Animation as a hobby

Animation as a hobby

Animation is basically taking a static image, photo or drawing and making it move. It is the art of creating the illusion of movement, i.e. making that static image run, walk, jump, talk, etc.

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images in order to create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of motion and has over the years developed tremendously. The effects that animators can now achieve with the use of computers are quite astounding and very skilful. Animation can be seen in a wide range.

Traditional animation or cel animation or hand-drawn animation is the process of piecing together individual frames drawn on paper. Each drawing is slightly different than the previous one (made by way of tracing part of the drawing). This form of animation is not only the oldest, but also the most popular, although a large propotion of the ‘hand drawing’ aspects are now completed on a computer.

Productions using traditional animation techniques usually follow a process:
1. Storyboard – a sort of script including images, given to the animators who plan and compose the plot and imagery. A storyboard may be re-done several times before it is finally approved.
2. Voice recording – an initial soundtrack, or ‘scratch track’ is recorded and the animators synchronise their work to the soundtrack.

The soundtrack includes the basic sound effects, dialogue, vocal songs and preliminary musical score. The final touches are usually added in post-production.
3. Animatic – or story reel that is made after the soundtrack has been done, but before the animation starts. It consists of pictures from the synchronised storyboard, which can be amended, and allows for timings to be worked out. Editing at this stage prevents the possibility of animating parts of the film that would later be cut out of the film. Advertising agencies use Animatic to test their commercials prior to full production. Video storyboards have moving pieces, and Photomatics are another option but cost more.

4. Design and timing – designers prepare ‘model sheets’ that show how characters and props will look from different angles, from the animatic and storyboard. The background stylists work on the settings and locations, art directors and colour stylists work on the colour schemes. The timing director works with the animatic to work out poses, drawings, lip movements, etc will be needed and creates an ‘exposure sheet’, which is a table that breaks down all the elements frame-by-frame. If there is a lot of music, the timing director may also create a bar sheet.
5. Layout – once the designs have been completed and approved, camera angles and paths, lighting and shading, and background layouts are drawn for each character. These, along with the storyboard and audio, are spliced together to create the final animatic.
6. Animation – once the animatic has been approved, the animation starts.

The lead animator draws the key parts of a scene, a frame at a time, using the character layouts, and these drawings have to be synchronised with the soundtrack to avoid any difference between sound and visual.

The lead animator will also produce a ‘pencil test’ of the scene, i.e a preliminary version of the final scene, which are then linked with the soundtrack to make sure it all works together. It is then passed to the assistant animators who add all the details and any minor missing frames. Most of the time, animators will have to re-do scenes several times before the director is happy with them.

As soon as the animation is approved by the director, it will be moved over to the ‘clean-up’ department who take the drawings, trace them (including all the details of all the animators), add any missing details or frames (known as ‘tweening’), and then these are pencil-tested and ‘sweatboxed’ (or reviewed) until approved. At each stage of pencil animation, when it has been approved, it is spliced into a Leica reel.

Pencil tests and layouts are predominantly done using video cameras and computers nowadays. There are four main elements: Digital Pencil Test, Digital Layout, Digital Storyboard and Backgrounds.

Because of computers and animation software, the scope of animation has become much more widespread. It has reduced the time it takes to produce an animated film, programme or cartoon and has greatly enhanced the special effects that films can now create.

Full animation is the process of producing high-quality traditionally animated films, which regularly use detailed drawings and realistic movement.

Principles of Animation

Squash and Stretch is probably the most important principle and is to give the character an illusion of weight and volume as it moves.

It is also used to create facial expressions as well as animating dialogue. Depending on how extreme the effect you want to create, using squash and stretch the character can take on an almost comical appearance. This technique is used in all types of character animation, from a person walking or running, to a ball bouncing or being thrown.

Anticipation is a technique used to create the scene for the audience, capture their attention, before a character performs an action, i.e. before it jumps or runs or an expression changes. Usually a backward motion happens, and then the action occurs. This is probably more effective to see in comical characters.

