Animation - Practicing timing, spacing and process
2yr
Hi, I did this animation. Do you have any tips?
https://youtu.be/W47jMm22Jhg
I went through the Animator's Survival Kit last year and now I'm revisiting animation, to further develop my skills.
I applied the disney flour sack exercise to a short story I have in mind. The location is a store and a girl comes to purchase an item. But as the owner of the store ascends the latter to get the item from the shelf, the latter breaks. The story revolves around him trying to get to the top of the shelf.
The part I animated is when:
he looks at the piece of paper, given to him by the girl, where the number of the item is written. He looks to the top of the shelf, climbs the latter, finds the item and reaches for it.
After this the latter will break and he'll fall.
My goal with the exercise was to practice the animation process suggested in the Animator's Survival Kit. The animation took roughly 10 hours, spread over two weeks, to make.
Before this I practiced timing and spacing with bouncing balls. I started to feel more comfortable with it, so I moved on to focusing on process as well. I wrapped up my bouncing ball practice by doing this animation.
https://youtu.be/miINF95TUAg
Any feedback on it would be appreciated as well :)
Thanks in advance!
2yr
Asked for help
Update 2:
I animated this flower sack. It's walking then kicking in the air. I want it to feel irritaded/angry/sad. Like a kid who's been teased by some other kids; He walks away, cursing them for himself. His feelings are expressed as anger/irritation, but with an undertone of sadness. Anger with tears in the eyes.
https://youtu.be/a1QycoarJrc
I'll continue to practice acting with simple characters. One of my goals with the next animation is to draw more simple and clear.
Steve Lenze
2yr
Hey Jesper,
really nice work, the emotion is coming through in the poses and acting. I agree with @Liandro , The timing can help sell the acting more. What I do is create all my key poses for the acting, then put them on 4's or 6's to find the right timing. Then once the timing feels right, chart my breakdowns and inbetweens. This way I know the timing is right before doing too much work. When I worked at Disney, you would see animators in there office or in the hallway acting out there scenes, not just for the acting poses, but also for the timing. I think your acting in this is cool, nice job, now just refine it until it reads exactly what the character is feeling.
PS. I love the kick he does, so funny.
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2yr
Nice work on this one, @Jesper Axelsson! As a suggestion, since he’s feeling sad on some level, I’m thinking his walk before the kick could feel a little bit more “low” - maybe he’d drag his “feet” more slowly and closer to the ground, perhaps with his “head” curved down; then the angry kick would feel more like a burst of intense emotion coming out, which could become a nice contrast with the walk. Also, I think having him walk for a few more frames and perhaps even hold him still for half a second before the kick could help build up more suspension.
Hope this helps!
@Sasank Gokaraju‘s suggestion of recording yourself acting out the scene to use it as a reference is a great one, and I suppose you’ve probably seen animators do this kind of thing before. Sometimes, even without recording, just acting out helps us create some kind of body awareness and emotional memory for what the action should be like. I once heard (can’t remember from whom) that animating is like acting, and that drama/theater skills can come in really handy for animators. I think it’s Aaron Blaise who mentions examples of animators who would feel all tensed up after animating a dramatic scene, just because they were so emotionally driven into what they were animating.
Anyway, keep up the good work!
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2yr
The best way to get the desired acting out of your character is to find a suitable reference. Even better, record yourself acting it out and use it as reference. When you act it out, you will understand how certain body parts move in an action
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2yr
I think this is nice, @Jesper Axelsson! Steve’s feedback concerning the character and mood of the animation were right on spot, and it’s good to know you’ve benefited from it.
One thing I’m always shocked by is how long it takes to animate - just a few seconds demand so many work hours! Of course practice can make it faster, but still.
Keep it up! 👍🏻
2yr
Thanks!
2yr
Asked for help
Update:
I went back to animating a ball, focusing on acting, squash & stretch and anticipation.
https://youtu.be/RhMmQna4SbQ
The ball is supposed to be cheerful. I imagine it singing for itself.
Any feedback appreciated :)
2yr
I agree with Steve - a tremendous evolution since the earlier one!
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2yr
Hey Jesper,
So much better! The acting is very obvious, and change in pace gives a nice contrast in timing.
good job :)
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2yr
Hey Jesper,
I like your idea, and I have a few suggestions I think will help.
First of all, the reason a sack is a good thing to animate is because it has the ability to squash and stretch. It also has weight and can be given personality. Your sack is pretty stiff, and it’s movement doesn’t give us any idea of his personality. Is he happy, sad, tired, grumpy, lazy, etc. The whole reason to animate is to tell story through character.
Give him a walk and have him climb the ladder in a way that tells us who he is. His personality will dictate how he moves. Also, try to add more anticipation before any big movements. Loosen up.
I hope this helps :)
2yr
This was SO helpful! Thank you :)
