When animating you need look no further than the human figure for inspiration and challenge. If you can master the human figure in all its forms you can master anything.
In the first chapter we covered some of the basic principles of animation which we will be dealing with during this chapter on figurative animation. At this point it might be useful to place these into context before going further by looking at the nature of animation. I have broken animation down into four categories of movement in an attempt to understand animated movement more fully.
• Acting
• Animation
• Action
• Activity.
This hierarchical system describes the various levels of animation that can be achieved with the lowest at the bottom and the highest at the top. I have set out below an explanation of each of these categories, starting with the lowest, activity, and moving to the highest, acting.
This category simply describes the most basic form of movement we may witness and is the lowest form of animation. These movements are not associated with anything in nature at all and in this regard are completely abstract. An example of this would be of an image being at a particular point on the screen at any given moment and subsequently at another point on the screen the following moment. We can see examples of this in text rolling across a screen in a title sequence. Even though some of the objects that move in such a manner may display variable dynamics (they may move faster or slower at various points), they remain abstract and are not associated with any particular object that we recognize as being capable of independent movement.
This category describes movement that can be attributed to specific objects such as we have covered in the previous chapter. The animation you made in the exercises there described the action of a bouncing ball or the action of a paper aeroplane. The fundamental difference between Action and simple Activity is that in an object’s action we understand that a type of movement may be associated with certain known objects, under certain known conditions and subject to the known laws of nature. For instance, we recognize the action of wind blowing through the leaves of a tree, the waves on the sea or the fall through the sky of a shooting star. These things do not intend to move this way, they simply do so as a result of the natural laws of nature and their own particular properties.
This describes the kind of dynamics that arise from within the subject matter. This can be seen in such things as a salmon leaping out of the water as it heads upstream to spawn, a humming bird collecting nectar from a flower or a dog scratching for fleas. All of these examples intend to undertake these actions. The key to this categorization is that the motivation for such actions comes from within the subject itself. While the humming bird, the fish and the dog are all still subject to the laws of physics and external forces, the manner in which they move is determined by their physiognomy and the particular motivations that instigate the action. Motivation for these separate dynamics may be as varied as the type of movements themselves; migration in order to breed, the search for food, or simple irritation. Whatever the motive for the movement, it has been an internal motivation; animation comes from within the subject – they intend to move that way.
This describes the highest level of animated movement. Not only are the movements subject to the laws of nature, with the route of the movement coming from within the subject (the subject intends to move), there are clear psychological reasons for these movements. It’s called performance! In this type of movement we experience the inner feelings of the subject of the animation. We can not only see what the characters are doing, but experience what they are thinking and feeling. This level of animation not only deals with variable dynamics, but the variations in mood and temperament necessary to build characters with personality. This is the most difficult task that faces any animator and is central to creating engaging narratives.
Before we begin to tackle figurative animation we need to understand the task that is ahead of us. Naturalistic figurative animation is perhaps the most challenging and demanding aspect of animation. The development of your animation skills should continue throughout your career as an animator, no matter how high you rise in the industry or how respected you become as an independent film-maker. It’s through naturalistic, figurative animation that these skills will be most severely tested. Why is this? Naturalistic animation of recognizable animals and humans is difficult to achieve because we all understand how people, dogs, cats, horses and the like are supposed to move, as we witness such movements first hand on a regular basis. As a result, our expectations are high and as such audiences are much more difficult to convince. Most of us can tell if a naturalistic figurative animation looks ‘right’ or not, you don’t need to be an animator to do that; however, it’s only through serious study that we can dissect the movement in detail and determine why things look right or wrong. It’s learning how to dissect such actions and discover the animation principles within them that is the purpose of this chapter.
