANDLED WI TH A VI OLENT, VERTI CAL STAGGER / JI TTER OF THE BACKGROUND. HOWEVER, CLASSI C I MPACTS I N GREAT CARTOONS HAVE ALSO I NCORPORATED ANI MATED REPERCUSSI ON EFFECTS I N THE BACKGFOUND - FOR EXAMPLE, DI STANT ROCKS RI SI NG AND FALLI NG FROM THE SHOCK WAVES. OTHER GREAT I MPACTS HAVE CREATED ANI MATED CRATERS AND SMOKE.

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THE CARTOON "TAKE"

A " TAKE" REGI STERS A CHARACTER´ S SUDDEN SURPRI SE I N A CARTOON. THE AVERAGE CARTOON I S FULL OF TAKES. SOME ARE SUBDUED, OTHERS ARE VI OLENT LI KE THE ONE ON THI S PAGE. THE TAKE I S USUALLY PRECEDED BY A GOOD ANTI CI PATI ON DRAWI NG, SUCH AS STEP B. THE CHARACTER SEES HI S DATE FOR THE EVENI NG I N STEP A, CRI NGES I NTO ANTI CI PATI ON I N STEP B, AND THEN FLI ES UP I NTO A WI LD TAKE I N STEP C.

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SURPRISE REACTION

ALMOST ANYTHI NG CAN HAPPEN I N A TAKE: THE FI GURE MAY STAGGER OR FLY THROUGH THE AI R, THE EYES MAY POP OUT, OF LOOSE HAI R, COATTAI LS, ETC., MAY FLY UP AND CONTRI BUTE TO THE SURPRI SE EFFECT.

Chapter 3 - Page 150

EXPRESSING AN ATTITUDE GESTURES, MANNERI SMS, ATTI TUDES OF PI CTURE, AND OUTBURSTS ARE A LANGUAGE OF ANI MATI ON THAT SPEAKS EMOTI ONS AND REVEALS CHARACTER THROUGH YOUR DRAWI NGS. AS THE ART DEVELOPS, THE COMI C CHARACTERS BEGI N TO " THI NK" AND ASSUME PREDI CTABLE CHARACTER - MOST OF I T HI LARI OUS. HOWEVER, I N LATER DI SNEY FEATURES THE ANI MATED ART OFTEN REACHED A HI GH POI NT OF MOVI NG PEOPLE TO TEARS. THE ANI MATOR BECAME A " REAL" ACTOR.

HERE ARE SOME RULES FOR THESE ACTORS: ( 1) NEVER MOVE OR " FREEZE" WI THOUT MEANI NG, ( 2) HOLD A GESTURE AS LONG AS POSSI BLE TO LET I T REGI STER AND SI NK I N, AND ( 3) DON´ T OVER- GESTURE. MAKE EVERYTHI NG WORK FOR YOU: EARS, TAI L, HAI R, LEGS. FEET, CLOTHI NG, ETC. FOR THE ACTI ON, MAKE A FEW THUMBNAI L SKETCHES AND A SHORT SCRI PT. FOR EXAMPLE: DOG WI TH RED HAT AS BELOW SNEAKS I N AND STOPS I N FORWARD CROUCH, THE BI G EYES LOOK FROM SI DE TO SI DE AND THE BODY BECOMES ERECT, THE HAND FOLLOWS THROUGH SLOWLY TO LI PS ( SHOW CONSPI RACY) , I T MOVES I NTO POSE SLOWLY, AND THEN THE EARS AND TAI L OVERLAP I N POSE.

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EMOTION – GESTURE - REACTING START WI TH THE EMOTI ON - GET I NSI DE THE CHARACTER AND ACT I T OUT - AND THEN SKETCH THE SWEEP OF THE BODY, ARMS, LEGS, AND HEAD. EXPLORE EVERY TI LT AND TURN OF THE HEAD AND THE EXPRESSI VE HANDS.

I N THE " TAKE" OF THE MOUSE ABOVE, THE MOUSE SI NKS I NTO AN ANTI CI PATI ON CROUCH OR CONTRACTI ON THAT I S ALWAYS BRI EF, AND THEN SPRI NGS I NTO THE STRETCH EXPANSI ON ( ALSO BRI EF) , AND THEN I N A SCRAMBLE REVERTS TO NORMAL- SI ZE LOOK. THI S ANI MATI ON REACTI ON HAS WI DE USE I N MANY FORMS. I T CAN BE REVERSED WI TH THE STRETCH FI RST. THEN CROUCH CONTRACTI ON, AND THEN I NTO LOOK. ACTI ONS HAVE DRAWI NGS LI KE BEAR NO. 2 ON PAGE 1 5 0 AND SLOW- BURN NO. 2, BELOW, THAT NEED TO BE HELD OR PROLONGED WI TH CLOSE ADJACENT DRAWI NGS. THE DEAR COULD BLI NK, AND NO. 2 OF THE BURN COULD SLOWLY MOVE FURTHER BACK. ANI MATI ON I S A CALCULATED SPACI NG OF CARTOONS THAT CAN BRI NG GESTURES LI KE THESE TO LI FE. EACH OF THESE GESTURES REQUI RES: ( 1) RELATED ANI MATI ON ACTI NG I NTO THE POSE, ( 2) OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON I NTO AND OUT OF THE POSE. AND ( 3) THE SUBTLE ANI MATI ON OF THE POSE, OR A " FREEZE" WI TH DRAMATI C MEANI NG, WHEN ANI MATI NG, NEVER GO TO A PLACE ALL AT ONCE UNLESS THERE´ S A REASON ( WHI CH I SN´ T OFTEN) . HERE ARE THREE CLASSI C ANI MATI ON PATTERNS: THE BEAR " DOUBLE- TAKE" I NTO POSE ( PAGE 1 5 0 ) . THE MOUSE " TAKE" I NTO POSE ( ABOVE) , AND ONE VERSI ON OF THE GREAT " SLOWBURN" ( BELOW) .

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THE BODY LANGUAGE ACTOR

MAKE A COLLECTI ON OF BODY GESTURE CARTOONS AND PHOTOS.

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WEIGHT-RECOIL EFFECTS A) 1. 2. 3. 4.

WEI GHT I S REGI STERED I N ANI MATI ON BY THE VI SUAL STRUGGLE TO MOVE WEI GHT. THE VI SUAL EFFECTS OF STOPPI NG WEI GHT. THE TI MI NG CAUSED BY I MMOBI LI TY AND GRAVI TY. CHAI N- BALANCE DUE TO TYPES OF SAG.

B) 1. 2. 3. 4.

LI GHT WEI GHT I S REGI STERED BY THE SPRI NG UP WI TH NO RESI STANCE. THE ELI MI NATI ON OF RECOI L PROCESSES. TI MI NG CAUSED BY MOBI LI TY AND FLOAT. NO SAG, STRESS, STRAI N, OR SQUASH.

C) THE BOUNCI NG BALL PRI NCI PLE I LLUSTRATES THE BASI C RECOI L- SQUASH- CONTRACTI ON AND THE STRETCH- ELONGATI ON THAT ARE PART OF MOST CHARACTER MOVEMENT. THE ELEPHANT ( BELOW) SHOWS OVERLAPPI NG SQUASH- RECOI L AND STRETCH.

D) THE OFF- CENTER BALANCE I S CAUSED BY ONE- SI DED WEI GHT. E) THE CHAI N BALANCE I S EXAGGERATED I N A FI GURE ACTI ON CAUSED BY HI GH BAG, SUCH AS WI TH HEAVY GI ANTS AND ANI MALS ( SEE PAGE 1 3 0 ) . F) STRAI N I S CREATED WHEN MOVI NG HEAVY BODI ES OR WEI GHTS. G) STRESS I S CREATED WHEN PULLED AND PUSHED ANATOMY SHOWS WEI GHT.

THE TI MI NG OF A CHARACTER ACTI ON HAS A GREAT DEAL TO DO WI TH WEI GHT - OR LACK OF I T. AS SHOWN, THE RECOI L PROCESS TAKES TI ME FOR AN ELEPHANT, WHI LE THE DEER HARDLY TOUCHES THE EARTH, SPRI NGS UP AND FLOATS, UNTOUCHED BY GRAVI TY.

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THE SQUASH AND STRETCH PRINCIPLE 1

OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON ( NOTE: THI S RULE HOLDS TRUE I N THE MAJORI TY OF ANI MATI ON ACTI ONS) - WHEN ANI MATI NG A CHARACTER FROM ONE POI NT TO ANOTHER, DON´ T GO THERE ALL AT ONCE. THE MAI N ACTI ON CAN BE PRECEDED AND FOLLOWED BY LESSER ACTI ONS THAT RELATE TO, OR ARE THE RESULT OF, THE MAI N ACTI ON. THESE ARE KNOWN AS " OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ONS" AND THE PROPER USE OF THEM WI LL GREATLY I MPROVE THE QUALI TY OF YOUR WORK. NOTI CE THAT FROM THE ANTI CI PATI ON I N STEP 8 THE COP COMES TO AN EXTREME ACCENT I N STEP 10 AS HE STARTS SAYI NG, " ALL RI GHT ! " . THE MAI N ACTI ON OF THE FI GURE CAUSES A LESSER ACTI ON - OR REACTI ON - ON THE COP´ S STOMACH. DOWN I N STEP 10, I T RECOI LS I N STEPS 13 TO 16, BOUNCES BACK I N STEP 18. AND THEN FI NALLY SETTLES BACK UP I N STEP 24. I N OTHER WORDS, A MAI N ACTI ON BETWEEN STEPS 8 AND 10 HAS CAUSED AN OVERLAPPI NG LESSER ACTI ON TO OCCUR FROM STEP 10 ALL THE WAY TO STEP 24. FOLLOW- THROUGH - ANOTHER RULE OF ANI MATI ON I S THAT WHEN A FLAG - OR SOMETHI NG SI MI LAR - I S WAVED OR JERKED, THE FLAG WI LL FOLLOW A DEFI NI TE CURVI NG PATH THAT I S DETERMI NED BY THE POSI TI ON OF THE MAST A SPLI T SECOND BEFORE THE MOVEMENT. I N ANI MATI ON THI S NATURAL LAW I S CALLED THE " RULE OF FOLLOW- THROUGH" . STUDY THE ENDS OF THE COAT HERE. PUT THI S TYPE OF FOLLOWTHROUGH ACTI ON ON ALL FLEXI BLE, LOOSELY- WAVI NG OBJECTS, I N A STRI CT SENSE, ANY OBJECT THAT " GI VES" I N ANI MATI ON HAS A CERTAI N AMOUNT OF FOLLOW- THROUGH ACTI ON. SMASH AND STRETCH - WHEN A SANDBAG MOVES THROUGH THE AI R, I T WI LL STRETCH I N THE DI RECTI ON OF THE MOVEMENT. THEN WHEN I TS PROGRESS I S ARRESTED, I T WI LL " SQUASH" OUT. I F I T WERE ALI VE ( ANYTHI NG CAN HAPPEN I N A CARTOON ! ) , I T WOULD ALSO SQUASH FROM ANTI CI PATI NG THE ACTI ON I N WHI CH I T STRETCHES. NOTI CE STEPS 8 AND 10. THE PROPER USE OF SQUASH AND STRETCH WI LL STRENGTHEN AN ACTI ON. I T I S ESSENTI AL I N CREATI NG A FEELI NG OF WEI GHT I N CHARACTERS.

