How to Make Animated Films

512 Pages·2009·18.45 MB·English

by  White, Tony

How to Make Animated Films
To the spirit of WALT:
Long may his vision live in the hearts and minds of animators everywhere!
How to Make
Animated Films
Tony White’s Complete Masterclass
on the Traditional Principles of
Animation
T ony W hite
An animation apprenticeship —
the way the pros used to do it!
AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD
PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO
Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
W hite, Tony, 1947-
How to make animated fi lms : Tony White ’ s complete masterclass on the traditional
principles of animation / Tony White.
p. cm.
“ An animation apprenticeship-the way the pros used to do it! ”
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-0-240-81033-1 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Animated fi lms—
T echnique. 2. Animation (Cinematography) I. Title. II. Title: Tony White’s
complete masterclass on the traditional principles of animation. III. Title:
Masterclass on the traditional principles of animation.
NC1765.W49 2009
741.5’8 — dc22
2009005710
British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
ISBN: 978-0-240-81033-1
For information on all Focal Press publications
visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com
09 10 11 12 13 5 4 3 2 1
Printed in China
Contents
Preface .......................................................................................................................................xiii
Introduction ...........................................................................................................................xix
First … A Reality Check ........................................................................................................xix
Y our Own Personal Animation Course .............................................................................xx
2D Or Not 2D? — That Is the Question .............................................................................xxi
However … .............................................................................................................................xxii
Prerequisites for Study .......................................................................................................xxiii
Equipment .............................................................................................................................xxvi
Let the Fun Begin! .............................................................................................................xxxiii
Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................xxxv
PART 1: How to Be an Animator ..........................................................1
10-Step Foundation Course ...................................................................................................3
M asterclass 1: Animation Basics ......................................................................................5
Key, Breakdown, and In-Between Positions .....................................................................5
Creating Key Positions .............................................................................................................8
Creating the Breakdown Position .....................................................................................12
T op Pegs/Bottom Pegs .........................................................................................................17
Charting Explained ................................................................................................................18
In-Betweening .........................................................................................................................19
Flipping as Opposed to Rolling .........................................................................................22
Arcs and Paths of Action ......................................................................................................22
T iming and the Spacing of Drawings ..............................................................................24
Suggested Reading ...............................................................................................................30
Assignment 1 ...........................................................................................................................30
Masterclass 2: The Bouncing Ball .................................................................................33
W eight, Mass, and Flexibility ..............................................................................................34
Gravity and the Path of Action ..........................................................................................34
Key Positions ............................................................................................................................35
Squash ........................................................................................................................................35
Stretch ........................................................................................................................................37
T iming .........................................................................................................................................38
v
Contents
W eight ........................................................................................................................................40
In-Betweening the Bouncing Ball .....................................................................................41
Distorting Mass and Volume ..............................................................................................46
T he Descending Bounce ......................................................................................................47
Flip Your Drawings … Always! ...........................................................................................47
Final Double-Checks .............................................................................................................48
Suggested Reading ...............................................................................................................50
Assignment 2 ...........................................................................................................................50
M asterclass 3: Generic Walks .........................................................................................59
T he Lower Body .......................................................................................................................60
W alk Cycle .................................................................................................................................65
Shooting a Walk Cycle. ..........................................................................................................69
In-Betweening on One’s .......................................................................................................69
T esting the Walk ......................................................................................................................72
T he Upper Body ......................................................................................................................72
Suggested Reading ...............................................................................................................76
Assignment 3 ...........................................................................................................................76
Masterclass 4: Personality Walks ..................................................................................77
Hip and Shoulder Rotation .................................................................................................77
Overlapping Action on the Hands ...................................................................................79
Overlapping Action on the Head .....................................................................................81
Rotation on the Head ............................................................................................................81
Keeping Good Balance Throughout ................................................................................81
I n-Between Placement and Timing. .................................................................................84
Double-Bounce Walk ............................................................................................................87
Chart Timing and Variation .................................................................................................88
Observation and Reference Footage ..............................................................................89
T he Animator’s Survival Kit .................................................................................................89
Suggested Reading ...............................................................................................................89
Assignment 4 ...........................................................................................................................90
M asterclass 5: Generic Runs ...........................................................................................91
Key Generic Run Stages .......................................................................................................92
Run Exercise .............................................................................................................................95
Additional Pointers for Runs ...............................................................................................96
vi
Contents
Head-On Runs .......................................................................................................................100
Suggested Reading .............................................................................................................102
Assignment 5 .........................................................................................................................102
M asterclass 6: Quadruped Walks ...............................................................................111
Front Legs ................................................................................................................................113
Rear Legs .................................................................................................................................114
Synching the Legs Together .............................................................................................115
Adding the Body ...................................................................................................................117
Neck and Head ......................................................................................................................119
Adding the Tail ......................................................................................................................123
Moving Background ............................................................................................................126
Multilayered Backgrounds ................................................................................................129
Nonwalk Pans ........................................................................................................................131
Realistic Quadrupeds ..........................................................................................................132
