Tag: animation tips

Forward Motion

Fantasia. These Preston Blair drawings present a masterful application of the concept of forward momentum. Each pose shows constantly brewing forces and is brimming with life.

“The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.” — Socrates, Philosopher

In animation, forward motion is everything. Both in pose and action the audience must get a sense of life in our characters because living things are always progressing, always advancing forward. Even the tree that look so still isn’t as its sap transports its nutrients inside while its outer branches twist, turn and grow towards the light. Everything living has an intention and thus keeps on changing and adapting to new conditions. It’s the very definition of survival. Even military experts say that if you’re in dangerous pursuit by hostiles, don’t remain a stationary target; move and keep on moving. As all fighters know, it’s hard to hit a moving target.

The motto of moving forward also prevents us from sliding psychologically into the past — the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve stuff that haunts the obsessively analytical mind. Too often in art, as in life, the temptation is to go back in time, to rewind and undo or redo it all. But time only moves forward and so we must also. Conservative clinging on to the past and longing for the good ol’ days for the sake of nostalgia is hardly pragmatic. Obsessing over past results, both success and failure, is futile and wasteful. The professional artist knows he must always move on from the last piece of work so he can set his sights on the next piece.

Jurassic Park was a bold new experiment, fraught with risk and uncertainty, but director Steven Spielberg (and ILM stalwart Dennis Muren) knew it had to be tried.

As a teacher I don’t allow my students to go back to constantly repair old shots; the new ones they make will be better. I tell them to stop obsessing about the reel. We improve by applying what we’ve learned from previous challenges to new challenges. Quantity of output works together with improved quality of output. We don’t need to worry about quickness because that comes afterwards, as a by product of an improved skillset and greater levels of experience. Rushing gets us no where faster and we don’t want to be caught spinning in circles.

From the Simpsons, perhaps the best satire on TV.

Here are some tips on maintaining a forward motion mindset:

a) Keep your mind on the target. Whether it’s performance (acting), better mechanics (weight), or garnering greater interest (appeal) with your work, keep your focus clear and simple. Once we got lost in details, the eye goes blind and the mind stalls.

b) Work orderly. Approach your list of duties like a checklist. Tackle once section, one layer, one scene at a time. Watch for continuity and back up periodically to see the big picture, but don’t scramble all over the place. Never noodle.

c) Don’t aim for perfection. If you try to be too perfect, you’ll never move on. And you’ll never finish.

d) Know when to stop. When it’s done, it’s done. If you’re done, it’s also done. Sometimes projects just need to end, even if they don’t succeed.

e) Accept the outcome: Too often we dwell on just finished work and end up making last minute additions or changes that don’t improve the work but are just rash emotional reactions. It’s hard to trust oneself when the mind, body and heart are tired and spent. It’s ok to say we’re done and to not know for sure.

“Doubt is not a pleasant condition but certainty is absurd.” — Voltaire, Philosopher

Shot Analysis: 101 Dalmations

Set along a bay window facing the city streets, the story begins with a dog whose sleepy days of the same old routine trigger the start of something new into the lives of owner and pet. From the Walt Disney classic, 101 Dalmations.

This week we take a look at another amazing shot done by Milt Kahl — a master who was truly at his prime here.

The shot in its entirety is simple, clear and highly definitive in its effective portrayal of a character and his state of mind. Scenes like this are rare today — they set the mood and personality of not only the character but the film itself. This scene, which occurs right at the beginning of the film, instantly establishes the charm of its characters in a story that elects an interesting take on who’s the pet and who’s the owner.

Hold #1 (Establishing shot)

Sequence #1 (Small Initial Action)

Hold #2 (First Pause)

Sequence #2 (First Major Action)

Hold #3 (Second Pause)

Sequence #3 (Second Major Action)

Hold #4 (Final Pause)

Sequence #4 (Final Concluding Action)

Hold #5 (Final Position)

It can be seen clearly that the entire shot is set up beautifully in “sections” — physical actions bookmarked between “holds” that define the mood or moment. All good animation that tells a story has this kind of breakdown (the exception being a reaction shot or a quick action cut).As always, the work of Milt Kahl displays all the weight, timing, spacing and arcs that define excellence in animation movement. The poses are visually distinctive yet appropriately define the character (in this case a dog) and his psychology. Note carefully my annotations on the changing head angles, the eye direction, and the forces of push and pull of the legs and body. They are evidence of deep knowledge and careful, thoughtful planning. All of it works perfectly with the voice over narrative and helps make this film one of the best Disney has ever produced.