Everything bout CHARACTER ANIMATION [Archive]

Abhishek

16-02-2005, 01:41 AM

Character Animation<o:p></o:p>

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Principles
of Animation<o:p></o:p>

1. Squash and Stretch
-- Defining the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during
an action.<o:p></o:p>

2. Timing
-- Spacing actions to define the weight and size of objects and the personality
of character.<o:p></o:p>

3. Anticipation
-- The preparation for an action.<o:p></o:p>

4. Staging
-- Presenting an idea so that it is unmistakably clear.<o:p></o:p>

5. Follow Through and
Overlapping Action -- The termination of an action
and establishing it relationship to the next action.<o:p></o:p>

6. Straight Ahead Action
and Pose-To-Pose Action -- The two contrasting
approaches to the creation of movement.<o:p></o:p>

7. Slow In and Slow Out
-- The spacing of the in-between frames to achieve subtlety of timing and
movement.<o:p></o:p>

8. Arcs
-- The visual path of action for natural movement.<o:p></o:p>

9. Exaggeration
-- Accentuating the essence of an idea via the design and the action.<o:p></o:p>

10. Secondary Action
-- The action of an object resulting from another action.<o:p></o:p>

11. Appeal
-- Creating a design or an action that the audience enjoys watching.<o:p></o:p>

12. Solid Drawing<o:p></o:p>

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Key
Elements of Successful Character Animation<o:p></o:p>

Balance ?
Weight - Timing<o:p></o:p>

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Stage 1:
There's nothing about a character's movement that makes you (or other people if
you're not picky enough) sit up and say, "There's something wrong with the
way it moves." 
 
This would include animation that's too stiff, has too few keyframes and looks
like it's occurring under water, moon walking (feet sliding), poses that make
no sense, etc. You must be long past just doing walk cycles and such to get to
that point. Also it would include breaking symmetry, so the exact same action
or facial expression isn't mirrored on the other side of the character. This
just screams "COMPUTER", which is a bad thing.<o:p></o:p>

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Stage 2:
Characters must act. Show emotion, facial expression that conveys the internal
thinking of the character without the character having to say a word. 
 
The body language should also be demonstrating a character's state of mind. Are
they lazy, aggressive, do they have a limp, a backache? If they were trying to
be threatening, would another character be threatened? If they do talk, are
they convincing?<o:p></o:p>

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Stage 3:
The character must have an absolutely unique and identifiable personality. 
 
Subject the character to the "Twin" or "Brain Switch" test.
You have two identical characters. You should be able to tell if you were
looking at the good character or the bad character, even in silhouette. Or the
smart brother or dumb brother. Trickier still would be the evil character doing
his best to pose as the good character, and he's *almost* there but just not
quite. 
 
The characters in Toy Story would all pass this test. Buzz in Woody's body?
Think you couldn't spot that. Or Woody in Buzz's. Or Rex in Buzz's. 
 
In live action I'll give you an example: in the TV show "Taxi", Andy
Kaufman's character, Latka, had an alter ego called "Vic Ferrari".
When he changed without saying a word, you could tell. When "Vic" was
trying to return to Latka, he tried acting like him, and you could tell he just
couldn't quite get it. 
 
Ask yourself, "How often have I seen this in computer animation?" 
 
If you want to really call yourself good, *Stage 3* is the bar you have to
achieve. I would presume it's the bar that the various large traditional
animation studios require you to reach before you can even be called an
"animator".<o:p></o:p>

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Character Animation Exercises<o:p></o:p>

Generally, most exercises will involve either a character's emotions or
a character's physical presence or both. Depending on how complex an animation
you want to work with, characters can be as simple as a bouncing ball or as
complicated as a living thing. It depends on how much time you have and how
much you want to accomplish. Keep in mind that these are only suggestions to
get you thinking. 
 
The following exercises vary quite a bit in complexity. Most of them will
require at least an intermediate understanding of the program you're using, but
you are welcome and encouraged to attempt them no matter what level you're at.
These exercises are ways in which you can challenge yourself and improve your
animation skills. If you're not being challenged, you're not really doing
yourself any favors. Pick something just above your level of competency and
then try it. Once you've done it effectively, make it more complex. 
 
When I have time, I will try to rate these exercises and put them in some sort
of order. If you know of an exercise that has been particularly useful to you
or just have an interesting idea, please send it and I will add it here. 
 
Exercise suggestions:<o:p></o:p>

 
1) Try to display the emotions a character might go through while waiting for a
bus that's late. Pay close attention to facial expressions, body language, and
detail. 
 
2) Have a character try to open something (i.e. a present) that refuses to
open. The character can only use body parts for the first minute, but may
resort to other measures (i.e. tools and explosives) thereafter. Note, the
character will be affected by the tools used (i.e. blast of an explosion).
After you've mastered this, try to do the same thing with a normally inanimate
object (i.e. lamp) as your lead character. 
 
