(Fig. 01 Muybridge Plate 01)
Some of the earliest work in trying to understand human movement was by English photographer Eadweard Muybridge in the late 19th century.2 It was with his work that really started the process of capturing human and animal movement on film that could then be used as an advanced tool for observation. The work as a research tool is invaluable for those wanting to understand how humans move but also underpins the idea that to understand movement and as an animator to eventually replicate it also requires an understanding of the importance of observation in achieving realistic motion.
Wells (1998, p24) states that any definition of reality and realism as it operates within any image-making practice is...open to interpretation [and] necessarily subjective. It has been said that the films by the Disney animation studios represent the pinnacle of some kind of realism in animation (Rowley, 2005, p69) or as Wells defines it as 'Hyper-real'. The real of the Disney animation comes not from the visual design (although they do keep to recognisable human characters for the most part) but from the motion of the characters.
As a starting point, we can consider the simplest hypothesis: the motion in Disney cartoons is accepted as more realistic because it more closely resembles a literal depiction of how things actually move. (Rowley, 2005, p76)
This literal depiction of movement comes from the Disney animators extensive observation of real people and animals to better understand how they move and apply it to their animation. This approach starts right back in the 1930's as documented in an internal memo from Walt Disney to animation and life drawing instructor Don Graham. In it Walt describes in detail the direction he wants to take animation training and what he feels to be the qualities needed to be a good animator.
That 'should start with the animators ability to draw; then, ability to visualise action, breaking it down into drawings and analyze the movement and mechanics of the action.' (p3) The importance of good draftsmanship is what is first mentioned here, but also mention and just as important are good observational skills. Being able to observe someone or something and understand how they are moving or are positioned, knowing where the weight is and how the body reacts to it and then to be able to translate that down onto paper through drawings.
As a 3D animator I am not dealing with drawing with pencils and paper like the traditional animator to create the animation as it is all done digitally on the computer, but the appreciation of observation and knowledge and understanding of human motion that comes from that observation is as equally important as it is with traditional drawn animation.
Observational drawing is crucial to animation, even if drawing itself does not figure in the final outcome of a film project. It is not merely concerned with the accurate representation of something that is seen, bus a process of recognition record. Observation is, in essence, the process of learning to see. (Wells, 2009, p16)
The important thing to remember when observing something is to not copy exactly what is seen but to use the information as a base for which to build on, to interpret the observed motion and apply it to the animated character in a way that is not only realistic but believably 'taking into account how it looks, its perceived functional design and its perceived intent and consequent motivated behaviour.' (Power, 2008, p38)
From this memo and by reading the history detailed in 'The Illusion of Life' the Disney studio eventually formulated a set of rules that would enable the animator to create a believable characters and performance. These rules are the 12 basic principles of animation.3
Although these principles are great for breaking down the techniques of animation and understanding the medium of animation I think that the knowledge gained from observation and other practices are the key to believable animated characters. 'Joanna Quinn is an example of an animator whose practice is rooted in observations from life rather than re-iterating classical formulae.' (Hosea, 2010, p360) Hosea also points to the work of Leslie Bishko, a Laban Movement analyst4 and experimental computer animator who 'argues that all too often the 12 rules of Disney are applied mechanistically and do not produce expressive characterization.' (Hosea, 2010, p366) Animator and film-maker Chris Landreth is also questioning the use of the 12 principles of animation as the best approach to animation.
Take, for example, the idea of ambiguity. Landreth explains that 2D classical technique is based on clarity of gesture and emotion from one pose to the next. So if a character is supposed to be sad, the face and body posture should convey a united front of sadness. But though emotionally clear, the end result of this approach is stagy and the lack of ambiguity actually gets in the way of creating realistic, original CG performance. (Besen, 2005, p2)
While I don't completely agree with Landreth I do think that traditional animation techniques like the 12 principles can help, I feel that relying on them completely for 3D animation is somewhat limiting. By using the principles in combination with other techniques seems like the way forward.
In Bishko's article 'The Uses and Abuses of Cartoon Style Animation' she clearly describes the limitations of 'just' following the 12 principles of animation. By creating an animation that has no expressive or intent in terms of characterization you create only functional movement. 'However, if expression is clearly defined...Function will often take care of itself. This is where animators can turn to the craft of acting for tools that will clarify intent.' (Bishko, 2007, p33)
As well as the importance placed on the observed motion and the 12 principles of animation Walt Disney also wanted his animators to have a 'knowledge and appreciation of acting' (Disney, 1935, p4) It has be argued that the animator is in effect an actor performing through either the drawn image or computer created character. By looking at acting theory and how actors prepare roles for stage and screen the animator can gain useful insights on how to go about creating an effective performance. Ed Hooks Acting for Animators stands out as one of the few books to cover this topic and relate it directly to animation. Hooks' main influences stem from the acting methods used by Konstantin Stanislavsky5 that were then the basis for method acting developed by Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio6. Although these techniques can vary in essence they are there to help the actors get into the mindset of their characters, to create believable emotional responses in an effort to develop lifelike performances. This is what the animator wants to achieve also but an animator could look to these methods and struggle to find a way to make the techniques apply to their craft.