OVERLAPING ACTION . FOLLOW-THROUGH

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DANCING HIPPO

DURI NG HER PERFORMANCE THE HI PPO BALLERI NA MAKES A JUMP AND TURN LASTI NG ONE SECOND, OR TWELVE DRAWI NGS OF TWO FRAMES EACH. THE METHOD I S STRAI GHT- AHEAD ANI MATI ON. EACH DRAWI NG EVOLVES FROM SEVERAL OF THE PRECEDI NG DRAWI NGS. THE ANI MATOR FLI PS THE DRAWI NGS LI KE A " FLI P BOOK" AND MAY WOFK ON SEVERAL AT ONCE.

STUDY THE OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ONS OF THE ENORMOUS TUMMY, THE SKI MPY TUTU SKI RT, THE ARMS, THE LEGS, AND THE HEAD, AND THE SQUASH AND STRETCH PRI NCI PLE SHOWN AS THE HUGE POSTERI OR- HI NDER SI DE OF THE BODY ( FANNY) SQUASHES TO ENORMOUS PROPORTI ONS ACCENTUATED BY THE FORCED PERSPECTI VE. THE HI PPO BALLERI NA SWI NGS HER ARMS UP TO CREATE A MOMENTUM FORCE TO LI FT THE HUGE BODY ( SEE JUMP I N SPACI NG) .

Chapter 3 - Page 160

ALLIGATOR BALLET I N THI S TYPE OF ANI MATI ON, THE ANI MATOR MUST MAKE EVERY DRAWI NG COUNT BECAUSE EACH ONE I S A SEPARATE I DENTI TY - NOT AN I N- BETWEEN. ( THE USUAL METHOD OF OUTLI NI NG THE ACTI ON WI TH A FEW EXTREMES AND THEN RELYI NG ON AN ASSI STANT TO FI T I N THE REMAI NI NG DRAWI NGS I S NOT USED) . EACH MOVE OF THE ALLI GATOR HAS A QUALI TY ALL I TS OWN AND MUST GROW FROM THE PRECEDI NG DRAWI NG.

DURI NG THI S FLI PPI NG REFERENCE TO A SERI ES OF DRAWI NGS, THE ANI MATOR MAY GO BACK AND CHANGE WHOLE ACTI ONS I N THE DRAWI NGS THAT LEAD UP TO THE DRAWI NG HE I S CURRENTLY WORKI NG ON. HE I S ACTUALLY WORKI NG ON ALL THE DRAWI NGS ON THE TOP PEGS AT THE SAME TI ME. ( BOTTOM PEGS ARE NOT ADAPTABLE TO THI S TYPE OF ANI MATI ON AS FLI PPI NG AND DRAWI NG FROM THE TOP OF MOST DRAWI NGS ARE DI FFI CULT AND CUMBERSOME.) WHEN THE ANI MATOR HAS COMPLETED THE SCENE OF THE ALLI GATOR BALLET ACTI ON, EACH DRAWI NG I S PHOTOGRAPHED TWO TI MES ( 2s) FOR A ROUGH FI LM TEST ( TWELVE DRAWI NGS ARE VI EWED I N ONE SECOND ON THE FI LM) . HE THEN USES A REVOLVI NG- PRI SM EDI TI NG VI EWER OR A MOVI OLA PROJECTI ON MACHI NE TO ANALYZE THE ACTI ON TO DECI DE WHETHER EACH FRAME FI TS OR NOT. HE THEN MAKES ANY NECESSARY CHANGES. THROUGH THI S PROCESS OF ANI MATI NG AND FI LM TESTI NG, THE ANI MATOR LEARNS HOW TO TI ME AND SPACE THE DRAWI NGS TO ACHI EVE THE PROPER SPEED I N EACH OF THE PRI MARY AND SECONDARY ACTI ONS THAT SI MULATE REALI TY. HE WI LL ALSO LEARN HOW MANY DRAWI NGS ARE NEEDED TO REGI STER AND SEE ANTI CI PATI ONS, POSES, AND REACTI ONS. ON FI LM, YOU DO NOT SEE JUST ONE OF THESE ALLI GATOR DRAWI NGS, YOU SEE THE SEQUENCES. NOTE: THI S PROCESS I S EXPLAI NED I N GREATER DETAI L I N CH APTER 5 .

Chapter 3 - Page 164

HIPPO AND ALLIGATOR BALLET THE HI PPO I N DI SNEY´ S MOVI E FANTASI A WAS CONCEI VED I N THI S EXPERI MENTAL ANI MATI ON. I MADE THE MODEL SHEETS AND ANI MATED HER I N THE BALLET.

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Chapter 3 - Page 168

WOMEN

WOMEN MOVE I N A DI STI NCT MANNER BECAUSE OF BALANCE. THE KNEES AND ELBOWS TEND TOWARD I NWARD ARCS I N ACTI ON. A THROW WI TH THE ELBOW I N AND ALMOST A PUSH I N THE RELEASE I S TYPI CAL. ( I N CONTRAST AN ATHLETE SWI NGS THE ELBOW WI DE I N A WHI P- RELEASE THROW) . WHEN THE LEG LI FTS THE FOOT OFF THE GROUND, THE HI PS TI LT AS THE SUPPORT I S REMOVED, CAUSI NG A CHAI N REACTI ON I N BALANCE I N THE ENTI RE FI GURE ( RI GHT) . THE CHEST AND HI PS SHOULD BE ANI MATED WI TH PERSPECTI VE GUI DES, JUST LI KE THE HEAD. ALL THREE ARE I N A CONSTANT STATE OF TI PPI NG I N BALANCE. ABOVE TO THE LEFT I S A TORSO FORMULA. THE RHYTHM SWEEPS ( ABOVE) ARE OF VI TAL I MPORTANCE TO CREATE GRACE AND BEAUTY.

Chapter 3 - Page 170

BUILDING AN ACTION THI S DANCI NG GI RL ACTI ON I S DEVELOPED LI KE STACKI NG BUI LDI NG BLOCKS - ONE ON TOP OF ANOTHER. THE FI RST DRAWI NGS ARE RHYTHM SCRI BBLES. AFTER EACH ONE I S MADE, THE DRAWI NGS ARE FLI PPED TO STUDY HOW THE ACTI ON I S PROGRESSI NG. WHEN THE SKETCHES ARE ALL ON PEGS ( SEE PAGE 2 1 8 ) , THE ACTI ONS CAN BE REVI SED AND RE- REVI SED, LI KE CHANGI NG DOTS I N THE PAGES OF A FLI P BOOK. THI S GI RL ´ S LEG DI D NOT SWI NG HI GH AND WI DE AT FI RST, I MADE A SERI ES OF SCRI BBLES OVER THE FI RST CRUDE SKETCHES TO REVI SE THE ACTI ON. THEN THESE ROUGHS WERE MADE OF WHAT I I MAGI NED SEEI NG I N THESE FORMS.

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A DANCE KICK THI S DANCI NG GI RL RI SES FROM A TWI ST- POSE ( 1) , STEPS ( 13) I NTO A DANCE- KI CK ( 23 THROUGH 31) , THEN I NTO A BACK STEP AND SI NKI NG ACTI ON ( 49) , AND I NTO A REVERSAL OF POSE 1 ( ON 2s - ON ONLY ODD NUMBERS) . THUS, DRAWI NGS 1 THROUGH 49 REVERSED ANI MATE THE GI RL I N A KI CK TO THE LEFT, AND BACK TO 1 FOR A CYCLE. THI S KI CK HAS A DOUBLE TOP STAGGER I N THAT THE ACTI ON OF THE ENTI RE FI GURE RAI SES THE LEG TO 23, SI NKS TO 25, AND RAI SES AGAI N TO PUSH THE LEG OUT I N A KI CK AT 27.

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Chapter 3 - Page 176

BACK-GROUND CONTROL CHARACTER METAMORPHOSIS ANIMATION

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THE DRAMA OF METAMORPHOSI S ( OFTEN CALLED " MORPHI NG" ) I S A VALUABLE TOOL I N ANI MATI ON. I N THI S SCENE, METAMORPHOSI S I S USED I N TWO WAYS: 1 . A SPECI AL LI GHTI NG EFFECT KNOWN AS " CROSS- DI SSOLVE" I S USED TO CHANGE THE BACKGROUND FROM LI GHT TO DARK. 2 . THE FOUR DRAGONS ARE " MORPHED" I NTO A SI NGLE FI RE- BELCHI NG DRAGON MONSTER. STUDY THE CHANGES SHOWN I N THI S SEQUENCE. WHEN YOU USE THI S TECHNI QUE, THE ACTI ON SHOULD FLOW GRADUALLY AND SMOOTHLY.

Chapter 3 - Page 178

COMPOSITION – STAGING - DRAMA

THE DRAMA PORTRAYER BY THE COMPOSI TI ON FI RST CATCHES THE EYE, AND THEN DI RECTS THE EYE TO THE CENTER OF I NTEREST BY VARI OUS DEVI CES. AS SHOWN BELOW, THE CHARACTERS MAY SEND FORWARD AND LOOK AT I T, OR THE ABSTRACT DESI GN MAY POI NT AT I T, I NTERSECT I T, FRAME I T, CI RCLE I T, OR BEND AROUND I T ( JUST AS PARENTHESES DO) . THE CHARACTER I S ACCENTED BY COLOR DI FFERENCE, CONTRAST, OR TONE, I T I S CLEAR OF DETRACTI NG DETAI L ( SEE DUCK ABOVE) AND I SOLATED, AND I T MAY ALSO BALANCE THE COMPARI SON I N I MPORTANCE. COMPOSI TI ON CAN BALANCE LI KE A SCALE WI TH EQUAL WEI GHTS ( AREAS) , OR AS A BALANCE OF I NTEREST. ANY SMALL, I SOLATED OBJECT OF GREAT I MPORTANCE CAN BALANCE A HUGE OBJECT. CHARACTERS ARE FI T AND WOVEN TOGETHER I N A GROUP WI TH RHYTHM LI NES, STRAI GHT LI NES THAT ALI GN, AND AREAS THAT FI T I N PATTERNS. THE ALI GNMENT OF CHARACTER ABSTRACT LI NES CREATE CI RCULAR AND CURVED RHYTHM LI NES AND THE HORI ZONTALLY VERTI CAL, AND DI AGONALS. THE VI EWERS EYE LEVEL I S I MPORTANT WHEN HE LOOKS AT GRANDEUR OR BI G MONSTERS FROM A WORM´ SEYE VI EW, OR WHEN HE LOOKS DOWN AT SMALL THI NGS. APPRECI ATE THE VALUE OF SI LHOUETTES TO DEFI NE AND CLEARLY TELL THE STORY I N TWO DI MENSI ONS, EVEN I N GROUPS THEY DEFI NE ALL ALONE ( AS SHOWN BELOW) .