3a) Animate someone riding a pogo stick or some other 'fun' object (i.e. using
a hoola hoop). 
 
3b) Have your character use a weighted object, such as a hammer or a shovel.
Demonstrate how the weight of the object affects the stance and demeanor of the
character using it. 
 
4) Create a walk cycle, then vary it to accommodate different attitudes and
'character'. For example: Angry, happy, sneaky, limping, carrying a heavy
object, sleep walking, etc. 
 
5) Animate two characters sawing a log. The first character is a big, muscular
brute. Animate him pose-to-pose first and cycle his animation. The second
character is a scrawny little guy who gets yanked around, grabbing onto the saw
for dear life. 
 
6) Have a character bend down, pick up something heavy, and throw it. This
exercise can help you with timing, emphasizing weight, and anticipation. 
 
7) Put a short character in a tall room with one window, one door, one light
(and switch) and a hanging ceiling fan (with hanging switch). The room contains
3 boxes, a ball, and a board. Imagine the different ways your character could
figure out how to reach the hanging switch and then animate the most
outrageous. Next, subtract two boxes and add a skateboard and try again.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

From
CG-Char, CG Talk, 10 Second Club:<o:p></o:p>

Bouncing ball (rubber, wood, lead, glass, beach, bowling, tennis, cannon,
etc.) - weight, arcs,
squash/stretch, timing, spacing, anticipation, declining residual energy (in
the after-bounces), and possibly attitude, if the ball is more of a character.
You can get a lot into (and out of!) a bouncing ball exercise. Well done
bouncing balls actually aren't that common.<o:p></o:p>

Egg
dropping/rolling<o:p></o:p>

Brick
dropping<o:p></o:p>

Walk, run, jump, sneak in different directions (show
character from one into the next ? realistic, character, 4-legged)<o:p></o:p>

Push-pull-lift-carry-put down weight<o:p></o:p>

Climb<o:p></o:p>

Dialogue/monologue where the character starts off feeling
one emotion and changes into another<o:p></o:p>

Different weights of characters/ vary the size and shape
of the character doing above tasks<o:p></o:p>

Four-legged character (cat, dog, etc.) walking, jumping,
climbing, stretching, yawning, scratching, etc.<o:p></o:p>

Juicebox:
a juice box enters frame from left has an emotion change throughout the
animation and leaves from right (200 frame limit) 
Character jumping over object<o:p></o:p>

Character
interaction with a ball 
Character interaction with a box (push, pull, lift, etc.)<o:p></o:p>

Bring an inanimate object to life 
Leaf falling in arcs and the timing 
Egg drop / brick drop 
Ringing bell tower bell 
A short dialogue (very short), putting physical accents
on the significant beats of dialogue 
Two character dialogue - introduces more staging and
interaction<o:p></o:p>

Standing or sitting, character doing nothing, body
language should suggest thought process without any interaction with an object<o:p></o:p>

A bunch of people waiting for a bus, all with different
ages/professions<o:p></o:p>

A character walks to a mailbox, deposits an envelope, and
walks away. Now, how is that action different if the envelope contains (1) a
heartfelt love letter, sent without knowing whether the recipient feels the
same way about the sender, or (2) this year's tax return, which includes a big
fat check made payable to Uncle Sam, or (3) the last mortgage payment on a
house, or the last alimony check to an ex? The basic goals are the same
(approach mailbox, etc), but the motivation behind them and the mood expressed
will be dramatically different for each one.<o:p></o:p>

Character goes to pick up an object they think is light
but it?s heavy, and vice versa<o:p></o:p>

3 legged character - two legs cannot move in unison<o:p></o:p>

First you come up with something very minor - say, a guy
picking up a flower. Now you start developing context...ask yourselves
questions and try to come up with interesting answers<o:p></o:p>

A two legged character walk on all fours<o:p></o:p>

An old man kneeling down to pray, then rising<o:p></o:p>

Pendulum
swing (using arcs)<o:p></o:p>

Simple
head turn (using arcs)<o:p></o:p>

Water drop
falling from a leaf<o:p></o:p>

One-shape
character design<o:p></o:p>

Complex
character design<o:p></o:p>

Emotional
character walk in profile (anticipate - walk two strides and compensate to a
stop)<o:p></o:p>

Flour sack
walkcycle<o:p></o:p>

Flour sack
falling off a ledge<o:p></o:p>

Character
waiting for something<o:p></o:p>

Character
sitting on object, interacting with object<o:p></o:p>

Circus/Sideshow
accidents (character walking on a
tightrope gets distracted by a sound off screen and loses control; character
stuck in a cannon, trying desperately to get out before the fuse burns out, but
of course doesn't quite make it; carnie tries to impress onlookers with a
"talent" but it goes horribly wrong)<o:p></o:p>