As kids we may have developed the skills necessary to draw a funny cartoon horse or to draw figures in a particular cartoon style, perhaps slavishly copied from superhero comics. This is OK and I imagine that’s how many of us got started on the long road to art college, but it doesn’t help us much to develop the necessary skills to become a creative animator. At that stage it’s rather like seeing a dog balancing a ball on its nose – not a great trick, but you are amazed it can do it at all. If you are going to develop the skills of an animator you are going to have to learn more than simple tricks in order to get by. Figurative animation and the exercises set out in this chapter give ample opportunity to explore and practise all those basic principles covered in the earlier chapter.
Let’s start with the basic animation of a walk cycle, though we will see how even this most fundamental action can be a complex issue, before we progress onto various types of runs and then move on to cover in some detail the use of weight and balance in animation.
In the previous chapter we looked at creating the first two levels in the four As of animation: activity and action. We are now going to tackle the next level – animation itself. We are going to make movements that involve the illusion of intent; the figures we make move should look as though they possess the motivation for the action and that purpose instigated the action.
The approach to creating a believable walk cycle is wrapped up in a wide range of issues related to physical and psychological conditions, and we will be looking into some of these later. There are simple step-by-step processes that you can undertake in order to achieve a fairly naturalist walk cycle and we will see that a fairly straightforward mechanical approach to a walk cycle will give you satisfactory results if all you require is to get a character from A to B. However, you should bear in mind that any naturalistic animation, no matter how simple, will demand a great deal of skill and observation on the part of the animator.
I was once on my way to discuss this very problem with the talented group of animators who created the Walking With Dinosaurs animation and the whole notion of characterization through a walk was going through my mind. As I made my way through the London underground system at rush hour, I observed the very thing I was going to discuss that day. Three people with very different types of walk just happened to appear as if on cue. A young woman walked quickly past me, obviously in a hurry to get to work. She walked confidently through the crowds, though she wore ill-fitting fashion shoes which had the double effect of throwing her body forward slightly and making her very flat-footed. Immediately on passing me, we were both delayed by the slow progress of a couple of commuters, one a rather large lady who rolled from side to side as her bulk shifted over the supporting leg. Her arms extending out at her side in an exaggerated manner only enhanced the effect. Her head pivoted slightly from side to side to counter the quite extreme to and fro action of her body. Her partner happened to be a rather tall and slender gentleman who had the appearance of being in ill health. He tried not to move too much, looking as though any extra vibration would disturb his already perturbed internal organs. He stooped slightly and held his head down to stare at the floor, as if uncertain of his footing. He almost shuffled along in a very stiff manner. Each of these actions had their own distinct qualities and were a result of different conditions, some external (the shoes), others physical (weight), still others psychological (uncertainty). The girl bobbed up and down, the large lady wobbled from side to side and the frail man moved stiffly with very little up or down movement at all.
It is easy to see evidence of all kinds of characterization through a walk. Consider for a moment the very famous and stylized walks of Groucho Marx, Charlie Chaplin, Mae West and Frankenstein’s monster. These are all instantly recognizable to the audience and clearly demonstrate the character within the figure.
Simply standing up in a balanced manner demonstrates what a wonderful piece of engineering the human body is. Supported on relatively tiny feet, a tall figure is continuously balanced against the forces of gravity that would overbalance us and leave us in a heap on the ground. We constantly shift our weight on these two very small feet to stay upright; not only that, but we can do this on one leg (hopping), on the move (running and walking), on slippery surfaces (ice skating), in a strict rhythmical coordination with others (dancing) and while moving objects with the feet (playing football). These activities, based on our ability to balance, make the human body seem almost miraculous, but it’s the very act of unbalance that we exploit in order to do all of these. Walking has been described as controlled falling and when we analyse a simple walk we can see it’s exactly that. From a very early age we learn how to throw our weight forward (or backwards) in a controlled manner and purposefully become unbalanced. It’s this unbalance, driven by the forces of gravity, that provides the momentum for such elaborate movements. If we were to take no action at the moment of unbalance we would simply end up face down on the floor. However, we have learned the trick that if we swing a leg forward timed to coincide with the forward movement we can not only stop ourselves falling flat on our face, but we actually take a step forward. If we then use the energy from the controlled fall, we can go on to make a second controlled fall, and then a third and a fourth – it’s called walking.