Chapter 4 - Introduction

Chapter 4 : DIALOGUE Dialogue, m out h m ovem ent s, body m ovem ent s, and facial expressions all work t oget her t o port ray t he correct anim at ion of t he charact er. The exam ples on pa ge s 1 3 8 - 1 3 9 are a great beginning for t urning your charact er int o an act or. Alt hough it is int erest ing when your cart oon charact er sim ply walks across t he screen, m aking it speak wit h t he proper m out h m ovem ent s and adding t he gest ures t hat go along wit h t hem t urn t he charact er int o an act or wit h a dist inct ive personalit y. This is when t he real excit em ent of anim at ion begins.

A world of professional knowledge is cont ained here, including t ips on how t o keep your charact er´ s m ovem ent s lifelike and real. Mout h m ovem ent s used in dialogue m ake t he charact er seem alive, and t he dialogue delivery develops t he personalit y of t he charact er. I n addit ion, t he inform at ion on scient ific phonet ics is invaluable. I ncluded are diagram s showing m out h posit ions, along wit h a t horough explanat ion of how sounds are m ade using t he t hroat , t ongue, t eet h, and lips. Schedule diagram s showing t im ing and durat ion of sounds, along wit h explanat ions of what sounds are nasal, t hroat , or explosive, are covered.

St udy t he chart s and t he m out h drawings, paying close at t ent ion t o t he st udies of t he consonant sounds, t he vowel sounds, and t he dipht hong vowel sounds. By st udying t his ent ire chapt er, you can m ake your charact er say anyt hing you wish, while creat ing t he personalit y you had in m ind when you first designed it .

Chapter 4 - Page 182

DIALOGUE EXPRESSIONS - POINTERS

AN ACTOR/ ANI MATOR HAS AN ENORMOUS RANGE OF FACI AL EXPRESSI ONS. HE OFTEN STUDI ES THESE EXPRESSI ONS I N A MI RROR SO HE WI LL BE BETTER ABLE TO DRAW THEM. EVERY EXPRESSI ON I S BASED ON FOUR FACTORS: THE EYEBROWS, THE EYES, THE EYELI DS, AND THE MOUTH/ CHEEK AREA. ALL AFFECT THE EXPRESSI ON AND THEY MUST ALL WORK TOGETHER. MANY EXPRESSI ONS ARE NOT SYMMETRI CAL, BUT THEY DON´ T HAVE TO BE. AN ASYMMETRI CAL EXPRESSI ON CAN CHANGE YOUR ANI MATI ON TO A NONSYMMETRI CAL LOOK WI TH DRAMATI C EFFECT. THE ANI MATI ON PRI NCI PLE OF CONTRACTI ON TO EXPANSI ON TO NORMAL OR EXPANSI ON TO CONTRACTI ON TO NORMAL I S VERY I MPORTANT I N FACI AL ACTI ON AND EFFECT. OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON OF THE FOUR FACTORS CAN I MPROVE MANY ACTI ONS. FOR EXAMPLE, AN EYE BLI NKS ( CONTRACTS) , OPENS WI DE ( EXPANDS) , AND THEN GOES I NTO NORMAL POSE. FOLLOWED I N AN OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON BY THE EYEBROWS AND THEN THE MOUTH/ CHEEK EXPRESSI ONS. THE FACE I S A CONTI NUOUS OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON OF CONTRACTI ON AND EXPANSI ON. MAKE A CASSETTE RECORDI NG OF THE DI ALOGUE, THEN PLAY AND STUDY I T WHEN ANI MATI NG. MOUTH AND ACT OUT EACH PHRASE AND SENTENCE MANY TI MES BEFORE DRAWI NG THE ACT. I N ADDI TI ON TO THE FACI AL FEATURES, THE TI LT ANGLE AT WHI CH THE HEAD I S HELD, THE DI RECTI ON THE CHARACTER I S LOOKI NG, AND THE MOVEMENT OF THE HEAD I N RELATI ON TO THE BODY ALL HELP TO CREATE EXPRESSI ON. THE SI MPLE TI LTI NG OF THE HEAD I NTO A POSTURE RELATED TO THE FACI AL EXPRESSI ON CAN CONVEY A BROADER EMOTI ONAL RANGE. FOR EXAMPLE, A HAND PUPPET OPERATES ON A TI LT AND BODY TWI ST ALONE, WI THOUT THE BENEFI T OF ACCURATE PHONETI C MOUTHI NG OR ANY FACI AL ACTI ON WHATSOEVER TO CONVEY EMOTI ONS. MANI PULATI NG A HAND PUPPET I S EXCELLENT DI ALOGUE RESEARCH FOR AN ANI MATOR TO LEARN HOW A MERE FI VE- DEGREE CHANGE I N TI LT CAN CONVEY A DI FFERENT EMOTI ON. MANY TI LTS OR HEAD TURNS ARE GESTURES I N THE ACTI ON SUCH AS A NOD FOR AFFI RMATI VE DI ALOGUE, A SHAKE SI DEWAYS FOR NEGATI VI TY, OR A CERTAI N JERK TO POI NT TOWARD ANOTHER CHARACTER, ETC.

AS SHOWN ABOVE, WHEN THE HANDS AND ARMS GESTURE THE DI ALOGUE, THE HEAD TI LTS TO BALANCE THESE MOVES I N THE OPPOSI TE DI RECTI ON. THI S RESULTS I N AN OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON AND FOLLOWTHROUGH THAT CAN I MPROVE MANY DI ALOGUE ACTI ONS. THE ACTI ON AT THE LEFT COULD BE SAYI NG THE DI ALOGUE ON PAGE 118 YOU FI T I T: A TO B I S " ALL OF THE BOYS" AND B TO C I S " CAUGHT A FI SH" . B I S A POSE ACCENT FOR " BOYS" AND C AND SPACI NG ACCENTS ARE " FI SH" . AN ACCENT I N DI ALOGUE ACTI ON CAN OCCUR AT AN ACTI ON START OR STOP, ANY CHANGE I N SPACI NG, OR ANY CHANGE I N DI RECTI ON. ACCENT THE START OF PHRASES OF DI ALOGUE AS WELL AS THE LOUD SOUNDS I N THE TRACK. DI VI DE THE DI ALOGUE I NTO PHRASES OF ACTI ON AND EXPRESSI ON. OFTEN, ONE FACI AL EXPRESSI ON SHOULD DOMI NATE AN ENTI RE SCENE TO EFFECTI VELY ADVANCE THE PLOT AND SAY MORE THAN THE MERE WORDS.

Chapter 4 - Page 184

DIALOGUE CHARACTER ACTING THI S I S A MODEL SHEET FOR A PROPOSED ANI MATED SERI ES OF THE HONEYMOONERS. THE DRAWI NGS DEFI NE THE RANGE OF BODY LANGUAGE EXPRESSI ONS THAT WERE THE REPERTOI RE OF THE ORI GI NAL ACTORS. THESE ACTI ONS REI NFORCED THE DI ALOGUE SCRI PT WHI CH I S WHAT MADE THE TV SERI ES SO FUNNY AND ENTERTAI NI NG. THESE DRAWI NGS SHOW THE ACTI ONS OF THE CHARACTERS AS THEY REACT TO THE UNFOLDI NG DRAMA.

RUNNI NG A GAMUT OF EMOTI ONS, THE ACTI NG HERE ADVANCES THE PLOT- I N AN UPROAR OF DRAMA. THE HEI GHT OF THE ART I S TO SURPRI SE THE VI EWER WI TH THE CHARACTER´ S EXPRESSI ONS... LEADI NG FROM ONE CRI SI S TO ANOTHER ... ON THE WAY TO THE FI NAL CRI SI S... I N THE ANTI CS OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DRAWN... BUT COME TO LI FE WI TH THE ART OF THE ACTOR- ANI MATOR. THE ACTI NG AND EXPRESSI ONS OF THE FACE, B0DY LANGUAGE, BODY ACTI ON EXPPESSI ONS, AND GESTURES, LI NKED TO DI ALOGUE, ALL ADD UP TO THE CREATI ON OF AN ANI MATED PERSONALI TY.

Chapter 4 - Page 186

DIALOGUE - VOWELS & CONSONANTS BELOW ARE THE MAI N MOUTH EXPRESSI ONS USED I N DI ALOGUE. THE FACE I S AN ELASTI C MASS THAT CAN BE SQUASHED OR STRETCHED TO FI T THE MOUTH EXPRESSI ONS. THI S CREATED A GOOD CONTRAST BETWEEN POSI TI ONS THAT HELPS YOUR ANI MATI ON. STUDY YOURSELF I N A MI RROR AS YOU SPEAK THE WORDS YOU ARE ANI MATI NG. PRONOUNCE THE WORDS DI STI NCTLY AND THE CORRECT MOUTH POSI TI ONS WI LL BE APPARENT.

WHEN ANI MATI NG A GROUP OF WORDS, STUDY THE WORDS AS THEY SOUND WHEN THEY ARE SPOKEN QUI CKLY. I T I S BEST TO FOLLOW THI S OVERALL MOUTH PATTERN AND REPRESS OR MODI FY I NDI VI DUAL SYLLABLES THAT ARE NOT I MPORTANT TO THE WHOLE.

BELOW, TO HELP GET YOU STARTED, I HAYE COMBI NED A FEW MOUTH POSI TI ONS TO MAKE WORDS.

Chapter 4 - Page 188

MOUTH ACTION - PRONUNCIATION

THE ANI MATOR CREATES AN I LLUSI ON OF SPEECH - OR A BELI EVABLE I MAGE THAT I S BASED ON REALI TY. AN ANI MATOR ANALYSES REAL MOUTH ACTI ON FROM PHONETI C SCI ENCE, THE PRONUNCI ATI ON GUI DES I N THE DI CTI ONARY, AND HI S OWN MOUTH ACTI ON. WHEN YOU PRONOUNCE " ALL OF" , YOUR MOUTH SHAPES THE SOUND " OL AV" . THE " A" I N " ALL" I S LI KE THE " O" SOUND I N BOUGHT OR CAUGHT THE " O" I N " OF" I S AN I TALI AN " A" SOUND AS I N " FAR" OR " FATHER" . ( ENGLI SH I S I RREGULAR) . A FAMOUS EXAMPLE I S THE WORD " FI SH." THESE LANGUAGE SOUNDS COULD BE SPELLED " GH- O- TI " FROM THE WORDS " ENOU- GH" , " W- O- MEN" , AND " NATI - ON" . I N THE PHONETI C CHART ABOVE, THE I TALI AN " A" I S FORMED AT THE BOTTOM MI DDLE OF THE MOUTH, THE " I " AT THE TOP FRONT, AND THE " OO" AT THE TOP BACK. THESE ARE THE VOWEL EXTREMES. THE CONSONANT " W" I S AN EXTREME " OO," AND THE " Y" I S A CONTI NUATI ON OF " I " . THE CHART I S A PATH TO FOLLOW. THE PHONETI C " I " I S REALLY TWO SOUNDS BLENDED: " A" AND " I " , ALSO, " U" I S " I " AND " OO." MOUTH I T. THE WORD " FEW" ACTUALLY ANALYSES THE SOUND " U" FOR ANI MATORS. AMERI CANS MOUTH " R" AS " U." A SCOTTI SH " R" I S LI KE " N- T- D" . ACCORDI NG TO PHONETI C SCI ENCE, " M" , " N" , AND " NG" ARE NASALS AND SOUND COMES AT THI S MOUTH, BUT " P" ( UNVOI CED) AND " B" ( VOI CED) ARE EXPLOSI ONS OF " M" AND THE SOUND I S AFTER THI S MOUTH. ALSO, " T" AND " D" ARE EXPLOSI ONS OF " N," AND " K" AND " G" ARE EXPLOSI ONS OF " NG" ( A SOUND WI THOUT

A LETTER) .

