How2make Animated Films_1

An 11~'llparian uppenticeship - ttre way tbepros w e d t o do it!

TONY WHITE

HOW TO MAKE ANIMATED FILMS

B 1 u - bNY WHITE'S COMPLETE MASTERCLASS ON THE

RADITIONAL PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION

An animation apprenticeship - the way f h e p s wed to l id L HOW TO MAKE ANIMATED FILMS

TRAnlT lOhih l P l l I N i 1 1 ' 1 t 5 t ) t 4Nlh lA1 ION

Tony White's Complete Masterclass on the Traditional Principles of Animation

Tony White

An animation apprenticeship- the way the pros used to do it!

: '3.3 AMSTERDAM BOSTON . HFIDFLBbRG ' LONDON. NFW YORK. OXFORI . & , La!#& PARIS - SAN DIEGO. SAN FRANCISCO. SINGAPORE SYDNEY. TOKYO EL%\. IER Focal Press 1s an ~mprtnt of Elsev~er

Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier - .- 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400. Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House,Jordan Hill,Oxford OX2 8DP. UK

0 2009Tony White. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. .i'j';Or\n . e . No part ofthis publ~cat~on may be reproduced, stored In a retrieval system, or !J9s~ rransm~tted In any form or by any means,electron~c, mechan~cal, photocopying, record~ng, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher

Permissions may be sought directlyfrom Elsevier's Science&Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830,fax: [+a41 1865 853333, E-mail: permissions@elsev~ercom.You may also complete your request online via the Eisevier homepage ihttp://elsevier.com). by selecting "Support & Contact" then"Copyright and PermissionUand then "Obtaining Permlssions."

Ieen written, Elst

a

@ Recognizing the importance of preserving what has t ~ ts books on acid-free paper whenever possible.

Libraryof Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Dat White. Tony, 1947-

How to make animated films : Tony White's complete masterclasson thetraditional principles of animation /Tony White.

p. cm. "An animation apprenticeship-the waythe pros used to do it!" Includes bibliographical referencesand Index. ISBN 978-0-240-81033-1 (pbk.: alk, paper) 1. Animated films-

Technique. 2. Animation (Cinematography) I. Title. II. Tltle: TonyWhite's complete masterclass on the traditional principles of animation. Ill. Title. Masterclass on the traditional principles of animation. NC1765.W49 2009 741.5'8-dc22

2009005710 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data Acata 0g.e recora for I n s oook 1 8 ava ,a0 e from tne Br ? sn Llorary

ISBN: 978-0-240-81033-1

For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website a t wwwbooks.eiseviercom

09 10 11 12 13 5 4 3 2 1

Printed in China

libraries ir I 1ynrl.iqg together to grow I developing countries

Preface "..-. ,.,&i

lntducthm" .......... ""." .-.......... ".." ...................... "..." .........- .-." ...-.-........ -" ....... " d x First ... A Reaitty Check .-......-..-..-.-........m...........-..-..u............-...-w-. "...-.. a ..--.. & Your Own Personal Animation Course .................................. , ....,.-......... .-...- *....-..GU 2D Or Not ZD?-That is the Quesim ........................... ... .............................. &....*..acl

However . . . ......................................................... .,- .---.---. ..,....- -,......!.,Mi Pequisrtes for Study ...-.....v.-....--.. .................................... "--.-.-..- x&i Equrpment .....-... -.--,....-.,-e-.......-.-...---.......-...-..-.-.---.-.......-..u..q~-. xwi Let the Fun Begin1 ........................... -........ ,.......... ..............-,,,,.,,..ww.w...,.-

AckllowfedgrmmCi ...................... " ........ " .......................... *xxv

PART 1: Howto Be an Animator ........................................... - ........ 1 10-Step Foundation Course -.........---... .............................................. 3

M&tw&m 3:hmhndouB.JCI ................................... ....---.5 Key, Breddown, and In-Between Positions ............................................. 5 Creating Key Positions .-..........-......-..-.....u...-......-.-...u..-..-..-...-.-.-.-..-...-.-. 8 Creating the Breakdown Position 12 : . . . Top PegstBanom Pegs ..-.. "..........--..-. ~ ......................................... 17 Charting Explained 18 In-Betweening .. --.-:...A .-.-. 19 Flipping as Opposed to Rolling ................................... ".".".-....-.-..-..-.--.--.-.-. 22 Arcs a d hths of Action i ....-.....-...-..-..-.-. 2.2 Timing and the Spdeing d Drawings 1 ............ 24

. , Suggested Reading .................... - M Assignment 1 ......................................................................................... ; -.........u: 36

hsterclass E The Bounclng Ball ................................................-......,..u.u. "......... 33 " . Weight, Mass, and Flexibility 34 , . . Gravity and the Path of Action 34 Key Pasltions .............................................................................................. ;..- ...-.. ~....35 Squash ......................... ., . . 3 5 Stretch ........................................ .............................................................. 37 Timing -- ..:...L,.--... 38

Distorting Mass and Volume ............................................................................ 46 The Descending ounce .............-.. , ...........,... - .. ~......--.v...,w.-.........-...~ :-.& ElipYour Drawhgs ... Alwae .wy,..T.~,.-.,----....,-.-..-..~. ---..,..-.47 Rnal Double-Checks ......-...............Mw-..-.-----..-.......- ---.-.....-. ..-.... 48 Bggested Reading ..........--v-...,.....YC ly_ly_l--f.-f.- .f.-.f.-f.- 50 esignment 2- .--+-.-m-. -....-* --.-- 513

R4asterclass %Generic Walks, -.,,. ...+. .,.~,-.,,.~.,.stststststst.,.st.st 59 The Lower Body .....-,...,..., - T,...,....--..., --- .... -" 60 Walk Cycle ..-......-...-, -.......---- ,."."--..--. .&.- -..-.. ,,A -..w.m 65 aiootlng a Walk C y d e Y ......................................... 69 In-ktweening on One's ........................... ........................... 6 9 Testing the Walk .............................................................................. 72

' i The Upper Body -..,. ........................................................ .......... 72 Suggested Reading ...,.--... , ............................................. 76 Assignment 3 ........................................... -----.,,---~-.-76

Yip and Shouldw Rotation ........................ "..-..-......w..-.".v.......---.-v..... - -......-. 77 *a .r. ',."\* ,

Overlapping AcUon on the Hands.. .,,-,.-,, ,~,-,- ,.-- -... 79 -a2 ' . Qverlapp~ng Action on the H e d ,,.-,,,-,,------+~~!- 81

,A- 4 - A 1 - ' I

Rotation on the Head ...-....-..... ---.-...w* 81 Keeptng Good B a b n c e T h r o u g h o u t ~ ~ - - 8 1 - c . . s c , ln-fetween Placement andTiming .............................. ., .,.,..--...y...w P

ble-Bounce Walk. -,-,-.,.m-a .r.y--... I""z- 87 , - . . -?- Y

rt liming and Variati~a- ...... .....,,.,,M..,,- < W I * . ~ ~

&?servaion and Reference Footage--- 89 B e Animator's Surulval Kit ....... ..........-...,....-p -i

-- B9 %gated Macling ................................. CLJ kniw%! s&' .r-: , "",,,,, 89 - , * r r 1 - ksignment 4 .--,w'w'- ----"- 90 - * . * r r *

Wasterclass m e r i c Runs - > - 91

Contents

,= "ii p

-. 103 -c , ~ ' T ~ F ' : Y ' - ' ? , ?

lass 10: Final Project w....-~,-,,,~....-)I-)1185

--.-. &L.L . .z~ . . . ! .~

~~"."."."..".". . hnc~usion ....- r , -

".--"".%? D'"J0l - ' -

lilC-...--- "...211 *C . .... %a .

