In the previous parts of this series I have first written about how animation isn't about creating movement but about creating life, how as an animator you achieve this by using only three tools and the basics of how these three tools, the pose, the timing and the spacing, work. But knowledge is worth nothing without experience. It is by combining knowledge and experience that we get the wisdom that we need to be able to start to master the basics of our craft.
As always, saying this is one thing, doing it another. Although the animator only uses three tools, the usage of these tools gets complex. Not only can they be used in several ways on their own, they also always influence each other. Change one and you chance the rest.
Although it may not seem like it at first glance, this is a lot to keep track of while animating. The tools often gets in the way of the animator, stopping her in her path. The problem generally appears when we try using both our right and left side of our brain at the same time, being both creative and logical at once. Doing this doesn't work particularly well, it decreases our focus and slows us down a lot. It is like trying to be a jack-of-all-trades but just end up being a master of none.
There are solutions to this problem, and I believe that the easiest is to alternate between logical thinking and creativity.
First know what you want to achieve, then create a plan, execute, analyse the results for improvements and repeat the cycle, working in gradually more detailed cycles spiraling towards the final goal. This is similar to the so-called "Scientific Method" that uses: Question - hypothesis - testing - analysing and repeat. But my personal preference is the method of working in cycles with the phases of: kata - mushin - hansei - kaizen, or in english: routines - with out mind (meaning: flow) - reflection - small improvements. This method focuses on the routines of achieving the goal, on creating the focus that is a necessity for a good result, and on constantly trying to improve the process. The routines help us focus and perform are important since the result we achieve is the sum of our NOWS and not our the sum of our TOMORROWS.
When starting on a new scene, the first step always is analysing the scene, no matter how simple the scene may seem. The method that I always use for analysing (not just for scenes I'm going to animate, but also for writing screenplays, planning projects and everything else), is the "Why? How? What?" method, that I've written about before. There are other methods but this is the one I enjoy using, you should choose the one you find works the simplest for you.
The first step is asking "WHY?". Why is this the thing that will take me the biggest step closer to my goal? When animating a scene this question isn't so hard to answer, especially if your not the director, but by answering it you still clarify the motivation that drives the task.
Then ask "HOW?". How am I going to approach this task? Think about how you should approach the task to achieveits goal the most efficient. Look at your previous experiences, at what has worked well and what hasn't. Find the what wasteful things you do (waste = everything that doesn't help create a better end product), what bottlenecks you create and what distracts you and try to either eliminate the, or create a uphill path to them. Find your strengths, what you do well, and try to create a downhill path to them or utilize them to minimize the effects of your wastes. When answering the question of "HOW?", try to imagine that everyday is a "bad day" and think about what actions you would need to take to still achieve a great end result.
Next ask "WHAT?". What is it that your going to do? This is the part that is the actual animation comes in. First by analysing the scene: Again, ask "WHY?" Why is this scene in the film? What is it that it needs to communicate to the audience? What new information or emotion? Try summing up the message of the scene in one sentence. The simpler the better. The question "WHY?" clarifies the goal.
The second step is asking "HOW?". How can I communicate this message the most efficient. What are the compositional shapes I should use on the screen? What timing will accentuate the message? And how should I use the spacing? Sum up, in a few short sentences, the main methods of communicating the message. The question "HOW?" clarifies the strategy.
The third step is asking "WHAT?". What happens in the scene? What are the characters doing. And (a mini "Why? How? What") Why are they taking these actions? How is their motivations and emotions influencing their actions (use your knowledge of the tools)? What will these actions look like? Sketch out small thumbnail versions of the key-poses and the breakdowns needed to communicate the message. And do several versions of the thumbnail sketches. Trial and error is faster here than while animating. The question "WHAT?" creates the plan of action.
When answering these questions you should not strive for perfect, super detailed, all-encompassing answers. Always use only the minimum information needed at this point to move forward. A lot of information is harder to keep track of and can decrease your focus while animating. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
When you've created your plan of action it is time to start animating. But don't try to do everything at once. Start with the minimum amount of information needed to communicate the message of the scene. Only do the most important poses needed for the message, with other words the key-poses and the breakdowns needed to show how the character moves from pose to pose, and time them out.
Now, take a quick break from the creative work. Look at what you've done and analyse the work. First, try being the audience and ask: What do I feel and think when I'm watching this? And write down your thoughts. If possible ask others for their opinions.