THE DI ALOGUE I S ENTERED ON THE EXPOSURE SHEET BY THE TRACK- READER. THE SOUND AND VOLUME OF EACH FRAME ARE ALSO I NDI CATED. THE MOUTHS SHOWN ON THE EXPOSURE SHEET HERE ARE A GUI DE FOR YOU, THEY ARE NOT USUALLY DRAWN ON THE SHEETS. MOUTHS SHOULD FI T THE CHARACTER AND THE MOOD. OFTEN, A CHARACTER MUMBLES OUT OF THE CORNER OF H I S MOUTH AND THE DI ALOGUE I S A SLI GHT VARI ATI ON OF A GESTURE MOUTH. STUDY YOUR OWN MOUTH ACTI ON I N A MI RROR, STUDY THE GENERAL FLOW OF SHAPES THROUGH A SENTENCE. YOUR MOUTH BLENDS AND CONSOLI DATES VOWELS AND CONSONANTS I N A CONTI NUOUS MOVEMENT. THE FASTER THE SPEECH, THE MORE THE WORDS ARE BLENDED UNTI L AN ENTI RE SENTENCE I S MOUTHED AS JUST ONE WORD. THERE I S A SPEED LI MI T WI TH SPEECH, AND ANI MATI ON THAT PASSES THI S LI MI T CHATTERS UNREALI STI CALLY, DESTROYI NG THE I LLUSI ON. THI S I S CAUSED BY TOO MANY JUMPS FROM SI DE TO SI DE I N THE ABOVE PATH. DON´ T MAKE JUMPS TOO CLOSE TOGETHER OR MAKE TOO MANY TOGETHER I N THE EXPOSURE TI MI NG. ALSO, MAKE JUMPS BEFORE VOWELS WHEN THE MOUTH OPENS. I MPORTANT VOWELS ARE TREATED LI KE A POSE WI TH PLENTY OF DRAWI NGS TO MAKE THEM REGI STER. MANY MOUTHS I N YOUR ACTI ON CAN BE I NFLUENCED OR MODI FI ED I N SHAPE TO FI T ADJOI NI NG MOUTHS, RESULTI NG I N SMOOTHER ACTI ON. MANY CHARACTERS CANNOT PRONOUNCE WORDS WI TH ALL THESE POSI TI ONS ON THE CHART ( F- 1, FOR EXAMPLE) , AND MANY GESTURES LI MI T MOUTH SHAPES, SO JUST TRY TO DRAW I N THE DI RECTI ON OF THE CORRECT MOUTH ( BLEND) .

Chapter 4 - Page 190

THE HECKLER

THESE CLEANED UP " KEY" DRAWI NGS WI LL GI VE YOU AN I DEA OF HOW DI ALOGUE CAN BE ANI MATED. THE FI RST DRAWI NG I S A TWELVE DRAWI NG " HOLD" ( THE MI SSI NG NUMBERS ARE I N- BETWEEN DRAWI NGS PUT I N BY ASSI STANT ARTI STS) . THE SCENE I S A BASEBALL GRANDSTAND, AND THE HECKLER I S YELLI NG, " KI LL DE UMPI RE ! - GET´ I M OUT O´ DERE ! - KI LL DE UMPI RE ! - KI LL DE UMP ! " WHEN AN OFFSTAGE SHOT ( SEE BELOW) SI GNI FI ES THE UMPI RE´ S EXECUTI ON ( 96) , THE HECKLER GOES I NTO A SURPRI SE " TAKE" , RI SES, REMOVES HI S DERBY AND SADLY WATCHES THE DEAD OFFI CI AL CARRI ED OFF AS A TRUMPET PLAYS " TAPS."

TO REPEAT: THE MI SSI NG NUMBERS OF THE HECKLER ARE I N- BETWEEN DRAWI NGS PUT I N BY ASSI STANT ARTI STS. THE FI RST DRAWI NG OF THE SCENE I S A TWELVE DRAWI NG " HOLD" AS THE SAME DRAWI NG APPEARS ON TWELVE MOTI ON PI CTURE FRAMES. LOOK OVER TH I S ACTI ON AND STUDY THE ANI MATI ON PRI NCI PLES I HAVE PREVI OUSLY OUTLI NED AS SQUASH AND STRETCH ON HEADS, OVERLAPPI NG ACTI ON, FOLLOW- THROUGH, THE USE OF THE ANTI CI PATI ON DRAWI NG, AND THE DI ALOGUE VOWELS AND CONSONANTS FROM PAGES 1 8 6 - 1 8 8 . ALSO NOTI CE THE GENERAL PHRASI NG OF THE DI ALOGUE HERE: HOW THE HECKLER ASSUMES A GENERAL POSI TI ON FOR A WHOLE SENTENCE AND THEN CHANGES TO ANOTHER POSI TI ON FOR THE NEXT SENTENCE, I NSTEAD OF CHANGI NG POSI TI ONS ON EVERY WORD.

STUDY HOW ACTORS GO THROUGH A SERI ES OF GESTURES AND ATTI TUDES AS THEY ACT THEI R PARTS ON TELEVI SI ON AND HOW THEY RELATE THI S BODY LANGUAGE TO THE WORDS - THE SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS OF THE DRAMA. THEN LOOK AT A COMI C BOOK, NEWSPAPER COMI C STRI P, OR ANY DI ALOGUE I N PRI NT AND ACT OUT THE EXPRESSI ONS AND POSE GESTURES YOU WOULD USE TO ANI MATE BRI NG TO AN I LLUSI ON OF REALI TY) THE STI LL CARTOON DRAWI NG.

STUDY HOW ACTORS GO THROUGH A SERI ES OF GESTURES AND ATTI TUDES AS THEY ACT THEI R PARTS ON TELEVI SI ON AND HOW THEY RELATE THI S BODY LANGUAGE TO THE WORDS - THE SENTENCES AND PARAGRAPHS OF THE DRAMA. THEN LOOK AT A COMI C BOOK, NEWSPAPER COMI C STRI P, OR ANY DI ALOGUE I N PRI NT AND ACT OUT THE EXPRESSI ONS AND POSE GESTURES YOU WOULD USE TO ANI MATE BRI NG TO AN I LLUSI ON OF REALI TY) THE STI LL CARTOON DRAWI NG.

Chapter 5 - Introduction

Chapter 5 : TECHNICAL This chapt er includes clear explanat ions of m any t echnical t opics: t im ing and spacing pat t erns, background layout drawings, t he cart oon st oryboard, and t he synchronizat ion of cam era, background, charact ers, sound, and m usic.

The st oryboard and script are t he foundat ions for t he rest of t he anim at ion. Met hods of synchronizing dialogue wit h charact er act ions and gest ures and cam era posit ions are shown on a single chart t hat t ies t hem all t oget her int o sm oot h, progressive anim at ion. Cycles of planned anim at ion and lim it ed anim at ion cut out s t hat can save a great am ount of t im e on cert ain t ypes of anim at ion are shown on pa ge s 2 0 0 - 2 0 2 . The use of background pans, overlays, and cels is also explained.

Point ers on how t o set up and build your own anim at ion st udio and cam era com pound are shown and discussed on pa ge 2 1 8 . You can m ake your st udio as elaborat e as you wish, but a well- funct ioning st udio can also be const ruct ed econom ically. Of course, t he cam era is t he m ost expensive part of t he vent ure, but t he cam era " t ruck" is easy t o const ruct . The m ost crit ical part of t his const ruct ion is t hat all of t he angles bet ween t he cam era and t he film ing surface ( com pound t op) be accurat e so t hat no dist ort ion occurs.

This chapt er cont ains all of t he vit al inform at ion needed t o get you underway in your st udio t o develop and produce your own anim at ed film cart oons.

Chapter 5 - Page 196

TIMING AND SPACING PATTERNS The anim at or is t he " act or" of t he film cart oon. An act or´ s t im ing, which is based on inst inct and personalit y, is t he essence of t he art . The act or m ust learn t he craft , such as how t o walk or m ove wit h m eaning, t o never pause unless t here is a reason, and if t here is a pause, t o pause as long as possible. The act or/ anim at or m ust learn t he value of a " hold" : t he proper am ount of t im e t o linger so it will regist er wit h t he audience for all it is wort h. He m ust also decide whet her t o j um p int o a hold or t o cushion int o it gradually, when t o " freeze" a hold or when t o keep up subt le secondary act ions t o give it a " breat h of life" , when t o st art sm all act ions during t he hold t hat ant icipat e t he following m ove, when t o m ove t he eyes t o ant icipat e com ing m ovem ent , and, finally, aft er such ant icipat ion, when t o j um p out of a pose or when t o slowly m ove out . Such is t he craft of t he art .

The swings and t icks of a m et ronom e can det erm ine t he exact speed of t he fram es of a walk, a run, or any act ion you visualize. Set t he arm at 8 fram es and act out a fast walk or run wit h your fingers. You m ay t hen decide t hat 12 fram es are closer t o what you need. Make fram e- count m arks, as shown above. Then check t he clock so t hirt y 12- fram e t icks fit in fift een seconds.

To check t he look of even speeds, place your pencil over a st raight 12- field, as in figure 12 below sim ply a line divided evenly by 12) . Then m ove t he pencil back and fort h, from one end of t he 12- field t o t he ot her, at a 24fram e t ick ( m et ronom e set at 54, which equals 24 fram es per second) . By doing t his, you can visually check t he look of an even speed. From t his t est , you will find t hat it t akes one 24- fram e lick t o m ove across 12 inches. This m eans t hat t he m ovem ent equals 1/ 2 inch per fram e. I f you use t wo 24- fram e t icks t o cover 12 inches, t hen t he m ovem ent will be 1/ 4 inch per fram e. The pendulum pat t ern ( figure 1) is evenly spaced. This pat t ern occurs in leg and arm m ovem ent s in walks and runs. The unevenly spaced figures ( figures 2 and 3) change t he act ion considerably. Figure 2 is slow- out , slowin, slow- out , et c. Figure 3 is eit her slowout , fast - in, slow- out , et c., or reversed t o fast - out , slow- in, fast - out , et c. Figures 4 t hrough 11 are act ions of t he head or body in walk and run cycles. The recoil drawing is at t he base. When lim e is spent around t his, t he weight is accent uat ed and t he creat ure sim ply cannot seem t o get off t he ground. When t he high drawing is accent uat ed, t he creat ure is so light weight t hat he bounces up, float s, and scarcely t ouches t he ground. Walks wit h charact er usually have uneven spacing. Figures 4 and 6 are for heavyweight s. A light weight deer would bounce and float like figures 5 and 7. Figures 8 and 9 are usual in a

walk or a run on a pan. Recoil is bot t om , rise t o t he left m idway up, high on t op, and cont act m idway down on t he right . Any of t hese four posit ions can be accent uat ed in t im ing t o creat e charact er. I n figures 10 and 11 t he head or t he body and t he head are m oving from side t o side in t he walk or run act ion on a pan. Reverse t he direct ion on t hese ( or on figures 8 and 9) and you will get a different charact er.