Confrontation
between two characters: one is losing but makes a spectacular comeback, just
when you thought all hope was lost. 
This is that huge fight between the Boss and the Hero, or the dramatic
clash that has led up to your dramatic quest<o:p></o:p>

Hero/villain
attempts to execute their strange and unfamiliar powers. Suddenly something
goes horribly wrong and their power backfires<o:p></o:p>

Character
tries to access a bank machine and it misbehaves<o:p></o:p>

Character
tries to use a restroom and can't<o:p></o:p>

Character
takes on a profession as a mover and has to move an awkward object<o:p></o:p>

Character
entering a dark corridor/cave with weapon drawn awaiting a surprise from the
dark<o:p></o:p>

Character
finding the ?one ring? and reacting to his discovery<o:p></o:p>

Show a
feat of elven dexterity (ie. Legolas jumping on the horse or walking on snow,
etc., but be original)<o:p></o:p>

Character
meeting death from an attack<o:p></o:p>

Character thinks
they're going to sneeze, then not sneeze and then finally sneezing<o:p></o:p>

Character
trying to swat a fly or catch a bug<o:p></o:p>

Character
trying to stay awake, finally falls asleep (maybe something really loud wakes
him up at the end its up to you)<o:p></o:p>

Character
sneaking up on another character to scare them<o:p></o:p>

Character leaning against the wall, chewing
gum or a toothpick, hands in his pockets or maybe flipping a coin, waiting for
something to happen<o:p></o:p>

Character lifting their leg in front of them
(perhaps ballet).  Study the balance of
body.<o:p></o:p>

Character walk, then bolt into a run, jump over something, jump onto a
rope, swing to a rubber ball and roll around on it (breaking/resuming motion)<o:p></o:p>

Character pitches a baseball to another character using a bat<o:p></o:p>

Character trying to lift weights<o:p></o:p>

Idle hold
(character stands still but needs some movement to his limbs or else will look
frozen)<o:p></o:p>

Opening/closing
a door. 
Pushing an heavy object. 
Fire and reload a rifle. 
Reload a rifle. 
Let him die (this one can be fun to have several different versions of)<o:p></o:p>

Reeds waving in the wind<o:p></o:p>

Character side-step, jump, hop, side-jump,
dive, cracking a whip, using a sledge-hammer<o:p></o:p>

Hug<o:p></o:p>

Cell phone<o:p></o:p>

Crawl<o:p></o:p>

Pet<o:p></o:p>

Gymnast<o:p></o:p>

?I Want Candy?<o:p></o:p>

Stuck<o:p></o:p>

Swim<o:p></o:p>

Injured<o:p></o:p>

Juggle<o:p></o:p>

Tightrope<o:p></o:p>

Catch, running catch<o:p></o:p>

Save me<o:p></o:p>

Exercise<o:p></o:p>

Dive<o:p></o:p>

Pole climb<o:p></o:p>

Choke<o:p></o:p>

?I?m losing my senses?<o:p></o:p>

?Watch out for that car?<o:p></o:p>

Cat burglar<o:p></o:p>

?Get down from there?<o:p></o:p>

Dance<o:p></o:p>

Rough landing<o:p></o:p>

?Where did I put that...?<o:p></o:p>

?Bzzzz?<o:p></o:p>

Surprise box<o:p></o:p>

Hot hot hot<o:p></o:p>

?I won the lottery?<o:p></o:p>

Jumping a fence<o:p></o:p>

Arrow in the chest<o:p></o:p>

Kick<o:p></o:p>

Transporter<o:p></o:p>

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From
Spicy Cricket.com:<o:p></o:p>

1. Character on the phone, but not talking, listening to a person on the other end talk about
something: important, sad, happy and/or "fill in the blank". Choose
the subject matter to really express how the receiver of that information
reacts. The exercise is designed to help people develop a character's thinking
through eye movement, subtle facial expression and pantomime with body
language.<o:p></o:p>

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2. Display the
feelings a character would experience while waiting for something or someone. Gender specific reactions can be
really revealing here. How a man would react vs. a woman? This is a good
exercise because it demands pure acting outside of dialogue. Much like Tom
Hanks for most of castaway, your character will need to show lots of emotion
through psychological gesture. <o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

3. Create a walk cycle. Now make 4
variations on the same character to illustrate an emotion. For example: Angry
Stomp, Happy Run, Sad Shuffle, Cocky Strut, Questioning Tiptoe, etc. Be sure to
refer to the bouncing ball for your arcs and paths on this one.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