PART 2: HOW to Make an Animated Film ...--& 13

Ew -..."*=L.~:*.,a.s

is - *@&#Son 2: bncapt Art YlrDev, and Camup Map,--..,,..-229

--.-.,a+&--mww-e- - - . - , .~293

k m Production n: Character Design.-- .-..,, - -..,.-.+. .......... *.Zs5

Film Production 4:Thumbnails ...- Assfgnment ..................... Z ................ FHm Production 5: ~myboardr ........ ...&%%-&-* -. Process --..,-.-, ..d .,--- ..A.--- 4.- Final Check ...... ~~.....-.A...G....~~ ~..-,.z-s,~&.~m Asr~gnment.. .......................................... Film Production 6: FWmmaklng Techniques..

GuideTrack - . . i. Lf6- .:. jmi* . .rah?e: Final Track. ...-......2....,.2 ...... ---..--..* Assignment ..-.--.....---...-.....- -&...--.-

;Z 4 ,-.,dllr. * - .

Film Production 8: Animatic and Bacher Boards ...,-,, . . . . "T-FtTB B a c k m .............. .L .............................. 24% . * ~nimstic M & s ............ I, .... . . C C C C C C C C C C C C C C ~ ~

WckgfroQrid end ~ n v l r o n m e n t t a ~ t s .... &zw WB.no& FWspectlve ............................. ................................ ".... .... FOEw DfAtt+ltgWL.","-z"" ,,.....-..-.... " .....-- S i l k m M B o n --,-..,." ......-..... "*- m a ,,.-.- ..................................... --*

.ahrMiqthe LyMst.--.."".." -... " ............................ "-- - -"nF-Ql0 Pose- Animatic .,.,--, ........-..... - ......-..-...-......-.-. ...-----L13

h S ¶ r n ~ t " ........... . M M ~ ~ ; " ~ . ~ . ‘ .."... " ...............".. .kt '& 1124" r. Rkn krrduc#on 10: Color Script. ..................... ..........,,.-.-.-- -.315 >kd* wr,* '.-PC*

Thp Rightlime ta Do& Cdor Scr~pt .......................... - -,-.... 316 w* .- 3<.1** ' W

RoceSs,." .-..... . .,-.,,,.-.".~~.. ...................... --317

6ilm Produaion 11: Audio Breakdown ~ - . . , - - , , , . ? i 2 1 -.--....--.-""-- -;Is0

- . . *. CTlm Production 12: Block in Key Poses ........................... ........................ 331 F Ass~gnrnent .................................................................... ............................................ 335

< 4'

, i F i h Pmduction 14:Two-Dimensional In-Between$n&--,~~.YI1

-2 .* Rim Ploductlon 15: Rolling, Flipping, and PendlTestln &....-.-+X! m- .-.--. ""."".."".".* ..."...----"." " ~ a . . % + . ~ w p#?5rulcPFHppkW,.." ,,.. ", ..,......." "" .."....,w.,,"..."" ",..".."" ... ."" .+...."".?."- M .I+ .un ~--mi5 aiir H,+T..SA a ,E*, ,' - '.'& Ass&-t" ... ...... : ...... " ..--,--- ,.w P -* .! u ? . - : Wm ProductiQa 1 & C l e a n - U ~ * - , . ~ & - ~ . x O O Une Qualtty - ..,.-...,...,....... ,, . , -.~.-*d§&l

s, and Volu- ~.~

mrn Production 17: ScanninIIIFc; ....~~.~.-.....-.~w~ "-w.........-.,.-,.....-...-.......... 367 Peg Bar ............................ ," ..&...- .-...--w------.-..-..v.-, w"...m. 369

llfte FlddWde Scanniw Area ......--A,------- -2-b 4 b n n e r S ~ Z ~ ~ ~ . A ~ . - . - ~ ~ --..... 371

, I. h s i g n m t ,,,.~....-..,.,--.--. ....--. ... :. .............,,-., ,,.. .,..,.....w.. 373

f&'~ Plodration 18: BPdqffoana and lhvkonmcn$l.,,+---+,-,.375

" .,-..-... ..-" ,.....#w.-... "-A'- ; * ,- Lap's ...... " ......-..... " ..-..-,- .~-.........-. " *-----" -+---

- ywm 7 Tmm---~r"e--+-- c y d @ A ~ , " - " . . " , & ~ - , ~ *> . Depth NW"" ............................. . --.*..,.........-.,..---..- " ' . . . . . * ~ ~ ~ *

- 5 * - Rbsakman.""'..-" .-..-.....--". .... *-.. . - .....-- '"-" ..-. " .--,,,... "2w . )I ,-" Frame Rates-,.--,,-,, -415

Music ....-.,.....,-..... - -.-.--.....- ................. .- w-u.w .+...... -- ......---- A14 m d ~ * * . . - ~ r ~ ~ U U U U . ~ U U . U U U U U U U U U U U U ~ . ~ 4 f 7 WlttRRa MI%.,.,..,,..; ........-.... ............. -..-. ..b........&.4A....419

: ,i Music and EPrPcuTrock ..... , .. .......................... --.#H)

. ..-. " - " - ~ + ' . . . - " ...... ......

erefore, humbly lay out before you what oxpuiences and hope that this book will

assist y w to discover finer and more assured ways of finding your voice.

&me, b u t ~ m r ~ e n o u g h , ~ g innavcvtivc movies of note have graced owscrms in watt yam, such as Hayao MlyazaWs 5phitcdAway and Jl)vnrOI& f t $ l c l s ~ ~ . T h c f e f i I m s seem cut from & d h n t ~ f r o m t h e c ~ R h n s , L n d i t mgaltyBbws.llw knp mybeliefIn real d v ~ m f ~ ~ & & r o ~ r / r e l l made, all+ Beyond films like these,

'

tMfyub& saentsto reqwgitate the same timd, old snlpt and visual f m i a s d%+Wmn, Md'rrlrsady &edamirmnt thlrodimtnsional(3D) anlmaion ~ ~ m b e g ~ & f l n d a m k e N t i n t k e m d m m m . T h e mly w%pWoWo @is wend is the mwcurial and ever-innovative Pixar studio, the mntrerentfiim ofofhioh W, took a ddCnitetwn toward something wcn m o r a i n h ~ u t w n d t h a t che?iiod 3hrine br'good things: there k wry Rnk &%be ek* \wod&that is arwnd and that offers anything new rrdedcing tcx the pdesional animator wlth any degree Of consistency.