We can break the basic walk cycle down into two key positions: the stride and the passing position. From these, we can develop the other frames that are needed to complete the cycle.
Once the stride and passing position have been created, it is a simple matter of flipping these two drawings or positions to create the next two needed for a complete cycle. Notice how, in the last illustration, the two stride drawings are fundamentally the same, though the one on the left has the left leg thrown forward while the right-hand drawing has the right leg thrown forward. You can make the second passing position drawing in the same manner.
The number of inbetweens needed to complete the cycle will be determined by the type and speed of walk you wish to achieve.
The aim of this short exercise is to extend your understanding of animation timing and to develop an understanding of the basic principles as they apply to a walk cycle.
On completion of the exercise you should be able to create a short animated sequence of a basic walk that works within a repeatable animated cycle.
A few tips before starting the exercise:
Design should not be an issue within these exercises and you should keep your drawings simple, with little or no detail. There should be no colour or shading unless absolutely essential and only in order to allow the animation to read more clearly.
Film-making is not an issue within these exercises. Remember, you are not telling a story but are attempting to complete a short animation.
Work quickly though not hurriedly. Try to achieve consistent volume and weight within your characters. Do not concentrate your efforts on making beautiful drawings; rather you should be attempting to achieve beautiful animation. Do not overwork your drawings. Rather than rub out mistakes you should discard your drawings; this will help you keep up the creative flow.
Map out your animation timings on your key drawings, indicating clearly the number of inbetweens you initially expect to create. Try to time out the action by going through the motions yourself using either a stopwatch or a watch with a second hand. Do not forget the basic principles of animation.
Animate the character moving in profile either from left to right or right to left. Don’t concern yourself with the difficulties of perspective animation at this stage.
1. Make your first key drawing of the first stride position.
2. Make a similar drawing with the opposite arms and legs thrown forward.
3. Using the two stride keys, make the passing position drawing.
4. Make a similar drawing of the passing position with the opposite arms and legs thrown forward, just as you did with the stride.
5. Decide upon the animation timing and draw this on your key drawings, remembering to clearly indicate the slow ins and slow outs.
6. Make the inbetweens using the same process as described in the previous chapter.
7. Remember that the animation should work as a cycle.
8. Shoot your animation.
While this will give you the basis for the walk, it really does only cover the bare bones. Once you have mastered the basic principles you could attempt to create a more individualistic walk cycle through a series of animation exercises based on the examples here.
The number of different types of walk is almost endless and we have only just touched upon the topic; however, the basic principles remain the same. In order to get exactly the kind of walk you want you must try to imitate it, and through doing it yourself gain more understanding of the exact nature of the animation. If we choose to, we can observe such actions every time we go outdoors and as animators that is exactly what we should be doing. Using texts such as these, completing exercises and constant practice will help you to develop skills, but learning through observation will give you a much deeper understanding of the dynamics of the human figure.
You will notice that many of the basic principles covered in a walk cycle also apply to the run. We can break down the action into a few simple positions to create the cycle, just as we did with the walk.
The variations on the run, as with the walk, are almost infinite and the examples illustrated here are very limited. With only a couple of exceptions we have covered the animation of a single adult character in a fairly realistic manner. Once you start dealing with figures of different ages and sizes and within different environments and under different conditions or cartoon animation, the options are limitless.
The aim of this exercise is to extend your understanding of animation timing and to develop an understanding of the basic principles as they apply to a run cycle.
On completion of the exercise you should be able to create a short animated sequence of a basic run cycle.
Once again you should animate the character moving in profile from either left to right or right to left. Perspective animation can be rather complex and you should only attempt this after you have mastered the run cycle and gained confidence.
1. Make your first key drawing of the first stride position with the figure positioned as it is about to leave the ground.