Suggested Reading .............................................................................................................135
Assignment 6 .........................................................................................................................135
Masterclass 7: Weight ......................................................................................................137
Standard Rubber Ball ..........................................................................................................138
Ping-Pong Ball .......................................................................................................................140
Bowling Ball ............................................................................................................................141
Comparing the Three Versions ........................................................................................142
T he Pose Is Everything ........................................................................................................143
T ips .............................................................................................................................................145
Suggested Reading .............................................................................................................149
Assignment 7 .........................................................................................................................149
Masterclass 8: Anticipation ...........................................................................................151
T he Benefi ts of Anticipation .............................................................................................152
A nticipations Are for Everything. ....................................................................................156
Suggested Reading .............................................................................................................159
Assignment 8 .........................................................................................................................159
Masterclass 9: Dialog .......................................................................................................161
Body Language .....................................................................................................................162
Facial Animation ...................................................................................................................172
Lip Synching ...........................................................................................................................179
vii
Contents
T wo-Character Dialog .........................................................................................................184
Further References ...............................................................................................................192
Suggested Reading .............................................................................................................193
Assignment 9 .........................................................................................................................193
Masterclass 10: Final Project ........................................................................................195
Staggers ...................................................................................................................................196
Successive Breakouts of Joints ........................................................................................199
Eye Blinks .................................................................................................................................202
Eyebrows .................................................................................................................................207
Always Gravity! ......................................................................................................................208
Conclusion ..............................................................................................................................211
Suggested Reading .............................................................................................................212
Assignment 10 .......................................................................................................................212
PART 2: How to Make an Animated Film ....................................213
Production Challenge .........................................................................................................215
Film Production 1: Exploring Ideas, Storytelling, and Scriptwriting ........217
Meaning and WTF? ..............................................................................................................226
Assignment .............................................................................................................................227
F ilm Production 2: Concept Art, Viz Dev , and Camera Maps .........................229
Concept Art ............................................................................................................................229
Camera Map ...........................................................................................................................232
Assignment .............................................................................................................................233
F ilm Production 3: Character Design .......................................................................235
Style ...........................................................................................................................................235
Personality ..............................................................................................................................238
Attitude ....................................................................................................................................239
Proportion ...............................................................................................................................239
Head Heights .........................................................................................................................240
Silhouette ................................................................................................................................241
Detail .........................................................................................................................................242
Process .....................................................................................................................................243
W arm-Up Exercise ................................................................................................................246
Assignment .............................................................................................................................249
viii
Contents
Film Production 4: Thumbnails ...................................................................................251
Assignment .............................................................................................................................254
Film Production 5: Storyboards ..................................................................................255
Process .....................................................................................................................................260
Final Check ..............................................................................................................................264
Assignment .............................................................................................................................266
Film Production 6: Filmmaking Techniques ..........................................................267
Framing ....................................................................................................................................267
T ransitions ...............................................................................................................................275
Staging .....................................................................................................................................278
Continuity ...............................................................................................................................281
Crossing the Line ..................................................................................................................282
Assignment .............................................................................................................................284
Film Production 7: Audio Record. ...............................................................................285
Guide Track .............................................................................................................................286
Final Track ................................................................................................................................288
Assignment .............................................................................................................................291
Film Production 8: Animatic and Bacher Boards ................................................293
Bacher Boards ........................................................................................................................294
Animatic Process ..................................................................................................................296
T he Animatic Is Your Film Bible ........................................................................................300
Check Your Scene Timings ................................................................................................301
Assignment .............................................................................................................................302
Film Production 9: Background and Environment Layouts ..........................303
Distance and Perspective ..................................................................................................305
Focus of Attention ................................................................................................................306
Silhouetted Action ...............................................................................................................307
Process .....................................................................................................................................308
Dividing the Layout .............................................................................................................310
Pose Test Animatic ...............................................................................................................313
Assignment .............................................................................................................................313
Film Production 10: Color Script .................................................................................315
T he Right Time to Do the Color Script ..........................................................................316
Process .....................................................................................................................................317
ix