How to Make Animated Films phần 2 docx

How to Make Animated Films 16 I m p o r t a n t ! Please get into the habit of putting a circle around every key drawing number and a parenthesis around every breakdown drawing number. In-between drawing numbers are written with nothing around them. I’ll explain the numbering choices soon, but su ce it to say you can number the drawings anything you like in practice, as long as you leave enough spare numbers between the  rst key drawing and the breakdown drawing, and then the breakdown drawing and the second key drawing, so that three in- betweens can go between each key drawing. Now, with our drawings numbered correctly we need to create an action chart from drawing 1 to drawing 17. On the basis that the in-between movement from key to key is even in its movement, we can draw a chart on the  rst key that looks like the following  gure. Being a top pegs animator, I always write my chart clearly between the peg holes at the top of my lowest- numbered key animation drawing. The chart indicates just how many in-betweens are needed and how they will be spaced between this  rst and the next key drawing. Animation Basics 17 Top Pegs/Bottom Pegs You will see that I put my numbers to the right of the pegs and the chart between the peg holes at the top of the sheet. This is because I am a top pegs animator. With top pegs animation the drawing number is always found in the top-right corner. Bottom pegs animators prefer to have their peg holes at the bottom of the sheet. In all honesty, most animators these days tend to use bottom pegs, but I argue extensively in my book Pencils to Pixels (pp. 361 – 365) why I believe top pegs are preferable. However, if you choose to use bottom pegs for your animation, you should place the drawing numbers to the right of the bottom peg holes and charts between the peg holes. Bottom pegs animators place the drawing number in the bottom-right corner. How to Make Animated Films 18 Charting Explained Now that you have the  rst chart drawn, let’s talk about what it represents. Taking the numbers from the  rst key drawing (1) and the breakdown drawing (9), you will see the numbers 3, 5, and 7 evenly spaced between them. This shows the way that you need to draw the in-betweens. Similarly, the numbers from the breakdown drawing (9) to the second key drawing (17) are also equally spaced. This clearly indicates that the drawings from 1 to 9 need to have even in-betweens. The same evenly spaced in-betweens are required between drawings 9 and 17. Now let’s get down to creating the in-between drawings that are indicated on the chart. Animation Basics 19 In-Betweening Looking at the  rst half of the chart (i.e., 1 – 9), we can see that drawing 5 is exactly in the middle. This means that we have to create this in-between  rst. So, place only drawings 1 and 9 on the pegs with the lightbox on, then place a new sheet of paper on the pegs, and trace both the pivotal position and lightly draw in a straight line that dissects the two arm lines of the previous drawings. The  rst in-between drawing to tackle in this case is drawing 5. Once you have ascertained the midposition for the shaft of the pendulum, you should draw a light, straight line from the pivot point to use as a superimposition guide. How to Make Animated Films 20 Now, as before, superimpose all three sheets of paper over one another, making sure the pivotal points and the arm lines are in perfect alignment before tracing the full pendulum onto the new in-between drawing sheet (5). Next, put all these three sheets back onto the pegs in their numerical order, with the lowest number on the bottom, and  ip them backward and forward as before. It is important to have accurate guidelines when superimposing drawings, as well as to make sure that you line up everything very carefully. Make sure that the paper doesn’t slip out of position as you’re working too! Teach yourself the art of good  ipping (rolling) — it will reward you handsomely as you get further and further into the principles of animation! Animation Basics 21 Always refer to the chart before you start each in-between, and make sure you correctly number the drawing before you start! Place all  ve of these drawings back onto the pegs and roll them in order, with the lowest-number drawing on the bottom and the highest-number drawing on the top. This should give you a much smoother, slower action to the midway point on the pendulum swing. If this works  ne (which it should if you have followed these instructions carefully), you can now do in-between drawings 11 – 15. This time, however, you have to produce drawing 13  rst, accurately drawing it between drawings 9 and 17, followed by in-between drawing 11 between drawings 9 and 13, and then in-between drawing 17 between drawings 13 and 19. Remember to make sure that all the pivotal points are precisely on the same spot each time, and that all the arms of the pendulum are exactly in the middle of the two