We often ask ourselves- ‘do you animate pose-to-pose or straight-ahead?’ (Referring to how we each approach the animating workflow and process).
For me, pose-to-pose means the animator knows where to go with the scene, from one relevant gesture to the next; straight-ahead is to not having a clear and predetermined unfolding path, letting the moment dictate itself.
These 2 critical recognitions are not workflow themselves, but preceded the workflow to animating.
Regardless of having clear pose-to-pose in mind or straight-ahead, the actual animating workflow can be identify as follow-
* Unfolding extremes out-of-forward-order, plotting forward then goes backward, adding more extremes. (1)
* Unfolding extremes only, in forward manner. (2)
* Unfolding extremes mixed with potential inbetweens in forward manner. (3)
* Layering process, unfolding partial body parts in various separate passes.
* A Mixture of the above.
There is no one definitive way to animate, but all paths share one common goal- to achieving vibrant and life-like animation.
Each workflow has its strengths and weaknesses and yield a distinct texture of movement.
This recognition will allow the animator to greater flexibilities to expressing movement; also, to implement textures of movement as part of art direction to overall film design.
(In next few posts, will explore in-depth to these various workflows with still images from above animation…hope you’ll find them interesting.)
Here, a reflection on a pond from Chang Deok Gung Palace; I think Spring has yet to awake…
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April 2, 2010 at 5:49 am
Jacob
Thanks for sharing these processes. Books are great and have a lot of knowledge but some things aren’t as clear without vivid examples. You are providing both knowledge and vivid examples. I think number three has so much energy and a great flow. I just got an animation disc, so this is very inspiring.
April 2, 2010 at 3:20 pm
rainplace
Thank you Jacob
Wishing you GREAT fun animating!!!! Our senses are similar then…I too agree in regard to no. 3.
I’m glad that you’ve sensed the differences; the ability to detect the way something feel in motion is most fundamental to animating
April 2, 2010 at 6:47 pm
Nat
Wow this is exactly what im grappling with atm…..2nd year project is to explore alternative animation techniques and after spending a year doing pose to pose animation…..straight ahead animation is a real challenge without the safety blanket of key frames.
Im currently in the process of experimenting with paint on glass under camera animation….straight ahead animation…..but a slow process, I dont know how Caroline Leaf and others can stay with the technique for so long lol.
Ty for an informative blog
April 2, 2010 at 8:10 pm
rainplace
Thanks you Nat
I’m sure all will becoming clear to you as you’re doing more and more.
Stay happy animating
April 3, 2010 at 5:16 am
Bill B.
This post is great…I feel like the more I animate, the more beneficial your posts are to my understanding of the animation process!
I tend to create key poses, then add a rough breakdown to denote the path of action. After that I go back in and do straight ahead animation on different parts of the character, beginning with the most primary body part (usually legs, torso, and head). I’ll do subsequent passes on other things like the turning of the head, the arms, and hair etc. And I’ll see if I can push the keys further when I arrive at them.
April 3, 2010 at 2:29 pm
rainplace
Hello Bill,
Thank you very much for sharing your animating process! That’s definitely one way to animate; I think your work would have very successful result because your initial key poses are acting as guides and you would adjust them as needed when the gap between them are filling in with more drawings…
Wishing you continuing inspiration to animating
April 9, 2010 at 11:20 am
David McBride
Wow, great post!! Personally I like pose to pose then go straight ahead with my in-betweens. Would you say that using only straight ahead is better when doing some kind of metamorphosis?
April 9, 2010 at 1:01 pm
rainplace
Hello David,
I think it works both ways for metamorphosis; it depends on if you have a clear idea on the ending pose or just let it arrive as it would…
…But I think straight-ahead would be more fun in this case