Tkwdsrrgivwjuv%B consider new ground for exploration-that is, if the industry is to grow and thrive and the animators of tomorrow are to find a corswwmthy dthe name. One alpa that has most definitely grown and thrimd, nfcoupmkihs garrm&sed animation kdusty. It now represents ~~ nd spprcsttubks~lrca of income bran aspiring, ywnprc;irt.tar,and a s e n j n r k r ~ ~ n well outpaces thelanguishing world d5kreol. mdRM cammbwad pMduction world (h., movias,TV.

.to fact, l amW thathe g a w industry 1s now music inchmy fw the hrwerld's largest producer of

So what constimes a'pmfsrsional'animator in this day and age? Certainly, modern animators need tqbt more chameleon and even somewhat schizophrenic when it comes to their chosen career path. Contemporary animators tend to be more nomadic as well, often havlng to trawl far and wide to where the work IS for much of the time.They have to be significantly more versatile too-working in the games industry one moment, the Web animation Industry the next and on feature film entertainment when they are lucky. Occasionally an animated Cqrnmercial will became an opportunity, butproduction in that field IS a pale&adw ofwhaxit was in the 1970s and 1980s vytren I was able to perfect my craft and both volume and creativity

nd of goldenage in the United Ktngdom through the work of u#mtors such as Richard Wlams, Oxar Griilo, Eric Goldberg,

uwl,ofmurse, the remarkshle bib inmy gwn An~mus Productions studlo, as it once was called.

Mistic abillty In cartoon r t ybo loneWt cut it anymore. Modem enhators, whether they use two-dimmkmti ED), 30, clay, or cut-out styles, seem to be

Preface - -

~ h o a who &r m h e w a t h e what t%q can awl & % ~ t ~

I have tried'kb rcMkethis ~'btfnmuctlon

f i l r n e d I ~ m l ~ ( 0 n s on the accqpmyhg&&'&Wll havt#yan a w w l degree-level a c a h t y d-?Jwt IS a ampmhemiw an$rraksbc mntroduct~on to wbat w & M , n q & . wondew artforrnttwwM has ever known. It w i ! 4 i l l r r + W ~ . h v q $ p

Of Cwmthsla alp norulrrUane kW a wlktrucrured and mpmhensive ~ ~ C s u c h athewtAy innpited pFognm we pmvlde at hmItYtlt i f f .dTedntdoqy. ~ a s ~ ~ t e d trgtheouoitanding s W d b n t ~ s h o m in tMs book~ndorifheOVD ... lest there be those who hrvcdalba!) Howcvar, Iflyoudm'tha9.swhm omanding animation ~ b f & ~ w h c r r y w r ~ ~ o r p u q u l l c s k n p l y afttaliordonein thin utrirnt cconwnkcbwe, tbb bodtwill be MI answer to ail your prayers! A shdulel pmvtdeyou w l t . h ~ m o r t ~ m ~ bookldislc-ba& course aret,eav&Ing t h d c o r e ~ o l i c h % k a n i m ~ d movcmcnt, butwlth a ~~ -*-& I n t %hat rddnsras tk modem reality d f h . m worlet MdltEaRaWy, ar wll ssteu&hg you how to become anMimotaraa[so guirkesyou through the animation production pmcess too. m@u haw the mpbihy of turning each one of yourfilm- or games- buad &ymg &to a *. (NoWThe actualproduction process of creating wU~k??dy&hdc.hoth fdrn andgamer is pretty rimi~rowrall. Consequently, an ~ n $ l n g l p qne9ongly prep8r.w you for a sound appriution in the o h m ~ i ~ M e l r C ~ a r e d ~ h ~ I s b e e n planned k r reveal years and is the d n i d p r i t o f ~ i ~ u ~ l Wlogy I ret out to EreaZe many wrs ago. The MI?#& L W d & d e k [ ~ &this DRK&~ as the daftnlt)ve-inner's g u ~ t a ~ , " w l r % . t h ~ o ~ k ' h tertbbtlm, h€sartsbll'wd Itself as

t&bf&s fbrt4adrin~ in the m&ssional and academic iw ~ k ~ ~ ~ : ~ s s i c a ~ lkh&s fbrbgltal~nlmaton more reM#lrraalltkishtndonal moterialtothe next lewl, by prwiding the

0

er

AddWmdly, should you wlsh lo take your home-rChooRng a M i n s to the nsxt Id, you might want te vfsk my DesMop Academy webdte (www. deskpmdmycorn) where, lbr a lMe crrn invcmnoq yau ern nceive my p c ~ ~ n s l critiques and feedbackfeftheworkyau submitfmn t h a w - by-mge aarlgmncnrs I o f k in &Is baok.ttw can wen bP-graded for thew, earning aBdWcowprd myewn'CefMcmof AnkMtd Excelbnce,"whkh is

the courtework provided cannot study the material

LCR1IM~.Wtf~TtIWhaisConEainedhwpshoddghreyouall the WtkBmtion and instructkwpm wlll e w r need to b s c m a solid animator &#mmaker in your wclls~reachacompetllrathatcmbe aabraced by the film, ktuhMes as a whole.

.

50, if you dream of becMnlng an a not take this bock home ilhd jump stfaI@ht hto yMsr stW IaimOI, af course, guarantee that this course will absolutely give you a job at F%ar or D~sney (of at Nmtendo, ArcnaNet ~~, W a W t an the talents you bring to your& thetcnaertyyaaapply R M W w R h it and the p~wrnality you,proj@ct whm you cvpnrwlly appfy for pwstths. However, what I can assure you is that if you follow the staBcbyatrge instrudlons contained here, you will haw a proksslonal-lavcl know- In animation.To make thlngs as easy as I can, I willtalk you through all thc core techniques and approaches you w01 need In a way that Is simpleto understand and methodical in its p r o w . I will give you tangtblc o n m examples of cvmylhhg YOU Reed t6 &&We, as well as imNa you on the process of putting this all together in the form of an animated produalon. How to lMakeAnimcmd Films will make the entire platen af bmlng the principles of animation and filmmaking so mrwhWioeac~~~tible to you in your home-bawd envlmnment, and y d even beak to rnak good, old-fashioned "cartoon"films ifthat st111 reFA*g.lryour ambitlon at* end of it all!

Introduction

First ... A ~ e a l i t y Check

There is a popular misconception that animation is easy. It is not. In reality, the process of animation is far from easy! Becoming an animator demands a great deal of focus, tenacity, commitment, and determination, as well as the ability to simply sit still, in one place, for a long period of time, until you achieve what you are determined to achieve. It also requires initial capable artistic ability.That said, if you can commit all these qualities to your studies, and you can confidently wield a pencil (or a mouse or Wacom pen) to achieve what is required here, and you can be patient in everything you do and seek to do,

xix

there b abdutdy na mason whatsoever why you cannot become an expert anhator andior filmrnahr m the fullness of timal Easy, it ain't. (But what in thtswori$l Is m h haulng if It isn't hard to gchiew?) At the same time, who a-9 ~ W t & I t ~ ~ m + ~ n " t be fun! What lies ahead is most d c t F n h : & f u ~ i s , 1CpuSlam the he&& the will, and rhe passton to see the hsrd parts through to the very cndl