Oft en, t he best way t o m ove is sim ply in a st raight line as in figures 12 t o 14. All pat t erns m ay be bet t er when evenly spaced in various accent s. Figures 15 t o 18 occur in hand and arm m ovem ent s. Figure 19 happens const ant ly in live act ion. A hand and arm m ove in an arc, t hen suddenly j um p t o a different arc as t he result of anot her body act ion accent or j erk ( such as a kick) . On figure 21, a hand and arm or an ent ire charact er com es back in ant icipat ion, m oves fast , t hen violent ly st agger- st ops. Figures 22 t o 26 are som e of t he m any st agger act ions for t akes, st ops, collisions, crashes, et c. An evenly spaced series of drawings can be a st agger act ion: 1- 10- 2- 9- 3- 8- 4- 7- 5- 6, et c.

FILMED RESULT OF SPACED MOVES The film ed result and m eaning of a spaced m ove depend on ( 1) act ual m easurem ent , ( 2) relat ion t o t he field size, and ( 3) relat ion t o t he size of t he charact er. The anim at or has a specific act ion t o do in a cert ain t im e or num ber of fram es. From experience he knows how specific pat t erns of spacing will work when t hey m easure and pat h t he act ions in t he charact er. He oft en chart s a pat t ern in advance, but t hese pat t erns are usually inherent in t he anim at ion st ruct ure and t hey evolve int uit ively during anim at ion. A puppet m oves as t he st rings are adj ust ed. An anim at ed charact er m oves according t o spaced- m ove pat t erns in t he act ions. When t he anim at or st art s a scene, you can check t he looks of even speeds by m oving your pencil back and fort h across a 12- field as t im ed by a m et ronom e. You can figure it out : At t he 24- fram e t ick, one m ove across 12 inches is a speed of 1/ 2 inch per fram e, and it t akes t wo 24- fram e t icks t o m ove your pencil across 12 inches at 1/ 4 inch, et c.

My advice t o t he beginner is t o first t ry t o develop a sense of t im ing by anim at ing and film t est ing a large and a sm all circle in various speeds in t he pat t erns out lined t hroughout t his book. Then st udy t he act ion of t he pat t erns and learn t o adj ust t he spacing of t he anim at ion t o creat e t he exact charact er act ion for t he specific scene. You can t hen plan t he t im ing so your anim at ion will do what ever you visualize. You will learn t o t hink of anim at ion in a series of m ot ion pict ure fram es and how t o regist er t akes, gest ures, act ions, and poses.

As shown above, a sm all m ove on a sm all circle has t he sam e relat ion t o t he circle as a large m ove on a large circle. A large m ove on a large held appears t he sam e on film as a sm all m ove on a sm all field.

Chapter 5 - Page 198

ACCENTS – BEATS - SCENE TIMING The STORYBOARD and t he SCRI PT are t he building plans ( like a blueprint ) , and t he film is const ruct ed on t hese foundat ions. Each scene is described in t he script for pict ure and sound. The scene t it le describes t he charact ers, t he sound, and t he t ype as ( 1) CLOSE- UP, ( 2) MEDI UM CLOSE- UP, ( 3) MEDI UM SHOT, ( 4) MEDI UMLONG SHOT, or ( 5) LONG SHOT. The t ransit ion from one scene t o t he next is described as ( 1) CUT- TO, ( 2) CROSS- DI SSOLVE, ( 3) FADE- OUT, ( 4) FADE- I N, ( 5) TRUCK- BACK- TO, ( 6) TRUCK- DOWN- TO, ( 7) WI PE, ( 8) I RI SOUT, ( 9) I RI S- I N, or ( 10) ANI MATED METAMORPHOSI S. Layout drawings based on t he st oryboard are m ade of t he background and key charact er posit ions. Dialogue and m usic are recorded and a film edit or " reader" m easures and writ es down t he exact fram e posit ion on t he BAR SHEETS and EXPOSURE SHEETS. The m usic or BAR SHEETS plan t he product ion t im ing on all t he scenes in a film .

The EXPOSURE SHEETS plan t he anim at ion product ion t im ing of an individual scene. Each fram e, foot , and scene has a num ber. Each m usic beat , act ion accent , word sound, and t im ing det ail also has a num ber. For a drawing t o appear " in sync" wit h a sound accent , t he drawing should be exposed t wo or t hree t im es before t he sound. Som e anim at ors allow for t his, but m ost anim at e t o t he sam e fram e as t he sound, t hen shift t he ent ire film t wo or t hree fram es ahead of t he sound t rack during edit ing. Sound accent s can be " hit " by any radical change in pict ure t im ing, such as sudden st art s or st ops, j um ps, and act ion reversals or freezes. Sudden slow spacing or wide spacing in a cont inuous act ion can accent a sound. Think in series of fram es because you can´ t see anyt hing else. Accent s on walk and run cycles com e at t he recoil- bot t om or high point drawings. Most act ion and dialogue can be on 2s. When t he act ion is fast wit h wide spacing, use 1s t o avoid t oo wide, j um py spacing. The four cels over t he background in cart oon film s allow four act ion levels. Also, part s of a charact er can m ove on one level ( 12AE, as shown on t he product ion sheet " The Lost Kit t en" below) , while t he ot her part s are held on t he next level ( 12) . There shouldn´ t be any vit al act ions or im port ant dialogue in t he first five or six fram es of a scene. TV bar sheet s ( as shown above) have one foot ( 16 fram es) per bar. Theat rical m usic bar sheet s vary in bar lengt h t o fit t he m usical m ood of t he film . Dialogue and m usic are planned in t hese bar sheet s wit h a st opwat ch. Music is t hen com posed and recorded wit h dialogue and t he scene t im ing m ay have t o be adj ust ed t o fit . Adj ust m ent s and changes are a const ant in anim at ed film s.

A STOPWATCH st art s and st ops wit h t he push of t he but t on. The anim at or m ust t im e his act ing t o plan t he num ber of fram es for each act ion. Som e wat ches have foot age scales. A second hand on an elect ric clock, a m et ronom e, or live- act ion film research can also be used for scene t im ing.

Chapter 5 - Page 200

CYCLES-PLANNED ANIMATION When t he foot is placed on t he ground in a pan scene, it m oves wit h t he pan m oves, as in t hose indicat ed on t his page below. The " pan" in t his case is t he m ovem ent of t he background while t he charact er is walking in t he m iddle of t he scene. The background art is m oved a precise dist ance as required by t he charact er act ion. For exam ple, t he background would be m oved m ore slowly for a walk t han for a run. Consequent ly, foot cont act on t he background and speed of m ovem ent m ust be precisely coordinat ed by using t he m et hods shown at t he left below. These m oves are relat ed t o a st at ionary cent erline. The body and all t he part s m ove in pat hs of act ion, t hese are t he usual pat t erns. The act ion can m ove in eit her direct ion. As in life, cycles have count less variat ions, and you can exaggerat e or subdue any posit ion or m ove.

Never m ove a charact er wit hout m eaning. Bring out a gest ure, m annerism , or st ory m ood in every cycle. Two of t he cycles below are com bined in a double- bounce- st rut . Not ice t he cocky gest ure at high point s. I t is a series of closely relat ed drawings, no t im e is lost in going t o t he opposit e st ep gest ure. Funny walks can " m ake" a film .

PLANNED ANI MATI ON is a syst em of com bining anim at ion m et hods and planning t he reuse of t he art work for m any different scenes. I t is used t o produce t he considerable film foot age of a t elevision cart oon series. A change of pace result s from t he use of full anim at ion in crit ical act ions of t he st ory and t he use of lim it ed anim at ion in dialogue wit h burst s of full anim at ion for im port ant gest ures. Anim at ion, backgrounds wit h overlay backgrounds, and cam era fields and t rucks are planned for use in m any com binat ions. Thus, t he product ion work get s m ore " m ileage." You m ust plan your film ! CYCLE ANI MATI ON, as shown below t his page, can be put on long cels t hat allow t welve inches on each side of t he drawing. Such anim at ion can be used in t he field cent er wit h a m oving pan as t he background. The sam e cels placed on m oving pegs can m ove t he charact er t hrough a st ill background scene. The sam e cels can also walk int o anot her background, st ay cent ered as t he background m oves, and t hen m ove out when t he background st ops. On t he ot her t hree cel levels in t he anim at ion scene, ot her cycle charact ers can m ove at a different speed, in any direct ion. LI MI TED ANI MATI ON is based on dividing a charact er int o as m any as four cel levels and a dialogue syst em . I t is especially adapt able t o t he t ype of charact ers illust rat ed on pa ge 2 0 2 . The dialogue syst em is oft en m ore elaborat e, as seven heads up and down and seven heads in a sideways m ove, all around a cent ered head. Laughs and giggles are oft en anim at ed by a laughing, evenly spaced, up- and- down series of such heads in a st agger- t im ing on t he exposure sheet . A dialogue head series can be fit t ed t o a body cycle walking on a pan background. A bot t om peg cam era device m oves t he pegs up and down t o fit t he walking act ion. ( Not e: body

act ion peg holes are adj ust ed.) Heads can fit charact ers in a vehicle on a pan. This ent ire act ion bounces on t he rough road using t he sam e device at t ached t o t he bot t om peg bar. Such m echanics are endless. ANI MATED CUTOUTS can be added t o bot h full and lim it ed anim at ion cels. Aft er t he cel is placed on cam era, t he cut out is placed over or under t he cel according t o a few dot guides on t he cel. For exam ple, an elaborat e line engraving of an ant ique aut o is cut out and placed under a cel series t hat anim at es t he wheel act ion, dust , sm oke, and charact ers seat ed in t he aut o.

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LIMITED ANIMATION - CUTOUTS Anim at ion cut out s can be very cost effect ive in producing anim at ed film s. Body poses, wit h different head at t it udes, can be used over and over in m ult iple com binat ions. For exam ple, different arm s can be used on t he sam e body, as can m out hs, eyes, and noses on a single cel head wit hout having t o redraw t he ent ire body for each m ovem ent . All part s of t hese " anim at ion cut out s" can be st ored for recall in anot her scene or film .

LI MI TED ANI MATI ON for t elevision is based on dividing charact ers int o part s t hat work on separat e cel levels. Here are som e exam ples of t he m any divisions possible. The sam e set of charact er cels can be used in m any scones.

DI ALOGUE SYSTEM - The head m oves in a slight nod act ion, up an down, in drawings 1 t o 4. Each head has a series of four t o seven m out h drawings t hat work on t he cel level above t he head. Thus, t he head nods in m any t im ings for any am ount of dialogue.

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MAKING AN ANIMATION CEL Here is t he order of set t ing up t he part s of a dog t hat are j oined at socket point s. Use perspect ive guidelines on t he body when needed - as you do on t he head.

Once t he part s are fit on, clean up unwant ed lines.

Chapter 5 - Page 206

COLORING THE CEL

This is a colored cel m ade from t he cleanup drawing on pa ge 2 0 4 . The cleanup drawing was enlarged on a copy m achine, and t hen a brush and ink were used t o t race it ont o t he cel.