4. Create a walk cycle with a four legged character. Do the same thing as above, but now
illustrate you ability to translate it into four legs or even an insect and go
to six or eight legs. Always refer to real life and then translate that into
your own work. It is great when you can create a connection between an animal
and human nature, but if you keep the integrity of the animal's basic essence,
then the animation will be much richer. Of course a dog would not have the
emotional range of a human, but you still know when a dog is happy. Think to
yourself, not only how a human might react to the situation, but also how
"insert animal/creature here" would react to it also.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

5. Character encounters something that he wants
to open. Perhaps it has difficulty opening it. Perhaps it reacts to
whatever it opens (but you don't see what it in it). The character can only use
body parts for the first 30 seconds, but may pursue some other means (i.e.
tools and explosives) thereafter. This one is really open ended and can test
your ability to show many storytelling ideas in the body language and facial
expressions, without one line of dialogue.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

6. A similar
test to the one above is to have a witch
attempt to ride a broom that keeps bucking her off. Andreas Deja
(animated--Jafar in Aladdin, Scar in Lion King, Gaston in B & B, etc.)
spoke of this test at a talk I attended in LA. He referred to it as what Disney
asked him to do before he was officially brought into the animation department.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

7. Animate two characters sawing a log.
The first character is a big, macho man. Animate him pose-to-pose first holding
one side of the saw and cycle his animation. The second character is a scrawny
little guy who gets yanked around, grabbing onto the saw for dear life. This
idea would be even better if there was some kind of big finish where the little
guy gets the best of the big guy.<o:p></o:p>

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8. A character lifts something heavy.
This is hard enough to show shifts in weight throughout the body to get
leverage, but if you wanted to make the test even more complicated you can make
the character do something else, while continuing to hold the heavy object.
Great example of weight and timing. Again, Chapter 3 in The Illusion
of Life covers this concept thoroughly.<o:p></o:p>

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9. A character
is doing something and needs to get
someone's attention. Lots of eye movement and subtle mouth stuff, as
well as body language on an exercise like this.<o:p></o:p>

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10. The flour sack. A
great test that forces understanding of <a href="http://spicycricket.com/SCA/SCA_anim_principles.html" target="top" target="_blank">the principles</a> in its most basic form. Make
a four sack move and react to show emotions and character. Be sure to remember
the volume of the sack and how it would move between contact with the ground
and being airborne. This test is a favorite among animators, since there is
very little character design and development and you really have to pay
attention to what you are trying to communicate.<o:p></o:p>

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From AWN:<o:p></o:p>

What folks
in the industry want to see is...character animation.  THINKING, BREATHING CHARACTERS! 
Do 15-30 seconds of GREAT CHARACTER ANIMATION with one or two characters
which show the following:<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

WEIGHT -
show weight by squashing the feet and in the quads of the upper legs (on the
front side) and in the hips/butt area. 
In 3D - use a lattice when structuring your character. WHEN IN DOUBT
EXAGGERATE THE WEIGHT.<o:p></o:p>

 
Posing with exaggeration<o:p></o:p>

 
ACTIONS - LEADING AND FOLLOWING actions are easy - example: when a character
land one foot makes contact and then the other...or if you lift the arms - one
arm goes up and then the other. 
 
OVERLAPPING ACTIONS - example the character comes to a halt and her hair and
dress continue to flow and settle into place. To be effective the overlapping
has to use "S" curves to change direction. 
 
DRAG ACTION - is where you show a drag on a form as it moves through space.
This usually occurs at the ends of the form. If a rubber raft is falling, the
middle edge will be intact - the other edges will bend or drag back. 
 
MOTIVATIONAL FORCES - what makes thing move - 80% or more of all actions happen
because of the hips and legs. If a character throws a ball the action starts
with the extension (unfolding) of the front leg which rotates the hips and
create toque with the torso and allows the unwinding of the torso to lead the
shoulder and the rest of the arm through a throwing motion.  Another example: a character can't turn
unless he pushes off on the outside foot - then he can change direction.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

Thinking
time (a character ALWAYS thinks before it does anything). 
 
PRIMARY AND SECONDARY ACTIONS - easy example in a walk - the legs are the
primary action - then arms are the secondary action. 
 
ANTICIPATION - (or ANTIC) In a grab, the hand comes up and backward before it
goes forward. 
 
COMPENSATION - If a character is running and stops - you have to compensate for
the forward momentum (usually by driving the forces up - or down and then up.) 
 
REVERSALS - try to work as many reversals into the spine as possible (as long
as it makes sense to the action). The spine is curved forward - then curves
back during an antic and then curves forward when the character picks up a
stone. HINT: My next lesson at the Toon Institute will have this information. 
 