Your Own Personal Animation Course

Welcome to your very own anlmatioil textbook and DVD classroom! Within the covers of this book you should find just about everyth~ng you'll ever need to study to master the art of animated movement forthe modern world.You witlalso discowr ?hat once you have mastered the core principlesof anlmated mCwenK.M you will euen learn how to make a film. contribute to a game, or creaP#ap+o@edyovrcwn ~f you Itke. Uniikegwmg to a recognrzed school, you will be l?aMng on your own, at your own pace, and at the times that M t suit you. An added bunus Is that it wgli be far cheaper for you to learn anirnatlon this way, although I stress that the path Is somewhat harder if you M t have a knowledgeable, expeiiencd profeswonal teacher to gulde you

*

Introduction I -

(And yes, metlmes to bully you along whenew that b necessary!) That said, with all thecourrewbNclakd outln thb boakyau skould jmt i tu t be able to find an an- to preny much every question you're eva~ tlkly to ask about the techniques and producth process af am-. K y w should want further pmksional~teuel feedback, however, you will bl M e to obtain online critiques of your assignment work and even receive

' published recognlrion at the suceesskrl c&pWtion of your degree-level assignmentwork, ifyau rechoose. [Deaakdtlris can beobta+d in Appendix 2.)

2D Or Not 2D?-That Is the Question

The first thing p u nnDteasyowtbok through your own^^ in animation is that mast dW primary lessons and asQmBno5 we eppmachcd from a tradlttond two-dimensional (2D) mifmtion vtwpoht That isokay, don't pmld Although drawlng 20 anlmattm msynamHksm unnecessacy challenge, andmany people these days a n o n c o u r l y ~ thattraditbnad 20 animstion h a h a r t form, I wouidPrh?lse~thf&Fhc vey bast xhoots of animafion still teach traditional anenwionas 1 <or@ foundatton that everything else Is built on.Th~s Is for a jwtihabk mason.

TlaMmd2D- w lull the boa way of studying the core princlplesrnf marwrwnt.1~0-dimenslonalanimation's inherent d~scipl~nes reallyundwlinedw pfoces of fame-by-frame movement, and once a student leunscheprrjce~n of animation through hmrtng to draw every exercisr assignm#hhe *she wlltwndoubtedy never forget them!

It is not acoiwdeme that thehrnativeworkof shegnat F%u studio was founded by traditiwd 2D animetars who where taught what software bunons ta push so t h y could weave their tradit~onal magic through the digital art form. Indeed, many companies-both film-based and games- based-prefer to hire 3D computer animators with tradiional2D animation skill ses before they hire computer-skilled-only animators, simply because they know that they have a more comprehensive understanding of the medium, and wirh w a M i f o o r r d e t e t ~ to their work, they become more versatile members &the company% animat~on team. Remember, purely "button-pushing"animatcrs are swe.tely limited In terms of thelr artlstlc range and versatility when f&& the mare aesthetic and broadly ranged production challengesthgtare ~ n d b l competitive world of snimstron today.

2D-based mater~al, euery &rth ade to respect the essent~ai 3D processes that conrwnpMary enimam nmd to know when cons~der~ng a career in the modern anlmat~on world. Consequently, In many cases, students can subsmute 3D animam for the 2D animation assignments glven.The Intention is not to penal~ze potentially wonderful anlmators If they do not have any facili i for drawing in the first placel In truth, the abil~ty to demonstrate a ~~&nsweknowledgeda l l the princ~ples and techniques of animated m m e n c whether thqare created In a 2D or 3D environment, should ba enough to convTnce a potentla1 employer that the animator before them does hdeed"know their stuWThat said, an animaw who can demonstrate an abil~ty in both 20 and 3D anirnat~on 1s of a higher premium these days than an animat ' '

. . . . approach.

Prerequisites for Study *= Y--. *, ., ,- 4,- 2

ii' ' .. ,- 8,, P JLU All

e that is dedl ?&based ex

b W w l d 4 a l l y to haves Kmigktbthatw

s a n r e d e s r c P f n t h e ~ ~ r y ~ l p o l o o f s r w i t h w h a t f o l I 0 ~ ~ because ~heMtlLtiCdsincr&assihe~praxurkfunhoruplondaiulwecuted. ., when all is wid and dona. aNtnatW Is aA ab0Stdrrrwlng--you cannot escape that fact, m r you wqnf-taMa w M and Mmey's aimators$u@ u@se Inother ioyP~fdm or game studlor, ~ l l acknowledge ~ ~ n d i ( & c & p c d t h t 6nkrnong them come homa n . d W a&& b a b a & m & w arrived! (Actually, many of tluqe top st- proJadp,drpumg a & ~ e r . ~ - b z n e d lnstructlon

even In a thumbnail 9 b q r h f - a th& -- ourput ir thrwgh r 30 ~ . S ~ , # o o ~ b r ttgntAcl.ntb h~ndered I f ~ d 8 n a t ~ ~ ~ n g ~ , j n d t h e betteryourdraw~ng abiiity is ths betteritwWvm%for you as an enlrmtor.

Consequently, it is my most earnest su~gestion rha! as a supplement to tr\a aOAUMkthkbhyou3ladC1alrrrt @ a sqwafa

A BaLstc Iflewkdg~~ of tht Clrssk PrkKlples of Art

I

y a o W r t ~ a ~ r a d ~ M . t f ~ s I R h a s p ~ ~ p e c t WhumM Md a r i m a k m m (19ht. tone, dnd color; kput and composition: end perhaps with a more conttrnpary slant, Yllmmaking

as the &the e

<- s .*

xxv ,"

presmt, then you do b e @ accept the sacrifice of tk long, hwd r d t h a t ller ahead dyou

As I suggested earlier, nothing worth having in this world is easy, and anmation is no exception. Professionally, the world Is extremely competitive. Gwmuhools the D i g i h lnsttlute dTe&ndogy and even popular online counes rrxh as AnimatEen Mentar= tumh-cg our pmkssicnal-level , ~ P B B ~ M S of the hvghest c@p&itity, and the employment market is mrt infinite rndaiCabrb1ng. Comeqm*, if pu're amhaiDw for a sermus career In @nation and think this b k i s a shortcut to your Brofessional ambitions, $en pu're wrong. The eempDtit4mis so~tiff thesedays that you wiil almost. & t O a n . m t $ P ~ o f t a a l o M ~ t h e s e w c t r e r I f ~ h o p e , tg wmpete with each ~ e v v w a t m n of highly tninodwannab? animator& Thatseaid, what is p r p s e n t d b r a l s e w ~ & i &nut thsmtv principles of @owwnt ttrat youll ever & to know to be a geqd animator, as bng +s p u dwelop the focus, tetqmmmt, and commitment tosee it through to ' s ultimate condusion. At thc othwend afthe rpearum ~f pu're ju* loolring >r fun ways to make your cartoon drawk%lr r n m or want to know how to i a k a short film on your own for fr i ick and farnily,Mnp&UAacl- ian you need with what qlwva rtac. r , r il - r '

iquipment

may, so y ~ u want to be ananimator and are itching to start your first day of $chool.fo what krnd of equipment will your home-based campus need? . The fint re~uir-? is&ai y w ' U qeed to k able to axecute everything that

require&#* W w d ' l k u rplJLe taking

I

I Introduction

and

Ngh-nrrkse standard Acme u-W Asme peg setu I P r a g M W ones on e~ther

I.lk*(k ~ & m e n t n ~ v a r , c O e K o n s c i o u s studentscan alternatively buy a simple three-circular-peg plastic peg bar, which IS quite lnexpensive but will enable them to use paper that is punched using a standard three-hole office punch. lnexpensive three-hole peg bars can k obtained online fro@ Lightfoot Llmited (www./~ghtfootlt~~qt@.