If the scene doesn't communicate its message correctly, then great! You have the chance to learn something new! If the scene does communicate its message, good! You might still have the chance to learn! Either way, analyse what you've done and look for ways to improve your process.
WHY did I get this result? What was the one biggest thing that held me back? What was the one thing that helped me move forward the most?
HOW can I use this experience and better use my strengths to minimize the negative effects of my weaknesses? Or can I use what I perceive as a weakness as a strength?
WHAT is my next step? Does the work I've done on the scene need improvement or can I start adding more poses? If the work needs improvement, ask: "Using what I've learned, what can I now do that will make the process simpler and hopefully take me a bigger step closer my goal?". If the work is good enough (notice that I wrote "good enough" - not "perfect") for me to start adding more poses, do I have enough information on how to do this or should I create a new plan of action?
Don't dwell on the questions. Answering them all shouldn't take long, preferably less than three to five minutes. It will not always be possible to answer the questions, but without asking you'll never find answers, and without answers you won't learn more.
When you've analysed what you've done, and know what you're going to do, then execute. With each iteration, or draft, you animate only add the a minimum amount of poses needed to communicate the message of the scene before taking a step back to analyse and plan the next iteration.
All this paperwork before animating may seem excessive, but neither the planning and analysing should take long. Never plan everything of the entire scene at once. Always strive to work with the minimum amount of information needed.
To achieve a good flow while animating you shouldn't have to think about what you're doing. The goal should be clear and the path to get there. Also, since the animation process is slow, it is a lot faster to make mistakes in the planning than while animating.
Animation, like all lines of work, is mainly about problem solving. By learning more about the process, and more about yourself, you will learn to find solutions faster. Kaizen - Cotinus small improvements. This will allow you to work more efficient which in turn means the chance doing more animation and getting more experience which will improve you at your craft.
To become better animators we should always strive to learn how to make the path to our goals simpler. Often we value complexity, but making things harder does not make them simpler, it only slows us down. I believe it was the legendary Milt Kahl who when asked what it was that made him such a great animator said that it was "sophisticated use of the basics."
All this problem solving and simplifying may sound boring, but the faster you can solve a problem the more time you can spend on being creative and on creating the magic of storytelling for your audience.
I hope you've enjoyed this series!
Peter Hertzberg
As always, saying this is one thing, doing it another. Although the animator only uses three tools, the usage of these tools gets complex. Not only can they be used in several ways on their own, they also always influence each other. Change one and you chance the rest.
Although it may not seem like it at first glance, this is a lot to keep track of while animating. The tools often gets in the way of the animator, stopping her in her path. The problem generally appears when we try using both our right and left side of our brain at the same time, being both creative and logical at once. Doing this doesn't work particularly well, it decreases our focus and slows us down a lot. It is like trying to be a jack-of-all-trades but just end up being a master of none.
There are solutions to this problem, and I believe that the easiest is to alternate between logical thinking and creativity.
First know what you want to achieve, then create a plan, execute, analyse the results for improvements and repeat the cycle, working in gradually more detailed cycles spiraling towards the final goal. This is similar to the so-called "Scientific Method" that uses: Question - hypothesis - testing - analysing and repeat. But my personal preference is the method of working in cycles with the phases of: kata - mushin - hansei - kaizen, or in english: routines - with out mind (meaning: flow) - reflection - small improvements. This method focuses on the routines of achieving the goal, on creating the focus that is a necessity for a good result, and on constantly trying to improve the process. The routines help us focus and perform are important since the result we achieve is the sum of our NOWS and not our the sum of our TOMORROWS.
When starting on a new scene, the first step always is analysing the scene, no matter how simple the scene may seem. The method that I always use for analysing (not just for scenes I'm going to animate, but also for writing screenplays, planning projects and everything else), is the "Why? How? What?" method, that I've written about before. There are other methods but this is the one I enjoy using, you should choose the one you find works the simplest for you.
The first step is asking "WHY?". Why is this the thing that will take me the biggest step closer to my goal? When animating a scene this question isn't so hard to answer, especially if your not the director, but by answering it you still clarify the motivation that drives the task.