A CUSHION OR SETTLE is where you move passed a key frame into an
extreme/extreme and then cushion back into the original key frame. 
 
A MOVING HOLD is a very, very slow slow-out of an action - to where the
movement is coming to a creeping halt.<o:p></o:p>

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Staging
(how the action is composed within the frame)<o:p></o:p>

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Character
Design - the ability to caricature a person utilizing good design skills and
have appeal<o:p></o:p>

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Dialog
would be a plus<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

A Demo Reel Primer<o:p></o:p>

What is a demo reel for? 
A demo reel is essentially a sales tool. You are selling yourself and proving,
to an extent, what sort of positive addition you will be to a company. If you
can prove you've got oodles of talent and a creative way of thinking about
things, your demo reel will get you noticed. If it is exceptionally good, it's
your doorway into the industry. <o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

Who is your audience? 
Your audience, obviously, is comprised of those people you want to work for.
The thing is, you're not alone. Many, many people want and have tried to get
the same job you are applying for. These demo watchers have seen countless
reels and guess what, they're tired of seeing the same things over and over
again. If you think your 3 minute flying logo is going to win you a job, you
better consider it very carefully before putting it on your reel. These people
are not obligated to watch your entire reel. If they're dissatisfied, they will
hit EJECT and move on, possibly missing your Oscar(tm) worthy animation later
in the reel.<o:p></o:p>

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What to put on a demo reel<o:p></o:p>

SECTION A (general): 
Only your best, most amazing work ever. This stuff has to be the best thing
since pizza. If you can do it all (model, render, and animate), do it all!
You'll earn points for this. Companies are looking for people who can wear many
hats and accept many responsibilities. You need to capture their attention and
show them you're more than up to the challenge of working in a creative (and
crazy) environment like theirs. You want to not only show them you're up to it,
you want to show them it'll be a breeze for you.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

What to put on a demo reel<o:p></o:p>

SECTION B (specific): 
You need to get as many strong points across to your audience visually, in as
little time as possible. You need to capture their attention, draw them in, and
make them forget for an instant that they are watching a demo reel. This can be
quite difficult unless you a great deal of vision and a really good story to
tell. Currently a lot of businesses are looking for excellent character
animators. You need to bring an object to life, give it a voice, an attitude,
"CHARACTER", and have it tell a story. Be fresh, creative, and
original (I can't stress that enough). Also, there is a demand for artists who
are good at creating low polygon count models. If you have specific skills you
want to show off and can, such as adding actual paintings you've created in the
real world into a 3d environment, then do it. You are trying to earn as many
points as possible. A well rounded artist is always appreciated.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

What not to put on a demo reel<o:p></o:p>

SECTION A: 
Probably whatever you are most likely to think about putting on your demo reel
first, is the sort of thing you want to stay away from at all costs. You may
think you're being original, but believe it or not, everyone else thinks their
name or company logo looks cool flying around the screen too. How about
spaceships? They're cool, to be sure...but if you're a demo watcher and that's
all you see day in and day out, you're probably dying to see something else.
Also, with whatever objects you include in your animation, make sure they are
decorated (textured) in the best way possible. Most things in the real world
are not shiny and new. Instead they are dented, beat up, scratched, or flawed
in some unusual way. Prove your texturing skills by creating your own complex
custom textures and make your models even more interesting to look at. 
 
Realize that your audience has seen just about every basic transition and
effect out there. These are the things that are only one click away in whatever
program you're using. You need to be different and your effects need to be hard
won. If it can be done from a simple pull down menu, it's probably not doing to
impress them. You need to stand out from the rest of the pack.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

What not to put on a demo reel<o:p></o:p>

SECTION B (exceptions): 
Of course there are exceptions to everything in the computer graphics and
animation industry. If the job you are applying for is going to require
specific skills, such as flying logos or spaceship battles, then by all means
gear your demo reel in that direction. However, if you are going to be applying
to a wide variety of jobs, it is best to have something that will appeal and
look absolutely amazing to everyone.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

How do I create a good demo reel? 
Sit, plan, make-up, cross out, plan some more, think, cross out, make up, and
then get to work. A good method is to think about what your strengths are and
then think about the most effective and entertaining way possible to get those
strengths across on screen. Then sit and think about every aspect of what you
want to do and storyboard it out. Understand what every scene is going to
involve, how long it's going to take, what sort of resources you'll need to
accomplish it, and if everything you want to do is really possible. And if it's
not possible, how you're going to look that obstacle in the eyes and say
"up yours, I'm doing it anyway".<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