Animation Paper . -,-, online animation store& such as Lightfoot Limited, ~ l t t o e n d ! . , ~paay~www.wrtooncolaur.com), and Chrmawbur (m

),will have all Bnds ofanimatbn supplles on order, hduclhg prepunch4 or unpunched animation paper.There are th re major papersksthatya, can consider: student-sii paper and 12-field- and 16- field.sle paper.

Student-Slze Paper Student-sue paper 1s the wmplest and cheapest pal ultntranskcerrt(to avold the need fora really bright llghtbox,and, in some case$, nu 13ghtbox at alD or else standard opaque white bond paper that is usel in most desktop printers or photocopws. The standard student sue In the Un~ted Stater K 8.5 X 1 1 ~ d e s and elsovtlere It will probably be A 4 A4!hough thb Is a very cheap and easy-twbtain paper sire. it does s t g n i n d y limit the dirnenslons of the drawing surface area, especially if a largescreen film production is being attempted. Its huge advantage, however, Is tha9 when a comes to the final Kannlng stages of a film prodoctian, this paper size perfedy fis mn standard, and fhereforefasmore i m w , s~mners w W u t aqnmJffaraund Ekecdgtk r - ~ m t t + -. -

*a,. ., ,- . 126id64i2ePapsl This is the smallestofthe a M l a f p a p c r r g m A n g approximdy VJS X 12.5 b c h , Fhk H J t e e k t&%rn& commcrclal. based studios wlll uslwhM cwttng&matian forghares, \iWWTV, or direct- to-WD/video dmWrOn. It is alsatheaRlft r~comnsgded size for the more soriody m~nded studen tbat i t is more expensive thin thc standard d c e r q u k a larger, and t m e m - n W - t c erywmtkstwhde dr#rringerea &covered.

n § - f 9 d d i n r t r e W m m ) W w m b R psperrizesused. It kthe

size that i+pdo#W~* Ylsd in tags- thswkd movies, atthough

c x c e U e r n ~ kad In-

- - If you*

can a b a i a % ~ p r W c ~ k ~ n o t ldaal , .,er.u. .a -15Cs4. 5

Weld Guide

I se

cam?#+- m)r"rka(3j+farc~ r ~ ) o r e k a t n o ~ rarely in a widmrabfezaa(t.75:? meen miof. CNaiIstrlefmm most online animation n o ~ t h r f l e k l ~ f l c n o w n asa gmtRulein some places) h anessential p k e of 2D animation equipment when filmmaking is the ultlmgtoobj4ve. Many Dftk eraKise d W s in this bak, however, do not requlre a field guide.

MiseIlanoags Two-Dimensional Equipment M o s r ~ ~ ~ e a u i m ? e n t m o n ~ u ~ t ~ i s notiustrtandrrd to anfmdl tanmLn; t a n be;pu~hdsadfromart rtaw pmty much

Iutw, R Its tlwags advisable to have a rule a& r ~nrd~rape disp~mei d~ et hand. I aalr strongly advise getting a gOc"d.rBe, ~ t a b l e d r r k o p l b m p , as qurte often the nghtlng in a room is not aimcientiy bright enough to illuminatetlrrdnw(ng surhcs and therefwe s m e W of locd light is m d r d . A stopwatch is also an invaluable Item for animForr whowad ?a wafkout actm and t~mings in their head. lnexpenslve dlgkqlom?~ cM )se obfaiwd from chain stores such as Radio Shack.

It's strange to thinkof an animator requiring paperwork other than just the paperfor drawing on, but It is true that paperwork isneeded.The key adrninlstrative paperwork that 2D animaron specifically will need is a pad or tvvo cd exposure sheets. Exposure sheets (also called X-sheets or dope sheets in some places) are crucial to animators who are organizing their thoughts and pkming their movements and layers.

WewEl discuss thk in Betmil later, but suffice it to say, it Is important that antma(afs are equipped with exposure sheets at the onset of their more advanad work It is pmlble to either print them from a standard template (mitaMc from Desktop Academy, at ~desktopac~demy.corn) or else pWchase them from one d the excellent onllne animation stores on the Web. 7 y w are an intended filmmaker too, you wiU need to consider scene production folders, which will contain both exposure sheets and animation drawings when the work is completed.These too can be prlnted from templates available at the Desktop Academy site, or created individually according to design and taste. Another downbadable paperwork item is an animator's progress chart, which we'll deal with later in more detail.

~-%y Requirements Ifyou are to tdtrthepraem of animation seriously, you will want to make sure you have tht msaosdnot onty drawing your animation, but also filming and playing it b a c k f a f ~ t i o n and cAlqble.This is univefsally known as a pencil test. Consequerrrly, yon wit1 need some kind of image-capture device

I

Introduction 1

~ e s u i P e m e n i r m F m and Be* ~ @ W W es into a suit&&

- d.t - r Once an animation is pend testea and approved, tt d ncod to bc uo and takcn tu the hextlek! If k is to be oart of a k ~ - k k & & k . Here, each i n d h r d i ~ g wlll be scanned as -'&* colored. and ti& corridbJMtmether w~th a suit&^^^ atwork, a d t % h g W - e f f e c t s may be req&&? scene ~ T o ~ t W ~ ~ s , v o u wlll o b ~ i ~ -ec ff ptfrawtkh&3basrc&udent level& M- (te. 8.5 X 5 I (ndru), h&Mc standard, ~ n e x ~ e n s i v a I % & k % ~ ~ t h a t

technology rofessionalty

f idd paper $ need to get a larger, m & * i b i a ' w that can scan areas Up to 11 X 17 inches. If you alteai)rf& a- htgh-reso!utlon vltleo &mh for pencil testing, h&w&8q@y& to captlmpaorfinai lirteAh&es. (But this does have w w ' s w w profwslonal camera w~lhan<xception lens to make*

As previously mentioned, anlmatlon software wll scanned Images very easy.% software should a and final render your scanned f i bon to any film excitlng devebplng software in recent years is th cenrrtc appbnkm thrt-Technology " T m B o o m M ~ # " ~ ~ . f o r the desko

-s< 8-

P

~ound canka.huge'&inanUlknaWd prodyctbn,& the Cpulpment v o w r e s d b m ~ w k w l 5 0 - ~ 1 b c h o A ~ k ~

tuch ar wwuv.ac&ks--cbm, ~ . w ~ h d r m , and www.

Pnnymuchercq(paaWw)pr.OoodeMnOutCIWQjR~you should be awm.- ma you'll Rad* 330 mmrcren wdl md

a significant amount ef RAM m g e anda large h r d drive to cmts+n &e imvitably large files gUt ~ t b n ~ f i b s packages will reveal the minimum rrquiremmts, indanling a fastqmatlng motherboard for faster speed rendering. Many very ambnlous ani- Rtmmakea mlgM wanttohook u p w d computeRto mstes3nrdw farm:whlch dl enablethen to access a pra~tdcal ofmvkihgpaucr#ilmc becomes an issue.

