-Andrew

If you are an animator, it should be required that you watch the 2008 Olympics. It has everything related to what we do. Weight, Physicality, Beautiful Arcs, Slow Motion footage, Inertia, etc, etc etc. I always find the most interesting parts to be the reactions from the close family in the stands. Its also amazing to watch some of the medal ceremonies.  The emotion going through the athletes is so visible. When I am watching the Olympics, I find myself rewinding certain parts to watch them again, and again. Take for instance, when an athlete falls or trips, its always interesting to see how this happens, how the body comes to rest, and so forth. The opening ceremony was amazing in so many ways. It had so many elements that are of interest to us. It was unlike anything I have ever seen in its scope and precision. My hats off to China for blowing away any other opening ceremony in history. Since the games are in High Definition in many parts of the world, it is tough to record them for reference. I have been recording them right off my TV with a camera that has the same aspect ration. You dont get the same quality, but its still very good. Its all about inspiration and reference when watching. We should look at it with our animators eye and figure out how to use it in our work.

-Andrew

Some time ago I decided I’d try to boil down my process into a simple set of broad principles. And while these aren’t as specific as the fabled 12 or 20 or however however many principles from whatever list you subscribe to, I feel that for myself, they’re a pretty good start at understanding what I look for in animation. Everyone needs their own set of criteria; these are mine. It’s by no means a complete list, but anything else I can think up thus far I’ve found I can slip under one of these umbrella categories.

My five in order of importance, least to greatest (at this point in my education anyway):

DESIGN — or perhaps another word for appeal. I hate putting this guy at the bottom of the list, really I do. But in the shower this morning I decided that’s just how the cookie crumbles. Imbuing a character’s image or motion with a solid sense of graphic design, making it appealing, is no doubt of great importance. It makes the scene easy on the eyes and intriguing to look at. It’s also one of the hardest things to put your finger on in any graphic medium. What makes a Milt Kahl drawing so damned appealing? You can go into lengthy mathematical discussions about proportion, straights against curves, arcs and arrows, you name it. But I defy anyone to come up with a formula that explains how to draw (or pose) appealing dogs, or apes, or puppets, the way Milt, or any other great animator can. As important as design is though, it comes in behind:

PHYSICALITY — The audience’s belief that a character lives and breathes starts in the belief that a character moves right. Every great animated film or scene conveys a set of rules that govern the characters and objects which reside within it. The world of My Neighbor Totoro has different rules than Pinnochio’s, which has different rules than that of The Incredibles. But each film’s characters move and behave in a way that’s consistent with their peers. This is not to say they all move the same (cardinal sin, if you ask me), but that in their own way they obey the rules of the same world. It’s important, no doubt. But not most important. Next up is:

ENTERTAINMENT — Even if an animated character lacks a sophistication in design or a sense of weight in his surroundings, you can get away with it if it’s entertaining. It’s another hard one that’s hard to explain in simple formulas. And one that many artists and studios are only too often seduced by. These scenes and films seem to cry out, “love me! I’m gonna entertain you!” You know the animation I’m talking about. The stuff that leaves a sour taste in your mouth, and a sense in your gut that you’ve been taken advantage of. Nevertheless, a scene that’s entertaining will linger in one’s memory longer than the next. That’s important, and not just to your reel, but to the audience’s sense of satisfaction after having sat through your film. The right balance is key. Pick your battles, but do not under any circumstances allow it to supersede:

CHARACTER — The illusion of life, as it were. And only #2 on the list? Sit tight. By this I mean, are the thoughts going through your character’s head consistent with their place on that character’s arc in the film? If I, the audience can’t make out what exactly is going on in that character’s head, and understand why he or she feels that way, forget it. You’ve lost me. Will an impartial audience member be shaken out of their suspension of disbelief by your scene? Are you substituting cliche for subtext? This is the point where “entertainment” will start to elbow its way to center stage if you let it. It’s so tempting to squeeze as much out of a scene as you can, but you cannot let it get in the way of your character’s clear, rational thought process, and you certainly can’t let it interrupt numero uno:

STORY — no surprises there. The single most important criterion that you must not let suffer under any circumstances. More important than any character’s consistency, more important than any scene’s entertainment value or appeal, if you fail to convey the story point of a scene, you fail to tell the story. And that’s really what this medium is all about: telling a relevant story that will affect an audience. It’s the whole reason animation and indeed movies themselves were invented in the first place. An audience must be able to follow the story. And this is where showing your animation to your peers is vital. You can find ten different people that will give you ten different opinions on your animation’s appeal, but if half of them can’t understand what’s going on, you’ve got a problem on your hands.

So I’m sure many of you disagree with the set of criteria here, and probably with the order of importance I’ve decided upon, but hey, that’s what the comments section’s for! Happy animating….

Dr. Hathaway

-Andrew

see you all in a month!
-Dr. Stephen G.

As for other stuff going on, I will be teaching an animation workshop at a school in Italy on June 15th. The class will focus on all kinds of Animation Techniques including acting, design, facial animation, blocking and planning and so on. I am also going to be Guest Artist at CSU summer Arts program for the 5th time. The class is Character Development for Animation. CSU Summer Arts is a great program. Check it out. I will be attending Annecy Animation festival. I am set to give a short talk on the subject of animation on Ratatouille. It will be for the Renderman group.

Keep your eyes open for some new posts and upcoming podcasts.

-Andrew

Our director was in dailies with us this week and the subject of the difference between contemporary animation and that of the classic golden age came up. It was observed and generally agreed upon that the largest shortcoming of present day animators is the ability to reference past work as a means of problem solving. Unfortunately, it’s very easy to do. How can you not watch Bagheera and Mowgli struggling to get up that tree, or the dwarves sadly approaching Snow White’s casket, or Stromboli tearing Pinnochio a new one without thinking that you’ve found the answers to everything you need to make your work great? The flaw in that reasoning however becomes apparent when you remember that the talents that generated that work did not have the luxury of such reference. I believe our generation easily forgets that and from there we develop movement and performance cliches that can make modern animation unsatisfying, if not down right annoying to watch. The answers to our problems are not in the work of our gifted predecessors, but in the same place they found theirs. In life.

It is nearly impossible to do this job well without a keen sense of observation. Your job as an animator does not stop once you get up from your desk. When you’re strolling through a mall it’s your job to notice certain things. It’s your job to notice the look on the face of a husband following his wife around the store when there is only 15 min. before the game starts. It’s your job to notice the body language of a mother with a stroller full of twins being followed by her four year old who is screaming for a toy in a shop window. Perhaps even pausing a moment to see the the way someone scarfs down a Hot Dog on a Stick. These observations will provide you with what you need to make those interesting and unique choices that will reach out and touch the audience watching your work, and separate it from the person who has ripped off the the ol’ Baloo-rubbing-his-hand-on-his-neck-while-he’s-thinking bit for the millionth, freaking time.

The work of the pioneers who have blazed the trail we walk on now should continue to be enjoyed and will always be a source of inspiration. However, in the interest of pushing the medium to be as great as it can be requires that we not use their work as a means to solve our problems. Frank and Ollie didn’t write the “Illusion of Animation”. It was “The Illusion of Life”. Make the effort to take a good long look at it and let it strengthen your work.

-Adam

-Adam

If you have a character oriented assignment/challenge that you seem to have a hard time overcoming, revisit or create a backstory for the character and give yourself an image that will help shape the mannerisms and performance of who you’re animating. Doing so will help you to make unique choices, steering you away from animation cliches and provide you with fertile ground to plant an interesting, organic performance. Be it a 9 year-old boy or a pneumatic drill, an image can help shape a good piece of animation into a performance that brings a character to life.

-Adam

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wbyQHgiv1z4