This is obviously due to the differences between the way an actor and animator work. Actors have an extensive rehearsal period before performing the material before an audience or camera. Even when this happens an actor can adapt their emotional performance moment to moment being able to respond dynamically to the other actors and situations as they demand. On the other hand, although the animator does go through a preparation process there is no actual physical performance for the animator, they have to create a performance in their head and then apply it to a series of drawings or a 3D model. When it comes to creating the animation the animator has to be able to hold a moment or emotional thought for hours or possibly weeks at a time depending on how long it will take to complete the scene they are animating. Where for an actor the moment is continually changing and moving onto the next.
What Hooks understands is this clear ‘distinction between the way animators perceive and apply acting theory and the way stage actors perceive and apply it.’ (Hooks, 2003, p13) What he does with his book is teach animators techniques and exercises to be able to apply acting methods for creation of believable character for use in their animations.
Using Hooks methods as a starting point and then going back to Stanislavsky's An Actor Prepares what becomes apparent when comparing acting and animation is the similarity between the actors preparation and rehearsal process to the animators pre-production process. The actors preparation and rehearsal process described by Stanislavsky would start by reading the script, this would move on to a discussion between the actors and director to clarify what each scene is about and the different ways in which it can be played. The each scene would be rehearsed by working through the ideas devised earlier, testing to see if they work. The a discussion on the rehearsal, about what ideas worked and what ideas did not. Those that did not work would be abandoned and those that did would then be incorporated into the performance.
For the animator this process is very familiar. You would read the script and look at the storyboard or animatic. Talk with the director about what is happening in the scene and what the character needs to do and where the scene fits into the overall story. The animator would then thumb nail out different ideas on how to approach the scene and do some rough tests. They would then get feedback on the test to see if it works well and fits within the overall animation.
One of the most important things I have taken from reading Stanislavsky's techniques is the importance of understanding the character and its role in the context of the story. You do this by asking of the character six questions. Who am I? Where am I? When am I? Why am I here? For what reason am I here? and How should I go about it?
Doing this you are becoming familiar with the character, building up their history and backstory, and most importantly identifying the characters main objectives. By identifying a characters main objectives by asking 'What do they want?' and then asking active questions like 'What must they do to achieve that?' you start to understand the main motivation of the character and in turn the emotional drive of the story. 'If the characters yearning, desire and motivation are not manifest then narrative does not work.' (Power, 2008, p38)
Once the characters objectives have been established you can begin to breakdown their role within the script into specific Physical Actions. Stanislavsky’s Method of Physical Actions is a system used to achieve objectives through small actions but with emotion as the result of those actions.
Physical actions were small achievable tasks that were directed straight towards the other actors on stage; the motions behind those actions were both practical and psychological. The main purpose of the Method of Physical Actions was for actors to find the precise and logical sequence of actions that would enable their characters to achieve their task. (Merlin, 2003, p29-30)
Finding the logical sequence of actions within a scene is what Stanislavsky called The Line of Physical Action and it is this line that becomes the structure with which to build the characters performance around. The performance is a combination of the things the character does to achieve their objective (the physical actions), the emotion of the character while doing these actions and the empathetic response the audience has to the actions and emotions of the character.
2. Eadweard Muybridge was an English photographer who, in the late 1800s created a series of sequential photographs (Fig. 01) documenting the Human Figure in Motion. They are regarded as 'the best general reference available for any student of action and motion.' (Thomas and Johnston, 1984, p185)↩
3. The 12 Basic Principles of Animation are 1. Squash and Stretch 2. Anticipation 3. Staging 4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose 5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action 6. Slow In and Slow Out 7. Arcs 8. Secondary Action 9. Timing 10. Exaggeration 11. Solid Drawing 12. Appeal↩
4. Laban Movement Analysis is a system for analysing – and annotating – the way the human being moves in space.(Newlove, 2004, p258)↩
5. Konstantin Stanislavsky was a Russian actor and acting teacher who in the early 1900s 'fathered naturalistic , psychologically-based acting techniques.' (Hooks, 2003, pxiii)↩
6. The Actors Studio was formed in 1947 to (provide a place where professional actors could work together ... to continue to develop their craft and to experiment with new forms in creative theatre work.(The Actors Studio)↩