Three-Dimensional Software Much to the annoyance of large cmpnior such as SoftlmagqcthCshrrly the "big two'software trtks of 30 animszton are and 3DMax fn the pan. it was said that 3DMax dominated th games indtmy ard ,nd &mba%d the film kxkmry. Now b& !mitt& are actuatly awned by Awldesk (www. usa.autodcsk.com), and the gaps between them are b@gi~lng m narrow. I am advised by many working professional 3D animators and educators thSt Maya tends to be the preferred software of animators, whuMs 3- Is the preferred modeling platform. However, as I say, the gep ir dosing, both in capablliand applfcatlon,and in time, we will probdtfEymuthWWmm change further. Raw beginners with a llmited purchaw paw,- should seriously Iwkat Animation Master (www.ha&.ccm) as a d l w w to begin with It is a highly Impressive starter program that cuss only r few hundred dollars (as opposed to professional-level dhmtatfwt cusEsfWny times that). I have seen some amazing work created on ARimaton MPstCr and t h e m , Martln Hwh, of Hash Inc, speaks with the&dm rntmrtw. Consequently, I an morethun happy to supporttheirmm~ment.md~eir superb program withthkfree endorsement.

Let the Fun Begin! Now that we've established what you need to start to learn animation, let's now start the adventure &what needs to be

L

Acknowledgments I cannot express enough the indebtedness I have toward all who have supported me in my obsessive mission to bring sound animation knowledge to all who seek it. In more recent times, i thankClaude Comair for having the vision and selfless commitment of creating something as unique and wonderful as the DigiPen Institute ofTechnology, as well as being able to use the DigiPen student an in this book. Also, to RaymondYan for making myjourney at DigiPen so pleasantly inspirational. I thank, too, the faculty of DigiPen for their support, ideas, and inspiration-each one of them is an amazing artist in his or her own right and teachers par excellence, who somehow teach me something new and important each and everyday.

I thank friends and family, near and far, who have tolerated my passive- obsessiveness, and especially Ken Rowe for being a stalwart friend and colleague, who has helped me keep the flames of my Animaticus Foundation and 2D Or Not 2D Animation Festival dreams alive. I sincerely thank, too, all those kind and generous folks at Focal Press, who for some reason or other seem keen to publish my ramblings and who have helped focus the diffuse and vague into the tangible.

And finally, with all my heart, I thank you dear Saille, for you have somehow managed to endure all of this without a single complaint! Even though I have driven myself to exhaustion and isolation in pursuit of everything at times, you still manage to give reason for my smiles and keep my sagging spirits alive.Thank you, dear Saille. Even when I have been mentally and physically lost through the distractions and challenges of creating this book, you have kept megoing through your unconditional love and understanding.Truly, without you, none of this could have ever happened!

PART I I

How to Be an Animator

L How to Be an Animator

otherwise. As with a regular school curriculum I have broken down the key pr~nciples into 10 clearly definable master-class lessons,MC 1 -MC 10. It IS

very important, however, that you don't jump the sequence in any way. Start with MC 1 and don't begln any other exercises u r ~ t ~ l you have mastered that one first.

Note ~f you want further one-on-one feedback on anything you are doing by ! the author, please read Appendix 2 . I

Either way, if you follow the lectures, guidel~nes, and assignments as ~nd~cated, you should find the process of learning to be an animator easler and more comprehensive.

aimanon - Basics

c l raabrn~f~ *- nes of

tbwI=&dm - /'

pv, Breakdown, artd In-IkWttm

between n where

that ~ H a n ceases or changes direcflonln somcw*y. T k walking, for example, will be thefulktri& positions--anewtth the right leg Forward and theother with the left leg forward.

smng to the nght

Animation Basics 1 -

In the case of the pendulum, we will have two key positions, one in-between position, and three ~n-between posltlons on either side, giving us nine drawings (or positions) in total for one swing.

-hefuil bet cfdrawngi for rn:pe~iluium s'.vlnq rclul~g fl r key and brezkcc'!un poiltcni, hti ii. arr i h ~ d

Creating Key Positions Wlth the understanding that we need key, breakdown, and ~n-between positions to create a sequence of animation, we should now look at the process of in-betweening, which applies as much to the breakdown drawing as it does to the in-betweens. Let us return to our swinging pendulum and consider the way to approach it. F~rst, using a fresh sheet of animat~on paper, select a fulcrum (or polnt) from which the pendulum will swlng.The best location to place thls will be along thecentrallvertical line of the field guide. which can be placed beneath the paper with the llyhtbox on. Put a s~ngle dot somewhere along this line, which will represent the polnt from which the pendulum will swing.

he pendulum's plmpolnt lofated ma gndded gnaade

Rernernber,this point needsto be in apfbMonthrrlrgoWs tbepandulurn to iwing fully I& aRd rl&t and all f% $M2hsfte@~wkPhHIk in the vert~cal 'pass~ng~positian.

Animation Basics I I

enare swinp, s h n g that the pendulum sfel) fiu mtsme mw wuml SrrFen wea

Now take a plece of paper, lay ~t over the top, and uslng the plvotal point on the lower sheet, draw In the pendulum w ~ t h its maximum swlng to the left (west).

Note

When dealing wlth directions on the screen or on a field gulde, left is described as west, up as north, right as east, and down as south.The middle of the field guide is known as center. If you are using a 10 field guide, it is termed a 10 field center, a 12 field guide is a 12 field center, and a 16 field guide is a 16 field center.

shows the rrght pendulum JEeY dravlnq.

ut both keyrtogctheron the pegsW)rouwpfseb~ytruhave rfu& canpM& the ' i w ~ keys & w m - D h e f W m s t key

I I How to Make Animated films

take aiichesfleffsofpaperdfthe~pegrih%$up?hmvmkey drawings the lqhtbox with it switched on. P(owbyttb?tl*rt(hm&dwn) drawlng

wet over them, lining it up with the pivogal polntr and tA*ofthe arm making e of the ball s later.

I

prirnposlng IS the mast vaiuableskill you can learn for creating accumin-betweens!

u t n Make

Put the drawings backon the pegs in the order ofthe first key position, the breakdown position, then the second key position, and roll them backward and forward.

By fl~pptng (or rolling) thedraw~ngs,aneaiterthe&er, you will get a very dear Ideaof howwell youranlmatlon IS work~ng.

Rolling is a process of placing your fingers between the drawings and rolling them in order forward and backward so that you see each drawing one after the other in sequence.This should give you a very rough sense of the pendulum swinging from one side to the other, although this will be very crude and broad at this stage. However, to make it smoother we will need to add in more in-between drawings.To prepare for this, let us number the drawings 1 (first key drawing), 9 (breakdown drawing), and 17 (second key drawing.)

The technique for hand placement and flipping for batrom pegs anlmatlon.

Animation Basics I

Important! Please get into the habit of putting a circle around every key drawing number and a parenthesis around every breakdown drawing number. In-between drawing numbers are written with nothing around them.

