Doc:Tutorials/Animation/BSoD/Principles of Animation/Principles/Anticipation
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[edit] Introduction
[edit] What
- Anticipating is how a body is prepared to execute an action. The more energy the motion requires, the more one has to anticipate for it. Example: to jump forward, we first bend knees and swinging arms back.
- It also means preparing the audience for each main action by adding another small action before it. Ex: raising the head before speaking.
[edit] Why
Actions that don't demand much energy can be carried out directly, like lifting a light object or waving at someone. But to perform those where more effort is needed, the body must build up momentum. The situation can be exemplified by a bow: the more stretched back it is, the farther it can launch an arrow.
For the second function of Anticipation, the reason has to do with focus and attention. To follow what is going on in a movie or play, an audience needs frequent indications of where to look and what the characters are doing. Otherwise the story can become a tiring succession of unexpected actions and misunderstandings. This detracts from the experience, because it disturbs the flow, disperses and even annoys spectators.
Main benefit
improve the representation of weight and other forces and draw attention to the main actions.
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Timing and anticipation are the two main ingredients for lively, believable (we can also say snappy, crispy) actions.
[edit] How
Anticipations are animated as part of the work of keyframing poses for a character. If working “in layers” the animator can block (sketch) the main actions first and, on a second pass, add anticipating moves right before them.
[edit] For momentum
Let's return to the bow & arrow example, because it illustrates a pattern: the anticipation goes in the opposite direction of the main movement: stretch back to prepare for throwing the arrow forward. Equivalently, with jumps it's: crouch down to jump up; crouch down and swing arms back to jump up and forward.
Anticipating for momentum
precede a main action with a smaller one in the opposite direction, just like it happens in real life.
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Here are some more examples with a possible anticipation for each given action:
- swing arm down to cast a stone upwards, back to cast forward;
- in water, thrust body up to dive down;
- move leg back or forward to kick forward or back, respectively;
- move elbow back, flexing the arm to punch;
- all to the same side: rotate the hips, move shoulder and elbow back, flexing arm, to give a stronger punch;
- swing arm back to slap someone hard on the face.
Naturally, an anticipation related to momentum also serves to catch the audience's attention for a given place on-screen.
[edit] For attention
Our eyes...
... are specially capable of detecting motion anywhere on our broad field of view. PS: luckily, or we would have disappeared ages ago.
To get people to look at a chosen spot on the screen all that is needed is to have motion there. This works very well, because we are “hardwired” to pay attention to movement.
For instance, let's say we want people to see a character grabbing a small object. That is the main action. But to draw attention to it, we start with an anticipating move, like raising her hand above the object. At this point we “grabbed” attention to her, so she can go and take the object, properly witnessed by the audience.
Anticipating for attention
precede a main action with a smaller one to attract and direct the audience's interest.
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Fast actions are particularly troublesome to be seen. But if we first move (parts of) the agile character or the object to the opposite side, the audience looks at it, “anticipates” (foresees) the upcoming action and much probably understands what went on. Adding anticipations frees animators to create speedier main actions.
[edit] Skipping
Until now we've given reasons for using anticipation, right? Well, not really. It's better to consider this a discussion about what is gained if we use them – which also tells what happens if we don't.
The mean 3 meters tall alien robot crouches and punches (*) Skinny Tiny Character, who stops the punch with his right hand as if it was nothing and with the left one punches back at the robot (**), making it bump against a mountain and become a pie-making machine, right next to a rabbit eating a carrot. That's all, folks!
(*) With anticipation: its elbow goes up considerably before punching down, giving the idea that an earth-shaking hit is to come.
(**) With no anticipation at all, for fun, making the gesture seem trivial and so the small character look absurdly strong.
There are situations when skipping an anticipation can work very well:
- Surprise
An action can happen faster than expected and surprise the audience.
- Force
Weight is removed from the action and it seems easier to pull off.
- A little secrecy
Make it harder for viewers to notice some background action. In general this is not recommended (it goes against good staging), but it can be a valuable tool if properly used.
Hint
this is from the Illusion of Life book and is also on the author's, Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston, website: “A comic effect can be done by not using anticipation after a series of gags that used anticipation.” [1]
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[edit] Physics
[edit] Story Development
[edit] Notes
[edit] Hint
Raising characters' heads right before they speak serves as anticipation. A good one, in fact, since to talk we need air and inhaling it expands our chest, naturally raising our heads a little bit.
[edit] Take that!
In fighting it is really not a good idea to “telegraph” your moves, by for example moving slightly your shoulder right before punching. But as we've discussed, for audiences these hints can help, so it's good in real and virtual acting, with the noble exception of skipping now and then for specific effects.
[edit] Anticipation and acting
Good actors know how to use, skip or subvert an anticipation to get any effect they want. Mimics exaggerate to clearly show what they are doing and magicians use it to divert attention.
Summer of documentation 2006 -- Willian 02:06, 29 June 2006 (CEST)
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