Then ask "HOW?". How am I going to approach this task? Think about how you should approach the task to achieveits goal the most efficient. Look at your previous experiences, at what has worked well and what hasn't. Find the what wasteful things you do (waste = everything that doesn't help create a better end product), what bottlenecks you create and what distracts you and try to either eliminate the, or create a uphill path to them. Find your strengths, what you do well, and try to create a downhill path to them or utilize them to minimize the effects of your wastes. When answering the question of "HOW?", try to imagine that everyday is a "bad day" and think about what actions you would need to take to still achieve a great end result.
Next ask "WHAT?". What is it that your going to do? This is the part that is the actual animation comes in. First by analysing the scene: Again, ask "WHY?" Why is this scene in the film? What is it that it needs to communicate to the audience? What new information or emotion? Try summing up the message of the scene in one sentence. The simpler the better. The question "WHY?" clarifies the goal.
The second step is asking "HOW?". How can I communicate this message the most efficient. What are the compositional shapes I should use on the screen? What timing will accentuate the message? And how should I use the spacing? Sum up, in a few short sentences, the main methods of communicating the message. The question "HOW?" clarifies the strategy.
The third step is asking "WHAT?". What happens in the scene? What are the characters doing. And (a mini "Why? How? What") Why are they taking these actions? How is their motivations and emotions influencing their actions (use your knowledge of the tools)? What will these actions look like? Sketch out small thumbnail versions of the key-poses and the breakdowns needed to communicate the message. And do several versions of the thumbnail sketches. Trial and error is faster here than while animating. The question "WHAT?" creates the plan of action.
When answering these questions you should not strive for perfect, super detailed, all-encompassing answers. Always use only the minimum information needed at this point to move forward. A lot of information is harder to keep track of and can decrease your focus while animating. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
When you've created your plan of action it is time to start animating. But don't try to do everything at once. Start with the minimum amount of information needed to communicate the message of the scene. Only do the most important poses needed for the message, with other words the key-poses and the breakdowns needed to show how the character moves from pose to pose, and time them out.
Now, take a quick break from the creative work. Look at what you've done and analyse the work. First, try being the audience and ask: What do I feel and think when I'm watching this? And write down your thoughts. If possible ask others for their opinions.
If the scene doesn't communicate its message correctly, then great! You have the chance to learn something new! If the scene does communicate its message, good! You might still have the chance to learn! Either way, analyse what you've done and look for ways to improve your process.
WHY did I get this result? What was the one biggest thing that held me back? What was the one thing that helped me move forward the most?
HOW can I use this experience and better use my strengths to minimize the negative effects of my weaknesses? Or can I use what I perceive as a weakness as a strength?
WHAT is my next step? Does the work I've done on the scene need improvement or can I start adding more poses? If the work needs improvement, ask: "Using what I've learned, what can I now do that will make the process simpler and hopefully take me a bigger step closer my goal?". If the work is good enough (notice that I wrote "good enough" - not "perfect") for me to start adding more poses, do I have enough information on how to do this or should I create a new plan of action?
Don't dwell on the questions. Answering them all shouldn't take long, preferably less than three to five minutes. It will not always be possible to answer the questions, but without asking you'll never find answers, and without answers you won't learn more.
When you've analysed what you've done, and know what you're going to do, then execute. With each iteration, or draft, you animate only add the a minimum amount of poses needed to communicate the message of the scene before taking a step back to analyse and plan the next iteration.
All this paperwork before animating may seem excessive, but neither the planning and analysing should take long. Never plan everything of the entire scene at once. Always strive to work with the minimum amount of information needed.
To achieve a good flow while animating you shouldn't have to think about what you're doing. The goal should be clear and the path to get there. Also, since the animation process is slow, it is a lot faster to make mistakes in the planning than while animating.
Animation, like all lines of work, is mainly about problem solving. By learning more about the process, and more about yourself, you will learn to find solutions faster. Kaizen - Cotinus small improvements. This will allow you to work more efficient which in turn means the chance doing more animation and getting more experience which will improve you at your craft.
To become better animators we should always strive to learn how to make the path to our goals simpler. Often we value complexity, but making things harder does not make them simpler, it only slows us down. I believe it was the legendary Milt Kahl who when asked what it was that made him such a great animator said that it was "sophisticated use of the basics."
All this problem solving and simplifying may sound boring, but the faster you can solve a problem the more time you can spend on being creative and on creating the magic of storytelling for your audience.
I hope you've enjoyed this series!
Peter Hertzberg
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