I'll explain the numbering choices soon, but suffice it to say you can number the drawings anything you like in practice, as long as you leave enough spare numbers between the first key drawing and the breakdown drawing, and then the breakdown draw~ng and the second key draw~ng, so that three in- betweens can go between each key drawing.

Now, with our drawings numbered correctly we need to create an action chart from drawing 1 to drawing 17. On the basis that the in-between movement from key to key is even in its movement, we can draw a chart on the first key that looks like thefollow~ng figure.

L Animation Basics

pegs are preferable. However, If yw cha~ctcr use bt@abl pep for your imatlon, you should place the drawing numbm m the right ofthe bottom

Charting Explained Now that you have the first chart drawn, let's talkabout what ~t represents. Taking the numbers from the first key drawing (1) and the breakdown drawing (91, you will see the numbers 3,5 , and 7 evenly spaced between them.This shows the way that you need to draw the in-betweens. Similarly, the numbersfrom the breakdown drawing (91 to the second key drawing (17) are also equally spaced.

Now let's get down to creatlng the ~n-between draw~ngs that are lnd~cated on the chart.

Animation Basics

Looktrig atbe hestha#of.theAwt BR, la), we- see that drwlng 5 IS

exactly In the middle.This mMns that we have to create thisin-between first. So, place Mltyrtrashg8 1 rnrd 9 on the pagr v&h the lightbox on, then place anews~&psprrron'fhapsgzandw-ce~thepIvo~lpodtionand I~ghtly$rauuIna@~@Mlins~tdf~ rhsMacrn lines of the prevlous drawings.

The first tn-between drawing to tackle in th~s care isdraw~ng 5.

Now, as before, superimpose all three sheets of paper over one another, making sure the pivotal points and the arm lhnes are In perfect alignment before traclng the full pendulum onto the new in-between drawing sheet (5)

Next, put all these three sheets back onto the pegs in their numerical order, with the lowest number on the bottom,and flip them backward and forward as before.

C 1 Animation Basics I

beforewm,. , '-, 7 . 3 .

A.' -

br smooth and a ~ m .

Always checkthe drewangs on the pegs when you'w completed each set of ~n-betweens, lust In case there IS somakng out of place or poorly drawn I

Flipping as Opposed to Rolling Now you should have more drawangs In the sequence than you have fingers to roll them 50, next you need to learn how to"fl1p"the drawlngs In order so that you can see them move As before, place the drawlngs together In reverse order, the lowest number on the bottom and the h~ghest number on the top Now, fan them a lmle so that the lower drawings are more Inward at the bottom and the uppermost drawlngs are more forward Gr~p the top of the paper plle firmly w~th one hand and then "fl1p"them from the bottom up, as 9 you are fl~pplng through the pages of a book You should see the pendulum swlng from one s~de to another more clearly and smoothly

Repeat the process several tames and get used to seeing movement In thls way Fl~pp~ng as a major tool In testlng and correcting your anlrnatlon, so a sk~ll an thls department goes hand in hand w ~ t h belng a good anlrnator

Arcs and Paths of Action Now that you have seen the pendulum successfully swing from side to side, let us cover a very important thing that you must rememberwhen animating any action. k h i n g in life moves it is a machine that is made up of -- c rves or arcs, whether it is a leaf Y ----. alr, or the torso and limbs of a walking characfer.

r Animation Basics

The ongatd ankwim hwmpsfor IkW~u~~frsmcsrnk Ik~markcdtOrRwvlhe.)~ tkac*MacroattreW& asRnvlngrhom%idt$sii

Un~nr tn Make Anirnaterl Filrnc ~

The arcthat i i dertr~bed by the tenter ofthe pendulum's head asit swings backward and forward.

The path of action or the arc of any movement is something that should never be forgotten by any animator, whether they are creating key poses or simply putting in in-betweens for any extended movement. We will refer to arcs and paths of action as we move through the class curriculum detailed in this book.

Timing and the Spacing of Drawings It will take students and animation beginners sometime to appreclate just how many and how far each charted in-between needs to be.That is where the hard-won experience of a master animator comes in. However, there are a couple of pointers that the learner should know.

[ More Means Slower -------- The main thing to reme J- about all animated actlon IS that th- c l w ~ n g s there are, the slower the action will appear on the screen when the -"-., finalact~on is seen.

It will still be a process of trial and error for beginners to appreclate it, but, by rule ofthumb, it should be remembered that if an action needs to be slow, the animatorwill have to put many more drawings between the key drawings of the action than if the action needs to appear fast. Fewer in-betweens mean a faster action between the key drawings.

Animation Basics

Here are silhouettes of all the drawings requiced for a tharatterwalklng wirha limp. Betause the tlmerpent on the strong leg (upper animation) IS much slower and ionger in screen time than that ofthe weaker leg (lower animation), there aredearly moredrawings required.

Speed Varies in Any Action The next thing to remember with a n G i h a ? l t s speed is not constant. An arrow fired from a bow will be fast at first but it will slow down as wind resistance works on it. It will also arc upward then downward as the loss of velocity, as well as gravity, exert an effect on it.

Alternatively, a big heavytrain starts slowly at first, increases speed as ~t builds up momentum, and then slowly decelerates before it comes to its next stop. Consequently, the animator has to take this into consideration when charting out the in-between action from key drawing to key drawing.This brings us to the most valuable technique of all for the positioning of drawinnc-rlnwing- in and slowing-out.

Just likeaoarrowfly~nqthrouqhthe air, a bouncing ball w~iislow down at the top af each baunce apex, meaning that there will have to be moredrawings positioned there than elsewhere.

MIhis animation, i hadm add mwe drawings at the top d the paper dmp than at the bottom, meaning that following the hndng ball prhciple, I

the paperwill accdmte a it drops I

Slowing In and Slowing Out If you really look at a real pendulum actlon in Ilfe, you w ~ l l note that the speed 1 ofthe action IS never constant. Watch a child on a playground swing and you will notice that as he or she reaches the high spot of the arc-front swing or back swlng-there 18 a definite slowlng of movement Then, as the swing

I returns from one high polnt to the next, i t w ~ l l accelerate downward before 1

Consequently, the speed ofthe swinglng action IS never constant-it 1s either In a process of speeding upor slow~ng down. How might we better show this In our previously drawn pendulum sequente?Thefirst thing is to go backand look at our chart oositioning.

Animation Basics

On the bans that ~f we put more drawlngs m the actlon it wlll slow down, and dwe take moredrawingsout theaction w~l l speed up, we can rethlnkthe way we chart our ~n-betweens As we know. the nearer tothe h~gh spots of the pendulum wing (the key posinons In our case), the more the swing w~ l l decelerate, and then the farther we moveaway from the high-spot posltlons, the more it will accelerate Therefore, ~f we place more drawlngs nearer to the key posltlons and less around the breakdown posltlon, the more we will repl~cate this slwng-down and speeding-up actlon

Note the drawing placemwit drffereiues between thls and our wen pornions chart horn earlier I have also &led an mdlcatlm oftheaddMonalm betweensm redwkh when shot on bnes will give the entlre action a muck smoather actlan

eans slower and less means faster, we will ach~eve the acceleration eleratmn that we are looktng for Th~s process of charting IS known as

In-Betweening Slow-Ins and Slow-Outs in-betweening slow-ins and slow-outs needs a little more focus when placing and approaching the sequence of in-betweens to be attempted. With our new slow-inlslow-out chart in the following figure, notice that the first in-between drawing between 1 and 9 18 now drawing 7.