containing drawings around the pivotal point when you create it. If you don’t, the pivotal point of the pendulum will wriggle around, or the swing will not be smooth and even. Now you will see that the pendulum swings to the halfway (breakdown) position and back more evenly and clearly. If this works  ne, you now need to put in the remaining in-between drawings using the same technique. However, to create in-between 3, you need to accurately place it midway between drawings 1 and 5; then, to create in-between 7, you need to accurately place it between drawings 5 and 9. How to Make Animated Films 22 Always check the drawings on the pegs when you’ve completed each set of in-betweens, just in case there is something out of place or poorly d r a w n . Flipping as Opposed to Rolling Now you should have more drawings in the sequence than you have  ngers to roll them. So, next you need to learn how to “  ip ” the drawings in order so that you can see them move. As before, place the drawings together in reverse order, the lowest number on the bottom and the highest number on the top. Now, fan them a little so that the lower drawings are more inward at the bottom and the uppermost drawings are more forward. Grip the top of the paper pile  rmly with one hand and then “  ip ” them from the bottom up, as if you are  ipping through the pages of a book. You should see the pendulum swing from one side to another more clearly and smoothly. Repeat the process several times and get used to seeing movement in this way. Flipping is a major tool in testing and correcting your animation, so a skill in this department goes hand in hand with being a good animator. Arcs and Paths of Action Now that you have seen the pendulum successfully swing from side to side, let us cover a very important thing that you must remember when animating any action. Nothing in life moves in a perfectly straight line, unless of course it is a machine that is made up of  xed-length elements. Everything moves in curves or arcs, whether it is a leaf falling from a tree, a ball  ying through the air, or the torso and limbs of a walking character. Animation Basics 23 Consequently, you have to remember this whenever you are animating anything. You can see the principle best if you mark the center of the pendulum ball on every one of the drawings, and then on a separate sheet of paper trace them out, one by one. You will end up with a series of positions that are in an arc, which perfectly describes the swing of the pendulum. The original animation drawings for the  nal pendulum frames can have the centers marked to show the arc that the head of the pendulum makes as it swings from side to side. Our completed and colored pendulum swing indicates a clear arc as it moves from one side to the other. This arc can also be described as the path of action of the swinging pendulum ball, a term that animators use to describe the central, core movement in any animated action  gure. How to Make Animated Films 24 The arc that is described by the center of the pendulum’s head as it swings backward and forward. The path of action or the arc of any movement is something that should never be forgotten by any animator, whether they are creating key poses or simply putting in in-betweens for any extended movement. We will refer to arcs and paths of action as we move through the class curriculum detailed in this book. Timing and the Spacing of Drawings It will take students and animation beginners some time to appreciate just how many and how far each charted in-between needs to be. That is where the hard-won experience of a master animator comes in. However, there are a couple of pointers that the learner should know. More Means Slower The main thing to remember about all animated action is that the more drawings there are, the slower the action will appear on the screen when the  nal action is seen. It will still be a process of trial and error for beginners to appreciate it, but, by rule of thumb, it should be remembered that if an action needs to be slow, the animator will have to put many more drawings between the key drawings of the action than if the action needs to appear fast. Fewer in-betweens mean a faster action between the key drawings. Animation Basics 25 Here are silhouettes of all the drawings required for a character walking with a limp. Because the time spent on the strong leg (upper animation) is much slower and longer in screen time than that of the weaker leg (lower animation), there are clearly more drawings required. Speed Varies in Any Action The next thing to remember with any action is that its speed is not constant. An arrow  red from a bow will be fast at  rst but it will slow down as wind resistance works on it. It will also arc upward then downward as the loss of velocity, as well as gravity, exert an e ect on it. Just like an arrow  ying through the air, a bouncing ball will slow down at the top of each bounce apex, meaning that there will have to be more drawings positioned there than elsewhere. Alternatively, a big heavy train starts slowly at  rst, increases speed as it builds up momentum, and then slowly decelerates before it comes to its next stop. Consequently, the animator has to take this into consideration when charting out the in-between action from key drawing to key drawing. This brings us to the most valuable technique of all for the positioning of drawings — slowing- in and slowing-out. [...]