I
don’t know where I’ve heard it from, but the animator is the one acting through
the animated character, not the voice or reference actor: “After we have given
all the suggestions we can that have to do with expressing ideas through the
body, then we can come down to the value of the facial expression – the use of
the eyes, eyebrows, the mouth – their relation to one another – how the eyes
and the mouth have to work together (sometimes) for expression – how they work
independently for expression at other times. In other words, then we would go
into the combined use of expressive features and expressive actions of the
body” (Walt Disney as cited in Johnston and Thomas, 1891, p. 441). But a
drawing is a drawing; a drawing cannot act. Johnston and Thomas (1981)
disagree, a drawing can act when it displays a change of expression; the
thought process is shown (p. 442).
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1.
Resist
temptation to tell too much in one drawing. The drawing must be quickly and
simply read, no matter beautiful it may be drawn, it should not be forced into
a scene if it does not animate properly. Also do not be afraid to discard a
drawing if it does not fit the action.
2.
Do
not let the expression conflict with the dialogue. This could be distracting if
one does this. Also it would be equally disturbing to have a character make an
expression that does not fit the personality.
3.
The
expression must be captured throughout the whole body as well as in the face.
If the character is defiant, his eyes, mouth, brows, cheeks and head altitude
will be defiant. Same goes for the rest of his body that is in view.
It’s said the eyes are the windows to the
soul, in animation the eyes are allowed greater expressiveness thanks to the
squash and stretch techniques. This allows numerous possibilities in character
expression:
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When
it comes to animating blinks, 2 seconds is about as long as a character can go
without blinking, other wise he or she would appear mechanical and not alive.
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Intertwining
dialogue with the expressions proved an interesting challenge when animating.
What does a character do when they’re speaking? In the early cartoons, the
animators admitted to their tendency of having their characters speak in verse
with a clenched fist and their index finger extended. As they evolved, they
started utilizing more subtle nuances. Take Stromboli by Bill Tytla: “The mouth
and cheek cause the eye cause eye to squint, and even the nose is affected too,
either flattening out or pushing up, depending on the action of the face.
Underneath all this, the shape of the head changes to fit the design created by
the expression” (Johnston and Thomas, 1981, p. 454).
There
are twelve ways to help synch dialogue with expression:
1. Anticipate dialogue with head, body, or
gestures three to four frames ahead of the heavy modulation, but mouth sync
should be right on the modulation. If it is a closed mouth, it will be on the
consonant, and, if possible, remain closed for two more frames in mouth action
falls a frame ahead, that is okay.
2. You need interesting mouth shapes that
reflect the personality of the voice. Look for shapes that give you an extra
touch of character.
3. Try to show enough time on the important
shapes so that the viewer will be aware he seen a picture of the word.
4. On holds at the end of a phrase or a line
of dialogue, try to retain a mouth expression that reflects the character of
the last word. Do not change the mouth shape just because you are through with
the word or phrase. Retain the character of the shape in the hold or pause
retain the character of the shape in hold or pause with a softening of the
action to keep it alive.
5. There are not too many straight
inbetweens in dialogue. You may want to retain one mouth a little longer and
then you move quickly into the next one, or vice versa.
6. If you have a word that has been
stretched out fairly long, treat it like a moving hold. Make an extreme which
shows the shape you want, then make a second one that is even stronger an “
slow into” it. If the sound is diminishing rather than growing, then your
second extreme will not be as strong. Either way, you will keep the feeling of
flesh and life in the mouth.
7. When using the eyes only for synch in an
extreme closeup, move the eyes in synch to an accent.
8. When using a blink to help get a synch,
the eyes should close ahead of the accent by three to four frames.
9. If you are going to start your dialogue
on a drifting or slow move without anticipation, it helps to start by moving
anywhere from three to eight frames ahead of the accent.
10. There are times when all your dialogue
will have to be on “ones.”
11. The vowel sounds, A-E-I-O-U always will
require some opening.
12. Consonant sound M, P, B, are all closed
are all closed mouths. Keep in mind, however, that the mood of the character
may influence the shape.
13. Be sure teeth are not painted white or
they will flash. This can be especially annoying if the mouth is
overarticulated.
However,
aside from expression and dialogue, an animator must attain mastery over body
language. Some even took acting classes to gain better understanding:
I began to sense why certain people, good
actors, communicate and make a character believable. I’ve sat and watched young
student actors…and they’re saying the lines the way they were written, and
they’re trying to be angry, or trying to be sad, or trying to be humiliated,
trying to be aggressive, and they’re doing all these things…and it’s
lousy!....And then right out of nowhere, somebody will be doing a scene, and
for a brief, maybe, 30 seconds that damn thing comes to life! Suddenly that
woman is a woman in trouble, and this guy is being mean and you’re reacting,
and your whole being is suddenly focused on that, and then suddenly it
dissipates. I mean, one wrong word, one wrong emphasis, and this thing is gone!
I think, “What made that work? Why did that happen at that moment?” (Leo Salkin
as cited in Johnston and Thomas, 1981, p. 474)
Johnston and
Thomas (1981) cite Katherine Ommanney when listed the techniques to acting:
1. Are the characters interesting, lifelike,
and vivid?
2. Do you become emotionally involved with
them?
3. Do the gestures and movements seem
sincere, convincing, clear and properly motivated?
4. Does all of the action help to delineate
the characters and their situation for you?
5. Is the action clear cut, realistic,
prolonged sufficiently, and exaggerated enough to be seen by the whole
audience? (475)
To
the animators, acting and to create a believable character is through changes
in expression that would reveal the character’s thought process. However, there
are other techniques to emphasize emotion:
1. Rear view: you do not show the
character’s expression, but if you add certain elements in the background, the
audience would be willing to imagine it for themselves.
2. Shadows: Shadows are usually associated
with suspense and drama.
3. Shadows over character: adds excitement.
4. Overlays: If a character is trapped in a
restrictive area, if adds desperation.
5. Dramatic layout: Overpowering shapes and
a path of action going down the hill both add to the feeling of depression.
6. Pictorial shot: a background with a
strong view can save difficult animation.
7. Effects animation: Animation in the forms
of nature can establish a mood either by symbolism or showing what the
character sees.
8. Head drawings with camera moves: Some
expressions cannot be strengthened by movement. Instead of moving the
character, a simulated feeling of activity was achieved by slowly moving the
camera into the character’s eyes.
9. Offstage sounds: No animation is needed
on a comprehensive shot of the locale if appropriate sounds can build images in
the imagination.
Some
expressions are difficult to portray, like love: “It is possibly the most
elusive emotion to portray. Like the sensation of warmth, love is built almost
solely through the animator’s personal feelings about the drawings he is
making” (Johnston and Thomas, 1981, p. 494). An animator has to rely on their
imagination to portray emotions, like Bill Tytla, who was given the assignment
of animating Dumbo with his mother, with the vague instruction, “Get a tender,
poignant series of scenes that show how much Dumbo and his mother miss each
other, and how much even this limited contact with her means to him” (Johnston
and Thomas, 1981, p. 497). From this we get the “Baby of Mine” sequence.
In my first blog, I stated, “Animation
is not a genre, animation is a medium.” It is a medium designed and crafted by
hundreds of artists to translate stories and fantastic locales through
believable characters they’ve brought to life. Yes the market maybe saturated
with kiddie fare, but the idea of taking this still image and having walk,
talk, and clearly sentient. That’s the art of animation.
Works Cited
Johnston, O., & Thomas F. (1981). The
Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. New York: Disney Editions.
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