Ilc.:l), l idr /n~ ; r tiijiuling ci:

odrt oftilr :hdrt I! niidr!:ji bctw:a; o:j:%ir$ - 6.13 d ' d ~ i r ~ 9

Consequently, this is the first in~between drawing you will need to do when attempting this slowing-out section of the chart.

i e c how the po!!lon, 3 i ' p~nj~ilun. !v<ng with a ilcw~ng-s~t ac tcn 21;

~Icie'tugrtne :r ;lie bi~iri-r,;, tben ,I>,II:E ,ic ,]rat, t!, r~mr , .hf, 1 8 ~ ' ~ L I I J I ~ taa:(eI?l:te

Once drawing 7 is successfully complete, you will see that drawing 5 is the next in-between position, so it should be completed next, positioned between drawings 1 and 7. Finally, with drawing 5 done, drawing 3 has to be completed between 1 and 5.

I Animation Basics

When approaching the stowing-in part d the ch& fmrsdrawing 9 to key drawing 17, you wlfl m that the fir% dming to be d e t e d th~r trme 15 in-batween drawlog 11. -Uy, drawing 11 is placed accurately between drawings 9 and 17.

After drawPng 11 mines b ~ n r l r a w l n g P3, which Is created by positioning it p n c i m b w n dr&ng111 md 17. Finally, drawlng 15 need$ to earnpk~ettMIadmn tqrdwhg hprecidy between drawlngs 13 and 17.Thbshou#dgiuoyouaOmpfcce acc&mring/decelerat~ng swlng to the pendulum,whIchyou%haUtd be sbktclseeby ff~pplng all the drawlngs as previously dascribed.

W~th a good number of finished draw~ngs towork wrh, it a much easkerto flip a long sequence of anlmatlon drawings uslng a handheld

29

I How to Make Animated Films I

SuggertgdRdw Wfi%,T, WhsAnimoearfiririr-NaUYPalr P9SB pp 24-3

38-43 &d112-$17. Wm&s rivdlgltal Wa3S24353 and 360-365.

? .

Assignment 2 - -, "' , "

Divide rho - m $ R o atflwbde; 2 9 * . s. "* s.' -

Animation Basics

all the major principles of an~mat~on-namely, the Importance of eakdown, and ~n-between positions; as well as arcs, paths of act~on, g-in and slow~ng-out, we~ght, gravlty, and tlmlng But, first thlngs first

in the weight and denslty of the ball to be bounced For example, a

ball>-s, and flexib~l~ty, and thlsalways has to be borne In m~nd wlth any an~mated object orcharattc qulte as~defrom the rubber ball challenge You will find In my other books adequate descr~ptlons of thevarylng types of bounclng ball ettects, so I won t go over them agaln here Suffice it to say, let us assume that we are qolnq to work wlth a standard

ill alwa~s exert an effect with dt things. With the bounc~ng ball, gravlty will merely ensure that each bouncewjll get less and less, as the kinet~c energy wlthln the ball 15 unable tofight a@wf the wnstant pull of gravity.Therefore,as the ball moves forward wtth a certain a w u n t of velocity, the bounces of that ball will lncreaslngly dlmlnlsh and be less and less apart Thls w~l l glve us a path of actlon for ou

r The Bouncing Ball

I a l w a y r I ~ k e m s W n q ~ ~ fiml m a y m a d @ h a l W W anlmate,butdn$dallbrr$Wka rel~able gmundwtruk&-Hael h a w a d d o d t h e m m $ a . W t to mnd~ca~tht~a~norzkeFwmWDnr fmm m@-1~koea

r -

Hnw t n Make Animated Filrnr I

rubber ball hits thesolid ground it will distort in shap,e. In otherwords, it will "squash."The harder the ground and the faster the velocity the ball contains before it hits the ground will define the amount of squash exerted on it. Therefore, the higherthe bounce and the furtherthe ball travelsfrom bouncl to bounce, the more the squash distortion will appear. In considering the path of action we have already defined for ourselves, I would suggest the key squash position In thefollowlng figure would be reasonable.

Note, however, that the apex positions of the ball in the figure do not squash, as they are not subject to any contact with a hard surface like the ground, or are even being distorted by velocity.

What is meant by this is that at the apex of a bouncing arc the ball is momentarily at a zero point of movement and impact. Here, the ball has slowly ground to a halt, as the kinetic energy from the previous bounce

shutter i s m 4 fast enough fa cspbtae a Jhar@ image dthe mow object, thus the m M U r It presentrln , S p e d d y drawn ZDanlmation, It Is

dally m

The amount of met& hdcptndent on the degmcf.ffexibitity within the object be ingan lmd and tr# s p e d or vrlodty It h Rovhg n. For example, our rubber ball wlH d ls tms ignMdy sr Et mwes atspeed, whereas a metal cannon ball will not stretch very much. A150,the degree of stretch will vary In accordance to the amount of distance covered and the speed the ball is moving. In our reduclng-bounce path of salon, the distortion of the bounce will therefore look like the following figure as we black-in the breakdown

I

Note how the amount of distortion is increased with the higher bounces and diminished with the lower ones.

Timing Another factor that gtves our bouncing ball amon cred~b~l~ty is ~ts tlmlng Remember that as a ball reaches ~ts uppermost apex position In an arced path of actlon ~t will slow down to an almost stopped poswon, then it will beg~n to accelerateas gravity begins to pull tt earthward aga~n.Th~s will requlre that we apply slow~ng-~n and slow~ng-out princ~ples to the ~n-betweens and we chart them out.That means that more drawlngs need to be added to and from the uppermost key posit~on, as we have already establ~shed that more drawlngs mean less speed.

I the m h o $ k h W & bwllE.bckqmMagain is& too; depenr)inganftramt e%frpesddthPBouneebefore itfherefore, the

Based on our slavnng-outislow~ng-in chart~ng, thetwo frames 10 and our ofthe hr porltion i l l ) are effectively breakdown drawlngs

Note that thesedrawings areseparated out to the rightto make the action clearer to see. In realry, they would be closer together and overlapping, w~th thesecand ball posrtian on the ef t effmively located d~rettly on top of the first quash pasiton

The key th~ng to remember IS that a flexible ball wrll slow down and resha ttself back to ~ t s perfectly round form at the top of a bounce, whereas ~t w stretch more drarnat~cally at the bottom of a bounce.This IS why the bout ball IS such a good exercise fordemmstrw the prmctples of tlmlng, slow~ng-~n and slow~ng-out md qua* a d stretch

?.%+ *: Weight --** Of course, f our ball was not rubber and bounc~ng, but was heavy and ~nflex~ble or l~ght and much moreflextble, the actlons would look far dtffe Follow~ng are three d~fferent examples of balls w ~ t h varylng we~ghts and