What does a good demo reel look like? 
Many companies have their own reels which you could probably arrange to get a
hold of. Contact these places and see if they will send you one. If these are
places you would like to work for, then pay close attention to the sort of
things they do. Otherwise, I suggest checking out many cool animation tapes
currently on the market. Look for "The Mind's Eye" series by SMV or
"Computer Animation Festival" series also by SMV. Watch the tapes, be
inspired, and then think about how you could have done it better...and then do
something else, since what you're thinking about doing has already been done.
Remember, be original. If you want to do something that's been done before, do
it differently (if that makes sense).<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

Things to remember! 
Put your best stuff first. You want to grab your audience's attention as soon
as possible. Give credit where credit is due. If you didn't do something, say
so. Also, specify the tools you used to create your demo reel.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

Shawn Kelly:<o:p></o:p>

?If you want to get your reel noticed by the big companies,
fill it with 2 minutes of clips that show the strongest mechanics and physics
(showing off the fundamental principles of animation) that you can, and pepper
it with a few dialogue/acting tests. If it's a rock-solid butt-kicking reel, it
will rise to the top no matter what. It will get passed around, the right
people will see it, and you'll be set. At that point, it's just a
waiting-around period until the companies happen to be hiring.?<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

1. Focus on the forces affecting your
character, both internally and externally. This will describe the action and
reaction of the character, the succesive breaking of joints, the overlap,
center of gravity, the follow-through, what leads what, etc. It all starts with
the forces involved. 
 
2. MAKE A DECISION. 
I was a really big "what-if" guy. I mean,
REALLY big. I'd get 1/4 of the way into a shot where a guy is lifting a box,
and say "Hey! What if the box was really a bowling ball?" So then I'd
want to start over. Of course, then I'd have another "bright" idea
and start over again. You'll never finish a scene or even be able to properly
get started on it until you MAKE SOME CONCRETE DECISIONS about what is going on
in the scene, what you're trying to say in the scene, and what actions/emotions
you are going to animate in a scene. This stuff is all found in the planning
phase. 
 
3. PLAN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 
We all want to just dive into our shots, but if you take
the time to plan it out, you'll find that it turns out much better in the end,
and probably finished faster. 
 
4. It's really an amazing gift to run into someone so
generous and willing to take so much time out of their life to help you
along... Being able to be the recipient of that firsthand is one of the reasons
that I wanted to teach so badly. 
 
5. Polishing up your arcs can make a GIANT difference in
the overall impression of your scene. 
You know how if your room is a wreck and people are
coming over and you just don't have time to clean, but if you just make the bed
nicely, even that one thing can suddenly make the room seem a lot neater, even
though you only really changed one thing? Arcs are like that bed.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

It's important to know the following things: 
 
Where is your character? Where did he just come from?
Where does he want to go next? 
When does the scene take place? 
WHO is your character? 
What does your character WANT in this scene? What does
he want in the long-run? 
What, if anything, stands between your character and
this desire? 
 
If you know those things, you can figure out the subtext
of what he is saying (the TRUTH behind his words), as well as his emotional
state, how he'd react to this given situation, etc. 
 
A lot of this subtext stuff can be determined from the
"main word" in the sentence. The "main word" (I've also
heard it referred to as the "operative word") is the word that is
most enunciated or focused-on word in the sentence. This is usually the word
you will build your main gesture around, the main body performance around, and
the main facial performance around.<o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

 <o:p></o:p>

- major posture shifts 
- head turns 
- arcs 
- overlap 
- weight shifts 
- gestures<o:p></o:p>

dynafx

19-03-2005, 06:09 PM

Moving Holds ---- KeithLango 
 

How Can it be Moving if it's a Hold?







What is a moving hold? Well, it's a relatively Cg-centric
animation term coined by some should with a flair for the ironic. The short
description is that a moving hold is the slight bit of motion a character has
while they are in a pose. The need for moving holds in Cg animation is vital due
to the fact that a CG character just feels absolutely dead and lifeless the
moment it stops moving. Hopefully by the end of this little tutorial you'll have
a better grasp of what makes for a good moving hold.



Granted all the animation is pretty quick and dirty, but the goal here isn't to
impress you with highly polished pieces but to get the idea across. So think of
these as "animation sketches".







 Here's an example of what CG looks like without the
moving hold.

<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/01_mh_pointNone.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/01_mhNoMH.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0"> </a>





<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/01_mh_pointNone.avi" target="_blank">click to play
AVI</a>



Pretty obvious that something went wrong, isn't there?
Now let's add a moving hold to that same move...
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/02_mh_pointHold.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/02_mhWithMH.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
Much better, no? This subtle bit of motion keeps the character
feeling alive through the held pose.
Traditional animation didn't necessarily have moving holds
because the natural "liveness" of the drawn line has enough to keep the drawn
character from dying. A second factor is the frame rate. Typically 2d animation
is a 12fps frame rate. This already has a built in abstraction of motion that
allows hand drawn imagery to stop and be held for a number of frames without
things feeling like they fell apart. If a held drawing needed some life, then
the artist could always do a "trace back", where they'd redraw the image based
on the previous one to keep the image alive during the hold.





