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Chapter 11 Animation Composition
Creating anticipation prepares the
audience for the main action to follow.
It provides an audio or visual hint
that an action is about to happen. Get
ready to duck, the enemy’s weapon
is glowing red and about to discharge
a photon pulse in your direction, as
shown in Figure 11-9. An NPC team
member yells “incoming!” Do you
know what is going to happen next?
Maybe not exactly, but you have a
good idea that you need to move your
character to cover.
Squash and Stretch
Squash
is a flattening of an
object.
Stretch
is an extension of
an object. Squash and stretch deal
with morphing motion. Originally
conceived to exaggerate the natural
morphing motion for comedic
effect, squash and stretch are now
practiced in all forms of animation.
In general, squash and stretch give
a sense of weight and flexibility to an object. The volume of the object remains
the same, but the shape changes due to the forces creating movement.
A key concept in realistic use of squash and stretch is to keep the same
structural dimensions and volume. Look at the bicep muscle in your arm while
moving your forearm up and down. Notice how the muscle moves. As you extend
your arm, the muscle is stretched from end to end. As you bend your arm closed,
the muscle is squashed from end to end. However, the structure of the arm does
not change. The bones are rigid and keep the length of the arm constant.
Squash and stretch must be applied to nonridged objects like muscles, clay, or
a rubber ball. In the case of a rubber ball, the entire object can be squashed and
stretched, as shown in Figure 11-10. The key is to maintain volume. If the height
of the ball is squashed, then the width will have to be stretched. A balloon can be
used as an aid when learning to animate squash and stretch. Squash and stretch
the balloon to see how the shape morphs while holding the same volume of air.
Squash and stretch can also be applied to body articulation. A person
performing a jump will squash by bending the knees and swinging the arms
down. The person will then stretch by throwing the arms up and extending the
legs. When the person lands, the body is again squashed to absorb the impact.
Arcs
Movements in nature rarely occur in straight lines or at sharp angles.
When you walk around a corner, you move in an arc even though the hallway
is constructed at a right angle. When a dog appears to run in a straight line,
the path is not truly straight. The dog’s body moves from side to side as well
as up and down as it runs. Therefore, if a character is animated to move in
Figure 11-9.
Goodheart-Willcox Publisher; images: Algol/Shutterstock.com, greglith/Shutterstock.com
The glowing orb on the character’s staff
creates anticipation that a bolt of energy is
about to be hurled at the player’s character.