The cleaned up anim at ion drawing is t ransferred t o a t ransparent cel ( celluloid .005) by t racing wit h a pen or brush and ink ( special ink t hat adheres t o acet at e m ust be used) . The drawing can also be phot ocopied ont o t he cel. Then t he colors are paint ed on t he back of t he cel wit h opaque acrylic paint ( acrylics are used because t hey will adhere t o t he cot ) . Aft er t he cot is colored, it is placed over t he background and phot ographed wit h t he cam era. ( This process is explained in m ore det ail on pa ge 2 1 8 .) Most cart oon cels are inked wit h a pen, but t he brush can be used t o give a heavier, m ore accent ed line ( t he drawings on t hese t wo pages were done wit h a brush) . I f you are designing an original charact er, experim ent wit h it s colorat ion by using t ransparent wat ercolors on phot ocopies or enlargem ent s of your cleanup drawings. Color m any drawings unt il you perfect t he color schem e, and t hen m ake acrylic- colored cels using t he wat ercolor paint s as guides. You can m ake colored backgrounds for t he cels using bot h wat ercolors and t he opaque acrylics ( t he way st udios do) . Background t ext ure can be creat ed wit h a wet sponge and opaque acrylic paint .

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THE CARTOON STORYBOARD On t his page below is an exam ple of a st oryboard t hat is t he basic plan of an anim at ed cart oon film . I t resem bles a page in t he newspaper com ics. Art ist s in a st ory depart m ent develop t he st ory line of t he film by at t aching t hese st ory sket ches ont o a large blackboard- size board wit h pushpins. The st orym en will replace drawings and re- edit t he st oryboard const ant ly as t hey visualize and originat e addit ions and changes t o add hum or t o t he st ory. The inanim at e obj ect t hat has com e t o life ( t he t ree) is anot her t ype of cart oon charact er t o add t o t his book. Here t he t rees engage in t he full verbosit y of a violent argum ent , and t he st orym en m ust visualize t he cont inuit y. Then, t he film direct or and st aff t ake a hand in t he developm ent , followed by t he anim at or who oft en put s in t he vit al finishing t ouches and changes. I t is a const ant creat ive process- at least at t he im port ant st udios- especially on feat ures, The st orym an has t o know st aging and dram a, he has t o figure out and ant icipat e what t he audience is t hinking and t hen surprise, am use, or spellbind t he viewer. Such is t he sim ple recipe for a blockbust er epic. St ory art ist s also visualize t he art st yle of t he film . St oryboards m ay incorporat e an occasional pict ure done in full- color wat ercolor or past el t hat est ablishes t he color and t he background t reat m ent . Drawings m ay be from 6" x 4- 3/ 8" t o 12" x 8- 3/ 4" , which are t he sam e proport ions as t he anim at ion field. A t eam of art ist s usually develops t he st oryboard aft er t he idea is act ed out by t he st orym an before an audience in a conference of evaluat ion. This helps t he creat ivit y process t rem endously. For exam ple, while looking at t he st oryboard below, a st orym an m ight add pict ure panels bet ween t he first t wo t hat visualize an int erest ing or am using way t hat t he golden hat chet was obt ained by our hero.

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BACKGROUND LAYOUT DRAWINGS Working wit h t he film direct or, a layout art ist draws each scene for t he anim at or. He m akes pencil drawings of t he background and t he key anim at ion posit ions. These layout drawings est ablish t he relat ionship bet ween t he background and t he anim at ion art . I n t he exam ple here, t he drawing of t he wit ch in t he dist ance is separat e from t he layout drawing of t he village. The anim at or and film direct or m eet t o discuss t he scene. First t hey st udy t he various elem ent s of t he scene: t he st oryboard, sound t rack, layout s, and exposure sheet s. Then t hey usually review t he art t hat leads int o it . Finally, t he direct or explains what he visualizes for t he scene and how it fit s int o t he rest of t he st ory and film product ion. For exam ple, a sm all village is undergoing an aerial at t ack from t he wicked wit ch, it is evening. and t he villagers have lit som e lam ps t hat can be seen in t he windows. The blue cast of evening is t he dom inant color of t he scene. St art ing as a sm all dot in t he dist ance, t he wit ch ent ers t he near sky on her broom st ick, scream ing and cackling hyst erically. Light ning flashes as t he whole scene j um ps t o a warm daylight color for a few fram es, t his is followed by a clap of t hunder, which int ensifies as t he wit ch winds her way forward, com ing down t he st reet from t he upper left . Panicked villagers run t hrough t he st reet s, hiding in doorways - here and t here people close t heir shut t ers.

Suddenly, wit h a fiendish scream , t he wit ch rocket s t o t he foreground for a m om ent , her head t urned away as she navigat es t he t urn and scream s at t he villagers. Then, t wist ing down t he st reet t oward t he upper right , she t urns left t o fly around t he chim ney in t he cent er of t he scene. The fiendish hag disappears behind t he roof at t he t op of t he scene for a m om ent and t hen reappears in t he sky on t he opposit e side. Turning forward, she hurt les up t he narrow st reet canyon, pursuing t he st um bling and falling villagers. Next , preceded by a flash of light and a clap of t hunder, t he wit ch gyrat es t o t he foreground t o scream at t he viewer, as pict ured in t he drawing at far right , Then t urning back t o t he village, she st reaks down t he st reet t o t he right , t wist ing and t urning around t he chim neys, rooft ops, and st reet s, finally rock st ing int o t he far sky, becom ing a m ere m oving speck above t he dist ant t rees. Today, it is possible t o anim at e t hese act ive villagers and t he dist ant wit ch on a m uch larger scale. The scene is first divided int o sect ions, t hese sect ions can be com bined and reduced t o t he scale above on phot ocopied cels ( m odern Disney feat ure anim at ion dem onst rat es a com put er- assist ed process.) To do t his t ype of anim at ion, you need four layers of cel anim at ion - on eit her a single field or m ult iple fields ( long cels) - which are on eit her t op or bot t om pegs, a pan background t hat can m ove right or left on t op or bot t om pegs, and eit her t op or bot t om float ing pegs at t ached t o m oving flaps t hat overlay t he background or cel. This set up allows for adj ust m ent s for m ast ery and range, as well as t he great est variet y of cam era shot s ( see pa ge 2 1 8 ) . By redesigning t he background of t his wit ch scene int o a basic background and t wo overlay backgrounds you can creat e a t hree- dim ensional effect . The basic background includes t he dist ant st ruct ures, t he woods, and t he

sky, t he first overlay is of t he cent ral st ruct ures, and t he second overlay is of t he large foreground st ruct ures. The t hree- dim ensional effect is creat ed by m oving t he second overlay quickly, t he first overlay fairly slowly, and t he basic background even m ore slowly. The dram at ics of t he scene can be height ened by following t he wit ch wit h t ruck m ovem ent s from her ent rance t o t he hurt ling up t he st reet t o scream at t he viewer. I n a sim pler version, t he wit ch is on a single field cel and flies from t he dist ance t o t he foreground and rem ains in t he sam e relat ive posit ion shown across t he scene.

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STILL BACK GROUNDS. TRUCKS. AND FIELDS The no. 12 field scene can have four cel levels and a num ber of overlays. The dist ant hills could be t he background. The foreground and t he foreground inn and t ree could be t wo separat e overlays. They could separat e during a t ruck- down t o give dept h.

Cels can be separat ed vert ically t o creat e a nat ural m ovem ent of obj ect s and creat e a feeling of dept h during a cam era t ruck- down t oward t he cels. ( The vert ical m ovem ent up or down of t he cam era on t he fram e is called a " t ruck" ) . A t ruck m ovem ent is indicat ed using t he field cent er locat ion of t he chart ( see below and pa ge 2 1 8 ) . The t ruck m ove is chart ed on t he chart m ap ( a port ion of which is shown, act ual size, below) t hat can be regist ered below t he cam era on t he com pound, if necessary. To help you bet t er underst and t rucks and fields, t he t rucks shown below are designed t o appear on film absolut ely even, wit h no sudden m oves or hesit at ions.

A t ruck is indicat ed as per field cent er locat ion on t he chart on page 218, like a m ap nort h, sout h, east , and west . The t ruck is chart ed on a sect ion of t he chart ( shown act ual size, below) . This t ruck is down ( or up) bet ween a no.12 field at cent er ( C) and a no.4 field at a cent er point t hat is t hree fields sout h of cent er and 31/ 2 fields east of cent er ( no. 4F., 3S., 3- 1/ 2 E.) . St ill t he pat h of a t ruck can curve or even st agger. The field can t ip t o any degree or it can t urn around. I n t his scene, t he fox could run up t he road up t he hill, past t he inn, and int o t he foreqround int o line cam era or reversed- followed by a curved t ruck from a 3- 1/ 2 t o 12 field. Truck m oves are usually evenly spaced on t he chart ed pat h ( in red) wit h a slight slow in and slow- out . To help you grasp t he m eaning of t rucks and fields, here is a t ruck t hat is figured t o appear on film absolut ely even. Each m ove reduces t he field by t he sam e percent age. The fields look like t he fram ework of a house. Even st eps down t he road are in t he sam e configurat ion. Use diagonals, as shown, t o locat e such posit ions in perspect ive work. Now when you anim at e in t hese fields, you can see t hat t he sam e spaced m ove in your anim at ion art will be a different lengt h and speed in each separat e field. Let ´ s say you have t o shift gears for each field. The sam e pan m ove is also slower in t he large fields and fast er in t he sm all fields.

COMPOSITION OF PICTURES Under t he realist ic surface of every pict ure are abst ract principles of com posit ion t hat are t he st ruct ure and foundat ion on which t he pict ure is built , t he decorat ive pat t ern of t he pict ure, and t he m eans of t elling a st ory or expressing a dram at ic m ood. Thus, com posit ion has a t riple funct ion. The abst ract principles are 2. The ent rance and t he exit of t he eye. 3. Circular and rhyt hm ic com posit ion. 4. Angular com posit ion. 5. Unit s/ groups - t he figure in landscape. 6. Light , shade, and color. Art ist s operat e int uit ively wit h com posit ion. Many draw wit hout t he power of knowing t he com posit ion principles t hey use, t hey draw wit hout recourse t o inference or reasoning but wit h a kind of innat e or inst inct ive knowledge of com posit ion. This was t he case wit h Michelangelo, whereas Leonardo da Vinci com posed wit h knowledge.

THE CENTER OF INTEREST An underst anding of com posit ion principles is ext rem ely useful t o an anim at or when he or she m oves and poses t he act ors in t he st age set . The anim at ion is t he cent er of int erest in t he t ot al pict ure. I n all t ypes of art t here are abst ract elem ent s t hat support and point t o t his cent er. A classic exam ple is Da Vinci´ s The Last Supper wit h all t he diagonals leading t he eye t o t he cent ral figure. I n t he exam ple here, t he abst ract ions of t he fox and t he raccoon fit and t ake advant age of t he circular rhyt hm s ( red) and t he vert ical- horizont al- diagonal com posit ion ( blue) . So wat ch t he perspect ive in t he set as t he act or m oves ( wit h m eaning) and " play all of your cards" . As t he cam era t rucks down and around t he no.12 field scene above, t he sm aller fields t hat result have different com posit ions wit h different abst ract pat t erns, and t he anim at or designs t he anim at ion t o fit , keeping t he anim at ion as t he cent er of int erest .