Three Parts of a Moving Hold:





I see a lot of Cg animation where the animator tries to have a
character exhibit a moving hold in a pose, but something still seems broken.
That's because you can't just have a character move in just any old manner for a
moving hold to work. There needs to be some measure of thought to the motion. If
a hold isn't done correctly the character may end up feeling off weight, mushy
or spastic, depending on the mistake. To help us get a handle on how to correct
this, I've broken a moving hold into three basic parts. Amount of Movement,
Variation of Energy and the Rule of Contrast.
<blockquote>
#1) Amount of Movement
Too much movement in a moving hold and the animation is mushy.
Too little and the character "hits and sticks" into their pose. The key is to
understand and develop an eye for what looks right. There is no hard and fast
rule to the amount, from an algorithmic approach. Here a good eye for motion and
energy needs to be developed through the constant practice of life observation
and animation practice. If you're looking for the easy answers on this one,
well, you're out of luck. Here's an example of a moving hold that has a wee bit too much
motion in it....
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/03_mh_pointTooMuchMove.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/03_mhTooMuch.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/mh_MushyGE.jpg" border="0" height="190" width="600" border="0">
Notice how it feels mushy and lacking in weight? The character
is drifting into and out of things.
Now here's the opposite end of the spectrum, a character that
has too little motion in the moving hold.
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/04_mh_pointTooLilMove.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/04_mhTooLittle.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/mh_hitAndStickGE.jpg" border="0" height="190" width="600" border="0">
Here the movement is insufficient to cushion the pose hit, the
result is herky jerky animation that's a tad hard on the eyes. Like I said, there's no
simple easy formula to plug in to get the proper amount of movement in a good
looking moving hold. So just keep an eye on the movement to see if it feels too
harsh or to mushy.

</blockquote>













<blockquote>
 #2) Variation of Energy
Another typical problem is to forget to vary the speed of the
moving hold. When you don't vary the speed of the ease out (or the energy)  you
have basically a linear movement. Linear movements are not natural. When they
exist they imply that
gravity is not affecting the character. The impact of gravity is an exponential
result, not a linear one. Here's an example of to linear a moving hold...



<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/05_mh_pointLinear.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/05_mhTooLinear.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/mh_LinearGE.jpg" border="0" height="190" width="600" border="0">


Again, notice how it doesn't have good weight? The proper way to
fix this is to be careful to make sure that the moving hold has a variation of
speed so that the effect of energy building or dissipation is logarithmic and
not linear.
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/06_mh_pointVaried.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/06_mhVaried.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/mh_VariedGE.jpg" border="0" height="190" width="600" border="0">
</blockquote>







<blockquote>
 #3) The Concept of Contrast
For those with a more traditional animation background, a good
way of explaining what a moving hold is would be to say that a moving hold is
really just very long slow out. It may even be a long slow in, but generally I
tend to think of it as a slow out. From an energy standpoint a moving hold is
either a settle out from an energy release or a build up of energy to be
released. The way to tell which approach to use is to look at your motion in
context and the key indicator of which tack to take is what I call the 
Concept of Contrast.
A primary element that gives animation (as well as all art) some
sense of energy is contrast. The more the contrast, the more striking the impact
of the work. So with animation, the more contrast there is between pose, line of
action, pacing, etc. the more the work will fire off those synapses in the mind of
your audience. This can be taken to extremes for very edgy styles, but even when
your goal is to produce animation that's "easy on the eyes" you should still
look for ways to build contrast into your work to give the animation energy. So
look at your poses and motion, marking in your mind the order of motion to see
where and how you can build this contrast. The simplest way to build contrast
from the moving hold of one pose to the hitting of the next pose is to push the
moving hold the opposite direction of the pose that directly follows it. (you
may need to read that last sentence again to get it). It's easier to show than
type, so let's start with some examples...
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/upDnUpPoses.jpg" border="0" height="144" width="511" border="0">
These are 3 pose drawings for a motion. Notice how the character
is going from up, to down and then back to up again. To know whether to build
the energy up or to use a settle out of energy just see what
comes next. So in this example we see that Pose-2 is a down pose compared to
Pose-1, which is an up pose. Thus, the moving hold for Pose-1 should go in the
opposite (contrasting) direction of Pose-2. So the moving hold for Pose-1 should
be a build up because the very next one, Pose-2, is a down pose. Thus we build up into
the extreme before we head into the down pose. This contrast gives that move
some energy. Again, it's not easy to get down in text, so here's how it looks in
motion. Pay attention to how the moving hold for Pose-1 rises up, building a
greater sense of contrast from the down move of Pose-2:
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/07a_mh_UpDnGood.mov" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/07a_mhUpDownGood.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
OK, looks good. But how do we know we should do it this way? What if we do it the other way? Well, take a look...
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/08a_mh_UpDnBad.mov" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/08a_mhUpDownBad.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
It's a subtle difference, but notice how that move down into Pose-2 is now
a good bit softer and mushy? It lacks punch.
That's because we built our moving hold for Pose-1 going in the same direction
as Pose-2. We didn't
follow the concept of contrast. The result is a move from Pose-1 to Pose-2 that has
been minimized in impact. 
OK, so let's look at the Pose-2 moving hold. Pose-2 is a
down pose, Pose-3 that follows is an up pose. So by the conept of contrast, the moving hold for
Pose-2 will be a settle down, the opposite direction from the up move for Pose-3. Here's how it looks in motion...
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/07b_mh_DnUpGood.mov" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/07b_mhDownUpGood.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
Again, what if decide to ignore this contrast and have
the moving hold for Pose-2 flow in the same direction as the following Pose-3?
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/08b_mh_DnUpBad.mov" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/08b_mhDownUpBad.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
Again, to the untrained eye it may seem subtle, but notice how it feels like something is mushy and wrong? He's
anticipating his move and it steals energy from the move.
Let's look at the entire 3-pose sequence together using the
concept of contrast to drive how we handle the moving holds.
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/07_mh_UpDnUpGoodAll.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/07_mhUpDownUpGood.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>

