Traditional Animation
This rotation we looked at how to create movement using frame-by-frame animation; the traditional way.
In the first workshop we looked at principles Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose. For Straight Ahead, you draw one frame after the other, using the previous frame as your reference. It is the most immediate and free form of animation as you develop your work fluidly and with spontaneity. However this technique can lead to lack of continuity as scales and volumes tend to change over time. It is also difficult to pre-plan the timing. Pose to Pose allowed the animator to set out key poses and fill in the in-between frames afterwards. This is much easier for planning the actions so you know exactly what is happening and when. However there is a lack of create flow with this technique and the action can feel a little choppy and predictable.
For the first task we experimented with straight ahead. Using text fixer’s random word generator to produce two words (mine were seed and protest) we, working straight ahead, merged one interpretation of one word into the other. It was suppose to be 25 desperate drawings, however I went slightly over- which I guess is part of the freedom and fluidity of working straight ahead. It was also shot on twos.
For the next task we were to draw 3 facial expressions of one character then draw the breakdowns and in-betweens; working through pose to pose. The animation was to be 33 frames long and shot on twos. Overall I think I like this way of working as I feel as though I have more control.
In the second workshop we focussed on arcs of motion, time and spacing and squash and stretch. We did this through creating our own bouncing ball. The most natural and organic actions follow an arc shape, besides those of a robot. As the ball bounces it looks energy and its arc will diminish in height. Timing is where the action is timed out, where the accents are and how long they take. Spacing is how close or far apart the object is from frame to frame. The closer together they are from one frame to the next, the slower the object is moving and the further apart they are, the faster it is moving. Finally, when moving, organic matter has a flexibility and malleability to it, animators can take advantage of it and use it to accentuate and exaggerate certain movements- this is squash and stretch.
Our last workshop was focused around the principles of Ease-out and Ease-in. This fundamental principle of animation shows the acceleration of the body to reach its desired speed. Thus, using more in-betweens towards the beginning and end of an action will make it look more convincing. using an animation chart helps with this. For this workshop we produced a character (I chose a ghost to keep it seasonal) and drew 3 key poses. Then using 12 frame sin between each one, created in-between frames and breakdowns, working pose to pose. I shot this on ones and help each pose for 30 frames, however created 4 versions of each pose to give it a jittery effect.