2. Make a similar drawing with the opposite arms and legs thrown forward, as you did with the walk cycle.
3. Make the passing position drawings in the same manner as above.
4. Make similar drawings of the suspended phase with the opposite arms and legs thrown forward, just as you did with the stride and passing positions.
5. You now have the basic building blocks for your run cycle. Decide upon the animation timings and draw these on your key drawings. Ensure that the slow ins and outs are clearly indicated.
6. Create the inbetweens using the same process as described in the previous chapter.
7. Remember that the animation should work as a cycle.
8. Shoot your animation.
Weight and balance are two key factors in making believable animation. When dealing with an animated dinosaur of 50 tonnes or so, the animator’s job is to ensure that they display the kind of dynamics that make them look like they weigh that much. Conversely, animating a butterfly fluttering across a meadow needs equal attention to detail. To maintain the suspension of disbelief the animator must ensure that the former must not float and the latter should not plod. Coupled with weight, the animated characters must display that they are fully in control of their weight through continuous balance. The weight and, to a large degree, the timing of the animation will create the necessary balance within the animation of a character. However, we cannot approach these aspects of animation in isolation and we must constantly be applying all the other principles of animation covered in the previous chapter. It’s the very issues of weight, balance and timing that we recognize and relate to on a daily basis and make the animation believable – even if we see neither dinosaurs nor butterflies on a regular basis.
All animated figures, either naturalistic or cartoon-like, should possess weight in all their actions, which will vary depending upon the physiognomy of the character. How they use and deal with this weight may be dependent upon a number of other variables, such as age, their current mood, motivation and their overall psychological make-up. In addition to these factors, the figure may be subject to external forces such as gravity and affected by the load they are carrying; the actions of a deep sea diver or an astronaut on the surface of the moon will be very different from those of a figure on earth under normal conditions.
The balance of a character in motion may be linked directly to the intrinsic weight of the character. A very large figure may move in a certain manner as a result of their bulk. The age of the character should also affect the balance they display; a toddler will demonstrate a distinctive set of actions that are easily distinguished from those of a fit and healthy adult or the unsteady progress made by a frail old lady. Balance may also be dependent upon external factors such as the nature of the environment the figure is negotiating. A figure walking along a flat, even and solid surface will demonstrate a separate set of actions to one walking on an icy road or up a steep hill or along a tightrope. Carrying a load will also affect the nature of balance; a briefcase being carried by an adult may not result in any noticeable adjustment to the posture, though the same object carried by a young child may have extreme effects on balance. The size of an object as much as the weight may affect the balance of the figure carrying it. A large, fairly light object such as an empty wooden crate may necessitate more of an adjustment to the balance than a small heavy object such as a cannonball.
A lifting animation incorporates a complex series of movements that necessitates the shifting of the centre of gravity throughout the lift. The very act of a figure moving to lift an object will mean a shifting of balance; once the figure has taken on the additional weight it will have to realign itself in order to accommodate the weight. The position of the weight, its shape and even possibly the material it is made of may be determining factors in the way balance is maintained during the lift and once the object is supported.
Throwing actions also incorporate a series of movements that illustrate the shifting of the centre of gravity. The timing of the throw will be subject to the same principles covered earlier and the exact nature of the throw will be determined by the type of object being thrown, as well as the identity of the thrower. Very young children and some adults tend to throw in a very distinctive way, with a swift downwards action of the arm moving from over the shoulder downwards across the body and very little movement at the elbow. This is a very different action than we can expect to see from an experienced baseball player throwing a ball for example, or a skilled athlete throwing a javelin or putting a shot.
During a push the weight of the figure may be utilized in order to induce movement in the object. Pushing a small object may simply require a limited amount of force, perhaps coming from the hand or the arm. With larger objects it will be necessary to increase the force in proportion to the object’s mass in order to overcome its inertia; this may necessitate the increased use of one’s own body weight. Newton’s third law of motion states that every action has an opposite and equal reaction. Effectively, if one pushes an object in a given direction there are opposing forces that ‘push’ in the opposite direction.