... approach 29 How to Make Animated Films Suggested Reading White, T The Animator’s Workbook New York: Watson-Guptill, 1988, pp 24 –34, 38–43 and 1 12 117 White, T Animation from Pencils to Pixels: Classical Techniques for Digital Animators Boston: Focal Press, 20 06, pp 21 0 22 6, 3 32 357 and 360–365 DVD lecture: “Introduction to Inbetweening” Assignment 1 Divide the animation paper into two halves and create... bottom, highest on the top) Flipping is an essential aspect of animation as it gives you an immediate idea of how the action is working NEVER NEGLECT FLIPPING! 47 How to Make Animated Films Top pegs flipping (rolling) is something that puts many animators off from using this approach However, the huge benefits derived from drawing with top pegs more than compensates for the time and effort it takes to. .. additionally advise you to add shadows to the ground beneath the ball This gives a wonderful grounding to the action 45 How to Make Animated Films Including shadows on the ground always give a greater sense of contact when the ball hits and rises Distorting Mass and Volume Remember when applying squash and stretch to any object, character, or in this case ball, you can only distort the shape in accordance... figures 39 How to Make Animated Films Based on our slowing-out/slowing-in charting, the two frames in and out of the hit position (11) are effectively breakdown drawings Note that these drawings are separated out to the right to make the action clearer to see In reality, they would be closer together and overlapping, with the second ball position on the left effectively located directly on top of the... advice to you is to shoot the drawings twice—once on one’s (one frame for each drawing) then on two’s (two frames for each drawing) This will give 49 How to Make Animated Films you an understanding of how fast or slow the action appears when shot at different frame rates, and also show you that some things work perfectly well on two’s as opposed to one’s That said, we will eventually demonstrate to you... positions in an action, it is now possible to go further and tackle something a little more advanced The principle of the bouncing ball has been around since animation began, and it’s very tempting to think it cliché to work with it here The core frames that comprise a bouncing ball action 33 How to Make Animated Films However, there is no better exercise for the beginner to attempt, as it covers all the major... we are dealing with is rubber, and therefore it is subject to shape changes Rubber is flexible If the ball were a metal cannonball, it would not be subject to shape shifting and that gives the animator the means to define the nature of the ball’s mass When a flexible, 35 How to Make Animated Films rubber ball hits the solid ground it will distort in shape In other words, it will “squash.” The harder... Classical Techniques for Digital Animators Boston: Focal Press, 20 06, pp 3 32 348 Assignment 2 One of the great Disney intern challenges was for them to create a bouncing flour sack sequence Essentially, with the background supplied (you have my permission to photocopy the background layout from the following figure or download it from www.desktopacademy.com), you need to create a bouncing sequence using.. .How to Make Animated Films With this animation, I had to add more drawings at the top of the paper drop than at the bottom, meaning that, following the bouncing ball principle, the paper will accelerate as it drops Slowing In and Slowing Out If you really look... actually hits the ground 37 How to Make Animated Films The amount of stretch is dependent on the degree of flexibility within the object being animated and the speed or velocity it is moving at For example, our rubber ball will distort significantly as it moves at speed, whereas a metal cannon ball will not stretch very much Also, the degree of stretch will vary in accordance to the amount of distance . you need to accurately place it midway between drawings 1 and 5; then, to create in-between 7, you need to accurately place it between drawings 5 and 9. How to Make Animated Films 22 Always. swinging pendulum ball, a term that animators use to describe the central, core movement in any animated action  gure. How to Make Animated Films 24 The arc that is described by the center. drawings — slowing- in and slowing-out. How to Make Animated Films 26 With this animation, I had to add more drawings at the top of the paper drop than at the bottom, meaning that, following the