Process Analysis

Chris Powell

Terra Williams

Writing Studio 101

12 October 2009

The Art of Animation

What compels us to go to the cinema? Is it just for our amusement, simply because we have nothing else to do? Or does it go deeper than that, where we want to seek some aesthetic enlightenment by the articulation of both the visual art form and story? This is the question that needs to be asked by those who wants to succeed in the realm of animation. As an animation student myself, I try to find answers through studying both the technical and creative aspects of some of the great animated works of our time; both the old (Snow White, The Secret of NIMH) and the more contemporary (Iron Giant, Toy Story). Some of the aspects of animation are the same principles that have revolutionized the way we see animated motion pictures today. Furthermore, these ideals are what should entail a compelling piece of animation that ecompasses both visual clarity and story.
One of the most fundamental techniques of animation is squash and stretch. As the name speaks for itself, this is accomplished by stretching and squashing a figure's shape within the framework. This is normally seen when a character or object undertakes some complex form of action. It is also important to note that, while the shape is being altered, the volume itself does not change at all. As seen in Figure 1., while the sphere is being dropped from the
Figure 1.












left, it stretches out before it is squashed on the groundline. Another approach to this aspect is to compare it to a half-filled beanbag. If it were dropped from a building, the beanbag's shape, not the space, will alter in accordance to its taken action. In addition, the degree of the squash and stretch depends on what the animator is trying to express. For instance, if the animation was intended to be a Chuck Jones slapstick short, its level of squash and stretch would be much more exaggerated. However, in an animation where realism is concerned (in Golden Age Era Disney films, such as Snow White and Bambi), this same technique will only be subtly conveyed. The underlying significance of squash and stretch is that it is what gives objects or figures a sense of realism and dimension. Thus, if this technique was never applied, the animation would look static and unconvincing to the viewers.
In addition, for the animation to have dimension and believability, the principle of anticipation must be used to make the animation visually coherent to to the viewer. What this entails is that each primary action must be prepared by a preceding movement or an exaggerated gesture. For instance, when we see a golfer in a backswing position, we all know that he is about hit the golfball. This is much like how Bugs Bunny would draw back his leg, in the preparation to make a sprint. Thus, if this principle was absent, this could potentially make the audience feel anxious for not knowing what to expect. This would also make the animation look too staccato, which can cause some important details to be incomprehensible or even misinterpreted. The last thing we want is for the audience to get confused, wondering what in world they are seeing.
In the process of traditional animation, there are two different approaches when drawing the framework of the animation. The first approach, known as Straight Ahead action, which means that the animator draws each frame from start to finish. Because there is little planning to how an action is needed to be done, this approach offers a lot of spontaneity. Thus, it makes the character's movements look more fluid and dynamic, that strengthens the animation. However, because there is little structure, this may also entail problems with the proportions or even the choice of perspective. The Pose-to-Pose approach, on the other hand, is where the animator draws each key frame of the animation, leaving the intervals to be done on a later time. This delivers more structure, which can limit any unforeseen visual mistakes. In spite of having the luxury of organizing the scene, the flow of the animation may turn out more choppy by comparison to the Straight Ahead technique. While there is a foreseeable plan that can do great for a complex action, the animation may become a bit unnatural. In most cases, the best way to balance out these advantages and disadvantages is to simply combine the two methods together. This can be done simply by utilizing the Pose-to-Pose method for the pre-planning stage, when the key frames are drawn as guides. So instead of directly drawing the intervals, the animator would have to use the Straight Ahead technique on top of those guides (the key frames). Thus, this offers the equilibrium between organizing and improvising for an animation.
Probably by now it is a tad bit overwhelming understanding these technical methods and applying them to what is meant to be a spontaneous art form. Well, the good news is that animations is a spontaneous craft. But isn't it true that the reason we enjoy animation is because we believe that the characters are alive? Even if the animation is not intended to convey realism, it still needs to resonate some believability. Furthermore, without the acknowledgment of these technicalities, the animation can never be comprehensibly attainable to the viewers.
Now that we have gone through the analytical side, we can examine how to craft the artistic side of animation, that goes for both character and story. By definition, animation is the illusion the life. And with every life, there are stories. Thus, the experiences that one has gone through can be the stroke of brilliance for an animated film. That can range from the people we meet, the places we lived in, or even our own individual personality. These encounters are what inspire artists to make solid, interesting characters. In my own experience, the characters I've developed are usually inspired by the same quirkiness of some of the “characters” I've met in real life. My conceptions may not be directly based on that particular individual, but as long as I drawn some of his or her personality elements, that enables me to build off strong, meaningful characterizations.
Besides finding our inspiration, what builds a strong character can come from the struggles of its situational conflict, either being external or internal. An external conflict would be, for example, Disney's Beauty trying to rescue her father from the Beast. An internal conflict, on the other hand, would be Buzz Lightyear's emotional pitfall from acknowledging that fact he is just a toy. Once the conflict is set up, it is the job for the storyteller to convey how the characters will overcome that obstacle.
In addition, it can also be necessary to add in a few character flaws that not only intensifies the conflict, but also make the character itself more interesting to the viewers. For instance, Woody from the film, Toy Story, is a flawed character since he allowed his jealousy of Buzz to get both him and the equally ostentatious space ranger into a dire situation. But as we progressively see his character develop, we begin to sympathize with Woody because we understand his uncertainty to whether he will remain beloved by his owner. There can also never be a story where the conflict can be solved with ease. Again, this was seen in Toy Story, where Buzz and Woody underwent multiple obstacles (escaping Sid's house, chasing a moving van, trying to lite their rocket, etc.), before ultimately reaching to their owner. If the conflict is not well resonated or even defined, then the story will suffer by that default. Furthermore, it is absolutely crucial for the animator to have this basic understanding of formal story structure.
After the story and conflict are outlined, the world within the animation must be just as effective as its tonality. That is why it is important for the animator to effectively plan out the setting. Otherwise, he or she may fail to the capture the counter balance between the pathos of the story and visual

