principles

the following concepts represent the basic vocabulary and grammar for the animator; they provide a basic grounding in physics-based movement design that seeks not to imitate reality but to interpret it; these ideas can also be effectively employed in the service of both character and experimental work.

at the conceptual level: why do we animate?
• we are designers and interpreters of movement, not literalists; we create worlds that do not exist.
• animation takes a step away from reality, delving into the symbolic, the metaphorical, and the abstract; we do things that cannot happen in real-life in order to shed light on the subjective experience of what we think of as "real."

overarching concepts behind the principles
• materiality: what's it made of? how much does it weigh? how flexible is it?
• coherence & fluidity: how do we make movement natural, beautiful, engaging, and appealing to watch?
• acting & clarity: how do we use gesture, body language, and pantomime to communicate a character's motivations and inner psychology?

the principles 

• squash and stretch: the creation of a believable impression of flexibility via form distortion that maintain's an object's volume.

• timing (cushioning, ease-in/out, slow-in/out): the use of spacing in movement to portray speed changes that create grace, fluidity, and a sense of weight.

• arcs: the curved path an object makes as it describes a coherent and graceful movement.

• anticipation: a means of showing intent, of telling the audience that something important is about to take place, thereby giving a moment visual weight; more practically, a move in the direction opposite the main movement.

• silhouetting: use of clearly outlined poses that communicate a character's attitude or pose; the creation of a contour that creates an "easy read" for the brain.

• exaggeration: a means of adding emphasis to an action with the goal of providing visual clarity and accent; a means of representing the feeling of an action rather than simply portraying it literally.

• line of action: the reduction of a path of tension running through a character's body that communicates flexibility and flow of energy.

• key posing: a means of articulating, organizing, and mapping out important storytelling moments in a movement or sequence via drawings that portray major changes in direction, points of contact/reverse contact, and acting.

• secondary action (follow-through, overlap, overshoot): the movement of parts attached to the main mass of an object, that depend on and follow the movement of that object, and that add fluidity and believability to the overall motion.

• staging: the placement of actors and objects in a composition to enhance and make clear dramatic and visual goals.


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