And once again for comparison, let's se the whole 3-pose
sequence when we ignore the concept of contrast.
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/08_mh_UpDnUpAll_Bad.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/08_mhUpDownUpBad.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
The difference between the two is more pronounced the more we
string these things together. Which is true for your scenes as well. When you
consistently get the moving holds wrong you end up with a cumulative mushiness
and weightless feeling to your work.
 
OK, to see how this same principle can be applied across many
solutions, Here's a new example.
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/DnUpUpPoses.jpg" border="0" height="144" width="515" border="0">
Here we have a character going from a down pose to an up pose,
and then to an even higher up pose. Following our Concept of Contrast, we can
surmise that a good way to approach the moving holds here is to have Pose-1 moving
hold be a settle down because Pose-2 is an up pose. Then the moving hold
for Pose-2 would also be a settle down because Pose-3 is yet another
higher up pose. Here it is in motion...
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/09_mh_DnUpUpGoodAll.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/09_mhDownUpUpGood.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
Of course the amount of settle is not uniform in every instance.
You need to properly judge the amount of movement your holds need to build the
appropriate amount of contrast. By way of comparison, let's look at this same
sequence of moves if we don't follow the concept of contrast.
<a href="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/10_mh_DnUpUpAll_bad.avi" target="_blank">
<img src="http://www.keithlango.com/tutorials/march05/10_mhDownUpUpBad.jpg" border="0" height="100" width="150" border="0">







click to play AVI</a>
See how the character is floating and seems weightless? This is
because by moving our character without a sense of building contrast into the
motion we are watering down the effect of all the moves.
I think by now you get the picture. A key way to make your
moving holds feel like they have proper weight and direction is to take into
account the following move direction and have the moving hold go in the opposite
of that direction to build greater contrast. This gives your animation more
energy.
This concept of contrast in the moving hold is generally applied to
the up and down of a character's motion because gravity is the all pervasive
energy force working on our characters. This same concept of contrast can work for
left and right, forward and back, etc. Experiment with ways you can build this
contrast into your motion on all levels, not just up and down. But if all you
manage is to get it into your up and down then you're already much further along
than you were before when you were just guessing your way through a moving hold.
Caveats: Just as in all areas of animation, there is a
time when breaking the rule is the proper thing to do. Sometimes you will want to ignore the
concept of contrast. Some moves
and actions work better when you slowly build up into them. Just like sometimes
twinning in pose and motion is actually desirable, sometimes lack of contrast is
as well. But these are exceptions and not the general rule. Like all things in
animation, the principles are just that. You can violate them, but only by
purposeful decision and in the right manner. To ignore them out of spite is to
be foolish.
</blockquote>



Summary:








So moving holds are a necessary evil in CG animation. In general
we want to be sure that we are mindful of these three basic elements of a moving
hold: One, we don't move to much or too little. Second, we want to vary the
speed of our holds so that we avoid the linear feel and add weight to the hold.
And finally we want to build contrast into our animation, using the moving holds
to either build or dissipate energy from pose to pose. Ultimately determining
which way to move a character in a hold is as simple as seeing what the current
pose is in relation to the one that follows it. By keeping an eye on these three
basic elements of a moving hold we can improve our animation a great deal.