Figure 2. Figure 3.





entanglement of the composition. One aspect of this element is the film's color palette. This is what conveys the symbolic meanings that add depth and an emotional resonance to the animation. The tone of the story should also be taken into account. This will affect the handling of the given setting, if say the tone was meant to be serious, zany, or melancholiness. Take the case of the office meeting scene from the film, The Incredibles, as seen in Figure 2. The setting was illustrated in a neutral, grayish color palette which reflected the blandness of the contemporary work life of a once great superhero(Bob Parr). By comparison, if the color palette was more vibrant, as seen with the happy-go-lucky Remy from Ratatouille (in Fig. 3), the setting would not have capture the emotionality of Bob Parr. Beyond the subjective level of the story, the scene must also be composited in the way that can best display a character's actions. This is where choosing perspective becomes absolutely crucial. For instance, if a camera shot is too long, or perhaps too close, the scene can potentially fail to capture the movements being undertaken by the character. Therefore, it is ideal for the artist to take into consideration both color and perspective when planning out a setting
Lastly, for the audience to maintain some level of interest, there must be the essence of appeal with the animation. Appeal can be drawn from the aspects of a character: outward appearance, personality, backstory. In addition, this does not apply restrictedly to the protagonist or anyone that conveys heroic qualities. Antagonists, for example, can also have appeal. All this means is that there is something about that character that attracts the viewer's interest. It could be the way the character dresses, acts, or any other eccentricities that express some inner value. This could be seen in the antagonist, Kent Mansley, from the film, The Iron Giant. While he is perceived as an indirect form of the villain archetype, this didn't hinder his sense of appeal. Throughout the film's course, Kent is shown with weaknesses that creates a human resonance with the audience: his paranoia, his impulsive attributes, and his underdog job position in a big government fishbowl. By carrying these imperfections, this creates more sense of humanity, and therefore more appeal, than an all-around, ultimate villain with some cliched evil scheme.
It also should be noted, that the audience doesn't want to see a character that is bland or poorly designed. By the same token, it is important not to make the character appear too complicated in design scale. Otherwise, this might distract the viewers from fully appreciating the expressed character dynamic. For example, as seen from Fig. 4 of the film, The Secret of NIMH, there is a visual contrast
Figure 4
between the simple, rounded design of Mrs. Brisby, to the more detailed but atheistically challenging Nicodemus. In particular, this is the only scene where Nicodemus is prolifically displayed while talking. Much of his role in the film is only displayed through voice over, not acting. This only infers the incongruence between Nicodemus's personality arc and his actual appearance. While the technical achievement to create the glow effect in the eyes is indeed noteworthy, that and the complex handling of the facial hair and drapery only provides eye candy that distracts the audience from what is important.
In addition to creating appeal, the one aspect that goes for both characterization and storytelling is, by far, originality. This is what separates from what comes out from mass media, to what comes from the pure ingenuity and innocence of the artist. To find originality means that the animation must be visually honest with its story and character elements. What should entail out from originality is for the animation to be bold enough that it makes itself distinctly rich among other animated films. This was case for Toy Story, which was the highest grossing film of 19951. What made the film bold was the way it broke some unstated standards of preceding animated films. The one obvious case was its undertaking of being the first computer animated film. This offered an aesthetically new experience for audiences, where many have already seen many traditional animate features. Besides its technological innovation, the film presented the story and characters with a high degree sophistication and structure. Story wise, it was much more mature and modern, whereas in most animate films, their story elements were drawn from children fantasies and folklore. This reflected the commonly held belief that animation is a genre for children, and not adults. Also, unlike other animated films, Toy Story was not a musical. This meant that the film's appeal had to solely come out from its story dynamic, without the use of that cliché. In this sense, this provided its characters to be congruently honest to the storyline, and not faking it by breaking into some catchy music number. While it is important to draw influences from the other styles of art and storytelling, one must be willing to express something that is uniquely their own work.
In brief, while this is an art form that should be given the free reign of the artist, what matters the most is to visually transcend the audience's feelings that support the artist's own vision. This is the kind of assessment that should bring depth to the animation, not to standardize it. As previously said about the act of going to the cinema, we always have to think about how visual storytelling separates itself from any other means of self-expression. Walt Disney once said that, “Of all of our inventions for mass communication, pictures still speak the most universally understood language.”(para. 15)2. That to me, reiterates the universal impact of animation, both on an artistic and an emotional level. In the end, one must be willing to acknowledge both the technical and creative aspects, in order to fulfill the believability of life.