Staging is to enable the audience to clearly see the pose, action or communication of a character on screen, i.e. attitude, mood, emotion, the director will use long and close-up shots or camera angles to show this and direct the audience to that particular action. This is known as Staging. However, the director must make sure that the background effects or animation do not overshadow the action of the character.

Straight Ahead animation is worked on from the start, from the first drawings and through to the final approved version, but using this technique can mean that you may lose the visual proportions, volume or size. Fast actions scenes are usually completed using straight ahead animation. Pose-to-Pose is much more planned and drawings are done at certain points during the scene.

It is much easier to control proportions as well as the action. A lot of scenes will use both of these techniques, and are usually completed by the lead animator.

When we see on a computer screen or on drawings completed by hand, as the main part of a character stops, the other details of the character then catch up, such as the hair, clothing, tail or ears, and this is known as Follow Through.

However, when the character goes in a different direction but his clothes or hair continue in the other direction, this is known as Overlapping Action. If you then decide that the clothes or hair will follow the character in the new direction a couple of frames later, this is known as ‘Drag’. To use these techniques, timing is everything.

You could have more drawings at the start and end of a pose, with only a couple in the middle, which softens the action and creating a more life-like image. This is known as Slow-In and Slow-Out. To show surprise or shock (a ‘gag’ action), some the slow-in or slow-out actions will be taken out.

The majority of actions follow a circular path, or an Arc, particularly human and animal figures. The Arc gives the action more fluency, flow and are more natural visually.

To be able to add another dimension to characters or to back-up a main action, i.e. making a walk aggressive, or to add dialogue, or to swing the arms to and fro, is known as Secondary Action. These actions are supporting or emphasise the main action so must not distract the audience from the main action.

Timing is essential and is only truly learnt with experience and experiment. Varying the timing throughout the production adds texture and keeps the audience interested, but is also important in creating a character’s mood or reaction or emotion.

To avoid stiff or mechanical looking action, and particularly in making facial expressions appear as natural as possible, Exaggeration is used, but avoid too much as you don’t want the character to look cartoonish, except in cartoons! Exaggeration is an effect useful for animation, as perfect imitation of reality can look static and dull in cartoons.

Solid Drawing is utilising the basic principles of drawing weight, volume, solidity and the illusion of 3D. Drawing is classical, using pencil sketches, which are then transformed into colour and movement. Illusion is three-and four-dimensional – movement in space is three-dimensional, movement in time is four-dimensional.

Animated characters need to be appealing, from cute and cuddly, cruel and villainous, to comical and heroic, something that will capture the audience’s attention and particularly with the lead character or characters.

It is developing the character and the storyline together, creating continuity, reality, believable and likeable.

There are a multitude of different software applications that can be used to create animated characters or objects, from most well-known (as well as lesser known) manufacturers and suppliers, and all can be purchased via any reputable computer supplier, via the internet and direct from software suppliers. It is not always easy to know which package to go for, particularly if you are new to the art of animation.

Prices differ, as to the tools available, features, extras and how user-friendly the package is. Because of this, it is worth ‘trying before buying’. Search the Internet for animation software packages that you can download and try for free. Some applications are entirely free, but they usually have less tools, extras, etc. Some are shareware, but again can have limited functions, and some offer a trial period, i.e. for 30 days, and then give you the option to buy at the end of the time period. A software application that is suitable for Mac OS X, Windows and Linux is Pencil. The package allows you to create traditionally hand-drawn images using bitmap and vector graphics, it is free and is open source – well worth looking at.

Adobe has recently released their latest Flash, the CS5, while Poser Pro 2010 3D is a good alternative for less than $500. Toon Boom Studio 5 and Studio 6 are great for creating digital cartoon images. PM Animation is a shareware package that has plenty of functionality and applications, and FotoMorph Image Animation Software is free. WidgetCast 2.0 from Reallusion is expensive but is the ‘all singing, all dancing’ animation software package.