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PAN BACK GROUNDS. OVERLAYS. CELS The bear and t he raccoon ( seen below) in a walk cycle anim at e t hrough t he scene, m oving from right t o left . The pan background ( t op) m oves t o t he right under t he bear and raccoon long cars. Above t hese cels an overlay background of t he large t ree m oves right at t wice t he speed or spacing of t he pan background. Above t he t ree overlay, a second overlay background m oves right at t hree t im es t he speed of t he pan. Thus t here are t hree different background pieces. Each m oves at a different speed, giving t he scene an illusion of realit y, wit h great dept h and dist ance. For inst ance, close t rees m ove fast er t han dist ant t rees. Variat ions in pan overlay speeds are plot t ed using act ual perspect ive m oves.

Backgrounds can be several fields in lengt h or a cycle background is planned wit h t hree or m ore fields, such as t he first and last fields, paint ed exact ly alike. Thus, t he background can be j um ped bet ween t hese fields in a cycle. Cycles like t his bear and raccoon t hat m ove t hrough a scene are on long calls t hat allow a full, clear field ( not indicat ed) on each side of t he charact ers. I f a drawing is used in one peg posit ion, it is usually put on a single field cel.

I n planned anim at ion for TV, m any scenes are m ade from t his art work. Ot her pans are shot at sm aller fields. St ill scenes are m ade from sect ions of t he background wit h ot her overlays and ot her anim at ion used. The bear and raccoon cycle walk t hrough ot her backgrounds. Overlays are cut out s, or t he paint ings are m ade direct ly on t he cel wit h vinyl- acrylic paint . This wat er- based paint adheres t o acet at e, it is used for all anim at ion cel product ion and for t he art work. As shown on t his page below, t he back of t he anim at ion cel is paint ed wit h t his opaque paint . Originally, t he drawings were t raced wit h pen or brush on t he front of t he cel wit h acet at e inks.

PHOTOCOPY

A st at e- of- t he- art phot ocopy m achine is used t o t ransfer m ost anim at ion art t o cels using fum es inst ead of heat t o fix t he im age on t he cel. Two t ypes of m achines are used, and t he anim at or should know what each offers, j ust as he should know what t he anim at ion film cam era can do. ( 1) The original m achine wit h a hand- operat ed bellows offers bot h enlargem ent and reduct ion, it is used for bot h cels and backgrounds. ( 2) This is a 35 m m m icrofilm unit t hat is fit t ed wit h a 35 m m proj ect or m echanism . The drawings are phot ographed on film by an anim at ion cam era, and t hen t his film is used t o m ass- produce cels. Thus, t he rot oscope is obsolet e. Trucks and all operat ions of an anim at ion cam era can be done by t his versat ile cam era.

Chapter 5 - Page 218

CAMERA AND TECHNICAL

The ANI MATI ON CAMERA m oves vert ically up and down from a fixed cent er point . The art work on t he COMPOUND m oves nort h/ sout h ( N/ S) and west / east ( W/ E) . A cam era " t ruck" is t he vert ical m ovem ent of t he cam era and t he com pound adj ust m ent s needed. Com pound m oves alone are called " cam eram oves." The cam era t rucks from a 3 1/ 2 t o 12 field, according t o t he chart at t he right . Fields are locat ed by cent er of field like a m ap: N/ S and W/ E. This m easures com pound m oves. The COMPOUND TOP has t op and bot t om peg bars t hat m ove right or left . These are called " pan m oves" for a background and " peg m oves" for cel anim at ion art work.

Anim at ion is drawn on 10- 1/ 2" x 14" paper and phot ographed on .005 acet at e " cels" . These are punched wit h peg holes for regist ry. The pegs at t he t op of t he page are widely used for TV shows, com m ercials, and ot her product ion. Most anim at ors use an alum inum - cast drawing disc t hat fit s and rot at es in a circular hole cut in a drawing board or t able. The disc shown above has an adj ust able m oving peg bar t hat can serve as eit her t op or bot t om pegs by rot at ing t he disc. Ot her discs have only t he set pegs or t wo m oving peg bars. A 60- wat t bulb or fluorescent light is used in a light box under t he disc. The 12 field ( 12" x 8- 3/ 4" ) as chart ed above is t he size and area of norm al product ion. Only fields from a 3- 1/ 2 hold t o a 12 field are used. The locat ion of t he cent er point of a field on t he chart above on t he right is specified as eit her " C" ( for cent er) or t he N/ S and W/ E field dist ances for " C" . On t he exposure sheet on t his page below, t he st art 5 field´ s cent er point is 1- 1/ 2 fields sout h of cent er and 3 fields east of cent er- like a m ap. Cam eras t ruck t o an 18, 24, or as high as a 36 field. This is for special or unusual art work t hat is rarely anim at ed ( it is usually st ill) . Cam eras have special equipm ent for fully anim at ed cel product ion at an 18 field. Ext ra peg bars are built int o t he com pound. Many com pounds have double t op and bot t om peg bars t o help wit h 12 field product ion. Many com pounds rot at e 360 degrees ( a com plet e circle) . Fields can t ip t o any angle, t wirl around, or shift t o a 90- degree vert ical t hat would allow for an up- and- down pan scene. An 8- 3/ 4 field is t he largest t hat will fit sideways for such a pan. Tilt ed fields are indicat ed in degrees, j ust as surveyors indicat e angles on a m ap. This versat ile cam era can do m any t hings.

The cam era operat or shoot s t he scene based on t he exposure sheet form and m et hod shown at t he left . The anim at or draws a heavy line at t he st art and st op of all cam era and peg bar m oves. A t ruck is indicat ed wit h a vert ical arrow, a cam era dissolve- out is a V, and a dissolve- in is an invert ed V, as shown. These t wo V form s are com bined in an X form for a fade- in and fade- out dissolve, and t hey overlap in an XX shape for a cross- dissolve. Com pound peg bar cel or pan m oves are given in decim als, however, pan m oves are also given wit h a chart of m oves above or below pegs on t he edge of t he background. When a held cel is rem oved, result ing in no cel posit ion in colum n, a blank cel is placed. There are four cel levels. Sheet s are usually for 80 fram es or 5 feet ( see pa ge 1 9 8 ) .A scene is easier t o " shoot " if t he pan is on t he t op pegs and t he cels are on t he bot t om pegs. Anim at ion drawn on t he " nat ural" t op pegs can easily be put on bot t om peg cels. The cam era runs bot h backward and forward, and it can shoot a scene in eit her direct ion. Thus, a scene exposed beginning at t he end and m oving t oward t he st art enables a piece of art work or an anim at ed cycle t o be " scrat ched off" or cut off according t o planned spacing. When proj ect ed forward, t he act ion is growt h. An opaque shadow, cloud, wat er cycle, rainbow, or ghost anim at ion becom es t ransparent t o a cert ain degree by m aking one run of t he scene at a 50% ( or ot her) shut t er st op, t hen m aking a second run wit hout art work t o be t ransparent at a 50% ( or ot her) shut t er st op ( t he t ot al exposure of bot h runs m ust be 100% ) . Or a charact er appears t o walk t hrough an opaque rainbow, t ree, cloud, door, or wat er cycle by m aking t wo 50% runs wit h t he charact er above and t hen under t hese art works. A " m at t e" shot uses a black m at t e over a scene being phot ographed, t hus t he area of t he m at t e is unexposed. I n anot her run a charact er is exposed in t his exact area.

Chapter 5 - Page 220

HOW CARTOONS ARE MADE The sim plest form of anim at ion is t he " flip" book. To m ake a sim ple flip book, draw a dot , a circle, a skelet on, et c., on t he edge of a not ebook. Then draw t he sam e figure, slight ly progressed, on t he next page. Do t his for fift een or t went y pages, t hen flip t he edges. An illusion of m ovem ent is creat ed. Good anim at ors ret ain t he sam e spirit of fun and sim plicit y of t he flip book in t heir work. I n t he film st udios, t he basic flip book idea is enlarged on. First , t he anim at ors and t heir assist ant s m ake pencil drawings on paper ( 10- 1/ 2" x 12- 1/ 2" ) . This work is t hen t raced in ink on celluloid t ransparent sheet s ( cels) . Next , opaque colors are paint ed on. These inked and paint ed cels are t hen phot ographed in sequence on a paint ed background. This m ot ion pict ure cart oon film is t hen proj ect ed ont o a screen.

HOW TO MAKE AND USE AN ANIMATION BOARD

An anim at ion board will be a great help in your st udy of anim at ion. Buy som e unruled, 10" x 12" loose- leaf not ebook paper t hat is punched wit h t wo big holes. Const ruct pegs of wood or m et al on your board ( as illust rat ed) so t he paper fit s snugly over t he pegs. The glass should be t he sam e size as t he paper. When you t urn on t he light under t he board, you will be able t o see t hrough several sheet s of paper and not e how your series of drawings varies in posit ion. Visualize and plan your act ion, t hen st art wit h a key drawing or " ext rem e." The next ext rem e in your act ion should be m ade on anot her sheet of paper wit h t he light s on so you can work from your preceding posit ion. Follow t his procedure unt il all t he ext rem es of your act ion have been roughed in, t hen m ake t he in- bet ween drawings t o t ie t he act ion t oget her. I f t he background does not m ove t o t he right or left , t he scene is " st ill" . I f t he background m oves, t he scene has a " pan" act ion and is called a " pan scene" . During a pan act ion everyt hing t hat t ouches t he ground m oves wit h and at t he sam e speed as t he pan - for exam ple, feet t hat t ouch t he ground in a walk or a run.

An anim at ion board will be a great help in your st udy of anim at ion. Buy som e unruled, 10" x 12" loose- leaf not ebook paper t hat is punched wit h t wo big holes. Const ruct pegs of wood or m et al on your board ( as illust rat ed) so t he paper fit s snugly over t he pegs. The glass should be t he sam e size as t he paper. When you t urn on t he light under t he board, you will be able t o see t hrough several sheet s of paper and not e how your series of drawings varies in posit ion. Visualize and plan your act ion, t hen st art wit h a key drawing or " ext rem e." The next ext rem e in your act ion should be m ade on anot her sheet of paper wit h t he light s on so you can work from your preceding posit ion. Follow t his procedure unt il all t he ext rem es of your act ion have been roughed in, t hen m ake t he in- bet ween drawings t o t ie t he act ion t oget her. I f t he background does not m ove t o t he right or left , t he scene is " st ill" . I f t he background m oves, t he scene has a " pan" act ion and is called a " pan scene" . During a pan act ion everyt hing t hat t ouches t he ground m oves wit h and at t he sam e speed as t he pan - for exam ple, feet t hat t ouch t he ground in a walk or a run.

