Making animated characters come to life on screen is a tricky business, and this week we learnt a few more tips to help convey convincing movement that add to a character's believability, as well as define their unique traits and/or way of seeing the world.
Getting your characters moving is one thing, but there is a lot more to it than just the physical parts of the character - there are also all of those other forgotten add-ons such as hair, clothing, tails, cords...the list goes on. These secondary inanimate objects are effected directly by the primary character's action and will follow the arch of action defined by the character. Convincing follow through will complement a character's movement and rhythm.
Timing is also an integral part of animation and is all to do with what your audience sees and understands. It is exploring and finding the minimum amount of time you give to make your story or point understood. Knowing the rhythm of a character's action or movement and being able to translate and stage this correctly will create more believable characters and result in something that is more easily read and therefore better enjoyed and understood by your audience. Anticipation is a vital tool in timing, ensuring your audience is looking in the right place at the right time!
My short line-tested animation below explores follow through and anticipation in a simple action. I am really happy with the timing and most of the movement, although I would adjust the tail follow through slightly on the top of the jump, because it seems to jerk quickly between a couple of the frames.
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