Halloween Animation and The 12 Basic Principles of Animation

    Today in animate, the task was to make a halloween themed animation using the principles we have learnt so far. This was to includes timings, bounce, archs, squash + stretch, and finally weight.

Principles GIF

The 12 Principles of Animation

1. Squash and Stretch

  Used to give characters in animation volume, weight and flexibility, they can range from subtle to extreme. Often seen in the retraction in muscles, facial features and dancing are an excellent examples of the Squash and Stretch principle.

2. Anticipation

 The technique in anticipation is that a combination of a few smaller actions will often lead to a much larger one. This technique draws the attention of the audience. Making them want to know what's going to happen next.

3. Staging

  A combination of things, staging revolves around the camera and character movement/emotions. Firstly, staging mean that every movement or emotion made should be clear, this draws away from any unnecessary distractions. Secondly, the camera should be used to empathise what is happening with the main characters, completely directing the audience’s attention

4. Straight Ahead and Pose-to-Pose

 - Pose-to-pose requires creating the key/extreme actions in an animation first, then filling in the in-betweens after. This techniques allows clarity, structure and readble positions/movements. However, its can lose the flow of natural and seem too logical

- Straight Ahead means to draw frames directly one after another, allowing a fluid flow of movement. This is great, but there can be a loss of direction and shots become far too long. 

5. Following Though and Over-Lapping

 - Following though is the process of thing stopping at different times, mean some loser parts of the body (such as arms) will stop after the main mass in movement.

 - Overlapping is when some part of the body moves faster than others, examples being clothing and hair.

6. Easing-in and Easing-out

 This is about the number of frames in a character’s action. Drawing more frames at the beginning will give the impression of a slower force, the middle will have less to create a quicker flow, then increasing the number of frames toward the end will slow the action down. This is to add to realism to motion and gesture.

7. Arc

All action in life work in an arc (much like a pendulum), the force of the motion will increase or decrease the arc. Limbs like arms, legs and heads are never in a straight line motion, always with a circular movement.

8. Secondary Actions

These are actions that support the main action, ether in process or at the end sequence. Often these are bachground elements, movements or emotions.

9. Timing

 The act of adjusting timing in a scene or motion gives the impression that the physics are working, there for increasing or decreasing the timing can the speed of an action.

10. Exaggeration

Over acting on certain movements/ expressions can help draw attention to a point, however this must be used sparingly as it can make everything squishy and unbelievable.

11. Solid Drawing

 Although made in a 2D form, objects and characters should have a feeling of weight and an 3D presence. Almost like they can be in the real world, not just drawn on a plane.

12. Appeal

 Not all characters/environments have to be stunning or beautiful, appeal is about making a character interesting and captivating in their own way.