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POINTERS ON ANIMATION 1 . Work " rough" when laying out your anim at ion. Feel out t he basic const ruct ion of all t he drawings in a scene, add t he det ails lat er. The drawings on pa ge 2 0 4 are roughs. Cleanup drawings ( pa ge 2 0 4 & pa ge 2 0 6 ) are m ade by working over roughs wit h a new sheet of paper on your anim at ion board ( sim ilar t o a t racing) . 2. I t is always a good idea t o ant icipat e an act ion. When anim at ing a charact er from one place t o anot her, always go in t he opposit e direct ion first , j ust as a baseball player draws back and cocks his arm before he t hrows. 3. To help accent a pose on a charact er, go slight ly past t he pose when anim at ing int o t he pose. For exam ple, in a quick point m ake t he finger go out fast and t hen, j ust for an inst ant , pass t he posit ion it finally st ops at . 4. Creat e overlapping act ion whenever you can. When anim at ing a charact er from one point t o anot her, don´ t go t here wit h all part s of t he charact er at once - arrive at different t im es ( see pages 1 2 8 and 1 3 4 ) . 5. Always get a good follow- t hrough act ion on loose, m oving t hings such as coat t ails hair, long ears, ect . ( see page 1 5 6 ) . 6. Rem em ber " squash and st ret ch." Your charact er is an elast ic m ass - not rigid like a glass st at ue. This t ype of dist ort ion will give " sock" t o your work. The recoil is a t ype of squash drawing, it is essent ial for a feeling of weight in your charact ers. St udy t he bouncing ball act ion on pa ge 1 0 0 , also see pa ge 1 5 4 . 7. Appreciat e t he value of a good silhouet t e in your key drawings. A solid silhouet t e of a drawing should st ill regist er t he m eaning and at t it ude of t he pose ( see pa ge 1 7 8 ) . 8. Be alert t o use exaggerat ed foreshort ening in anim at ion - it is very effect ive. For exam ple, if a charact er is swinging a bat around horizont ally, when line end of t he bat com es out and t oward line cam era, force t he perspect ive on t he bat , m aking t he end very big. When it ´ s on t he ot her side of t he charact er, m ake t he end very sm all. 9. Make " pose" drawings. First visualize t he scene, plan it wit h " poses" , and, finally, anim at e. Make a few drawings of how you t hink t he charact er should look at t he m ost im port ant point s in t he scene. These should be carefully t hought out in regard t o dram at ic present at ion, int erpret at ion of m ood, charact er, act ion, and hum or. Wit h t hese drawings as a guide, st art wit h your first pose and anim at e your in- bet ween drawings t oward t he next pose. When you reach t he second pose, do not use it as an ext rem e in your act ion if it does not fit int o t he logical progression, inst ead, m ake anot her one t hat t ies in wit h your anim at ion. Then proceed t oward t he next pose, and so fort h. 10. When possible, m ake a " pat h of act ion" and a " spacing chart " of t he act ion you are anim at ing. For exam ple, if a charact er is running away from t he foreground, off int o t he dist ance, and over a hill, m ake t wo lines chart ing t he t op and bot t om of t he charact er in it s flight , t hen m ark off t he est im at ed posit ion of each drawing on t his t rack. They will be spaced widely in t he foreground and closely in t he dist ance. The procedure of m apping your act ion will increase accuracy and save t im e. 11. Rem em ber t he t im ing point s, and vary t he speeds of act ion in a scene. A change of pace is usually desirable in anim at ion. Learn t he value of a hold: t he perfect am ount of t im e t o linger on a pose so it will regist er wit h t he audience for all it ´ s wort h. St udy t he art of going int o and out of holds, cushioning int o holds, when t o freeze a hold deadst ill, and when t o keep up subt le anim at ion during a hold t o give it a " breat h of life." These point s and ot hers under " t im ing" are t he essence of t he art of anim at ion, j ust as t hey are wit h t he art of act ing, only t he anim at or is t he act or of t he anim at ed cart oon film . I t is t he anim at or´ s j ob t o port ray em ot ions, which is a highly individual t ask. That is why anim at ion is an art an art of expressing one´ s own personalit y. Use t hese point ers t o learn how t o anim at e charact ers t hat live, have feelings, and show em ot ion - charact ers who act convincingly and sway t he viewer wit h suspense, enchant m ent , and hum or. The art of anim at ion has a great pot ent ial and fut ure for an anim at or like you.

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HOW TO MAKE A CARTOON FILM • PRODUCE AN ANIMATED FILM YOURSELF WITH LITTLE MONEY. There are several ways t o m ake your own cart oon film wit hout t oo m uch m oney. You can also m ake a film of your anim at ion drawings wit hout expensive sound t racks. You will need a 16m m or 8m m m ot ion pict ure cam era t hat is able t o shoot one fram e at a t im e and a wooden fram e t o support t he cam era as it point s down at t he anim at ion art work.

• MAKE A WOODEN CAMERA STAND. The cam era will be m ount ed t o t he fram e in a fixed posit ion, allowing only one field size. The fram e is at t ached t o a baseboard, and t he anim at ion drawings are placed on a set of pegs at t ached t o t he baseboard.

• GET THE CAMERA ADJUSTED ON THE STAND CORRECTLY. Det erm ine t he dist ance t he cam era lens needs t o be from t he art work t o phot ograph a full anim at ion field ( 12" x 8- 3/ 4" ) , t hen focus t he lens t o t hat dist ance. I f necessary, m ake film t est s t o be sure t he field size and focus are correct . Be sure t he cam era is not t ipped at an angle and at t ach t he cam era t o t he wooden fram e. Then t ape t he pegs t o t he baseboard.

• PUT SOME LIGHTS ON THE SIDES TO LIGHT THE ARTWORK. Floodlight s are m ount ed at an angle on bot h sides of t he cam era st and above t he art work. Make film t est s t o det erm ine t he proper apert ure. I t is best if t he light s are st rong enough for a sm all apert ure opening, but if t he lens needs t o be wide open, it will t ake less light and, t hus, less heat .

• HOW TO ELIMINATE THE EXPENSIVE COMPOUND MECHANISM. I nst ead of t aping down t he m et al peg bar, it is bet t er t o use an anim at ion drawing disc ( shown on pa ge 2 1 8 ) . This drawing disc should have bot h t op and bot t om sliding peg bars. This allows you t o include m oving pan backgrounds wit h t he anim at ion drawings.

• ELIMINATE THE EXPENSIVE PLATEN. The anim at ion drawings are lit by a light box built under t he disc. The box should be well- vent ilat ed, and m irrors are used t o int ensify t he light and reduce t he bulb wat t age and heat . Two layers of anim at ion can be shot over a m oving pan background as t he cam era sees t hrough t he papers. ( TV anim at ion producers m ake pencil t est s t his way.) The elaborat e plat en fram es t hat hold t he art work down can be duplicat ed by placing a t hick sheet of plat e glass over t he anim at ion art by hand.

• YOU DON´T HAVE TO HAVE A COSTLY STOP-MOTION MECHANISM, YOU CAN KEEP TRACK OF THE FRAME COUNT YOURSELF ON THE EXPOSURE SHEET. Anim at ion cam era st ands have a single- fram e, st op- m ot ion m ot or assem bly t hat operat es by pushing a but t on or a foot lever. A film count er is at t ached t o t his m echanism t o record t he num ber of fram es phot ographed. You can duplicat e t his process by operat ing t he cam era by hand for each fram e. Make a check on each fram e on t he exposure sheet aft er it is phot ographed.

• WHY NOT MAKE A COLOR ANIMATED FILM WHILE YOU´RE AT IT? However, before you begin film ing, you m ust prepare t he anim at ion art work. Transfer t he anim at ion drawings ont o cels ( .05m m celluloid sheet s) , which are available at m any art supply st ores, wit h ink or brush and ink. Then paint t he backgrounds and color t he charact ers wit h wat er- based acrylic paint . Buy one pint each of black, whit e, red, blue, and yellow acrylic house paint and m ix t hese colors t o m ake t he full spect rum of colors, in all shades. St udios use t he sam e t ype of paint t o paint backgrounds in flat opaque areas - sim ilar t o post er art .

• A VERY EFFECTIVE SPONGE PAINTING METHOD USED BY THE PROFESSIONALS. An effect ive t echnique is t o dip a sponge int o t he paint and t hen dab t he backgrounds wit h t he sponge, creat ing a st ipple effect . For sharp edges, an area in a cel is cut out and placed over t he background t o serve as a m ask. Different colors st ippled in layers can creat e t ext ures t hat look like st ones, bare eart h, t rees, clouds, et c.

• YOU CAN MAKE ANIMATED ILLUSTRATIONS USING THE CUTOUT METHOD, IT TAKES LESS TIME THAN YOU MAY THINK. Anim at ed cut out s can replace t he inked and paint ed cel wit h art . Your anim at ion drawings can be reproduced on a copy m achine t o m ake paper copies. Paint t hese copies in wat ercolor wit h any kind of shading you prefer, t hen cut t hem out wit h scissors or a pen knife. Place a cel over your original anim at ion drawing and use rubber cem ent or past e t o at t ach t he cut out t o t he cel in exact ly t he sam e posit ion as t he anim at ion.

• HERE IS A REAL PROFESSIONAL SECRET METHOD TO MAKE IN-BETWEENS BETTER AND EASIER. To m ake t he in- bet ween drawings t hat will help you wit h t he anim at ion, place t he t wo drawings t hat are being in- bet weened on t he pegs wit h a blank sheet on t op for t he in- bet ween. Make a light rough sket ch of t he inbet ween in t he desired posit ion, t hen t ake t he in- bet ween and t he t op anim at ion drawing off t he pegs. Place t he t op anim at ion drawing at any angle posit ion over t he bot t om drawing t o m ake t he t wo drawings coincide closely. Hold t he t op drawing down and place t he in- bet ween drawing over bot h anim at ion drawings in t he closest in- bet ween posit ion you can adj ust . The corners of t he in- bet ween drawing will be in an inbet ween posit ion of t he anim at ion drawing corners - allowing for t he arc of t he in- bet ween. Hold all drawings down at t he t op ( or m ake a cont rivance t hat will) and m ake t he in- bet ween. I t is m uch easier t his way.

• GET GOING! My sincere best wishes t o you! - Prest on Blair

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OTHER BOOKS ABOUT ANIMATING Every st udent of t he art of anim at ion should read and own t hese books: Disney Anim at ion: The I llusion of Life by Frank Thom as and Ollie Johnst on, Abbeville Press. An excellent and ext ensive work on how t o anim at e and how t o m ake Disney- st yle anim at ed cart oons by t wo of Disney´ s great est anim at ors. Cart oon Anim at ion - int roduct ion t o a Career by Milt on Grey, Lion´ s Den Publicat ions. Provides a full perspect ive of t he anim at ion business and t he art of anim at ing in an int im at e st yle t hat every st udent anim at or should read - and enj oy. The Hum an Figure in Mot ion and Anim als in Mot ion by Edward Muybridge, Dover Press. Reprint s of ant ique classics cont aining phot ographs of act ions m ade before m ot ion pict ures were invent ed. These books are revered by anim at ors. Am erican Anim at ion by Michael Barrier, Oxford Universit y Press. An analysis of anim at ion´ s past achievem ent s writ t en in a m anner t hat will give valuable insight int o t om orrow´ s film m akers. Of Mice and Magic by Leonard Malt in, McGraw Hill Book Com pany. Tells t he st ory of t he anim at ed film st udios and t races t he beginning of t he art of anim at ion. Many pict ures and a great st yle.

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MOOVEMEDIA´s BOOKS FOR ANIMATION

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