As with the push there is clear evidence here of the third law of motion; the arms are pulling in one direction and the feet applying thrust in the opposite direction. Similarly, a figure engaged in a pulling action may achieve a position that appears unbalanced though is in effect supported by the mass of the object being pulled.
Q. Is the action naturalistic or stylized?
Q. Would the object behave like this in nature? Is it subject to the laws of nature?
Q. Does the overall animation display the sense of weight that is appropriate to the object?
Q. Does the object float?
Q. Does the object look balanced throughout the action?
Q. Is the centre of gravity in the right place?
Q. Does the centre of gravity shift throughout the action to accommodate the weight of the figure and to maintain balance?
Q. How does the physiognomy of the character affect its balance?
Q. What other factors impact upon the balance of the object or character?
Almost all actions are preceded by an anticipation of that action. We can see this anticipation in the throw, the push and the lift that we have just covered. In some instances it is a physical requirement of the action. In order to jump upwards it is necessary first of all to move downwards by bending the knees. Anticipation also helps the animator to communicate clearly to the audience what is going to happen next. Often, there is no physical need to undertake an anticipation of an action; we do it simply as a result of thinking about something before we do it. We may lift our hands upwards slightly before we reach downwards to lift an object off the floor, though there may clearly be no physical reason for this. Adding anticipation to an action strengthens the action and adds clarity to the movement; however, if it is overdone it may result in a very staged and exaggerated, cartoon-type action that is reminiscent of the silent movies. Before the advent of sound, actors would often exaggerate their actions to make them more easily read. Chaplin was a master of this. Though far from being a simple pantomime figure, he mastered the technique and was able to use just the right amount of exaggeration to enhance the action, adding clarity and keeping the action subtle. This gave him the scope to cover a huge range of emotions without recourse to dialogue, and for this reason alone he is worthy of very serious study. Anticipation prepares your audience for what is coming next and if done well it won’t give the game away.
A take is a kind of anticipated action that is generated not by premeditated preparation for a movement but more by surprise experienced by those doing the take. This can be quite subtle or it can be extremely exaggerated for comic effect.
To understand we must see and experience. Sight is a facility most of us possess; to see is a purposeful act of investigation. One way we can develop the skill of perception is through life drawing. The act of drawing will not only improve your mark-making skills and develop a facility with a range of media, it also forces you to observe your subject very carefully. I had a group of students studying computer animation who demonstrated a deep reluctance to attend any of the life drawing classes provided for them, while their colleagues working in 2D or 3D animation would show up regularly. Their concern was that they couldn’t draw too well and they didn’t see the relevance of life drawing to their studies and their practical work. Their stance was: why should they learn to draw, they were working in computer animation after all, and that stuff was for the traditionalists not techno whiz-kids. I met up with a few of these students at a studio where they were working shortly after they graduated and they were somewhat coy about letting me know that they had arranged life drawing classes of their own. It turned out that the old boy with the pencil was right after all. Do not become despondent if you are not confident in your drawing skills; this does not mean you will not be a good animator. There are many first-rate computer animators and stop-frame animators who are not comfortable with drawing, but what they do have is a profound understanding of how things move, behave and perform. Performance is the thing. Life drawing, in this instance, is only a means to an end, the end being observation and understanding. If you can get this same level of understanding through any other method, studying films, observing people and animals in motion, making videos or taking photographs, then that is the way forward for you. There is no one way.
It is my business to know things. Perhaps I have trained myself to see what others overlook.
(Sherlock Holmes, in A Case of Identity by A. Conan Doyle)
One final thing: it may sound obvious, but it is important to have a clear idea about what you are trying to achieve in an action long before commencing animation. Your ultimate intention should be to make your characters look like they intended to make the movement and that the motivation for the action comes from within them. The hand of the expert animator becomes invisible; they no longer animate, they allow their characters to give a performance and the characters become so believable that they begin to exist as real entities. If you don’t believe me – just ask Bugs Bunny!