DRAWING MOVEMENT- PART B

Like painters, animators use perspective and scale to create depth, and color to enhance mood, but most of the visual information in an animated film is transmitted through movement. Before animating a scene, animators study the way their subjects move, whether they are animals, people or leafy trees. Although the movements they draw are based on real life, animators often caricature or exaggerate both movement and design. Animated characters, like human actors, express themselves with gestures, mannerisms, posture and facial expressions as well as voice. A tilted head can indicate surprise. A body slanted forward suggests speed. A character freezes at a scary sound. Background movement also conveys meaning.The gentle flutter of leaves signals a breeze, but when the leaves toss and turn, it could mean a storm is coming. Animators use the term "squash and stretch" to describe the effect of gravity on living creatures and pliable material. Racing after the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote flies off a cliff and plummets downward. His body smashes into the ground (squash) and then elongates into a bounce (stretch). In this instance, the deformation is used for comic effect, but in more realistic situations squash andstretch lend weight to characters and make expressions such as smiles or frowns convincing. Choosing the right look for a character is important for creating its personality. A "cute" character might be drawn with characteristics that resemble a human baby's, such as a large head, small body, high forehead, big eyes and short, plump arms and legs. A bully, on the other hand, might have a small head, a thick or nonexistent neck, a big chest, and short legs. Exaggerated features and a quirky posture could indicate a comic character.The animator can also use these traits to ridicule stereotypes.The mutant toys in Toy Story, for example, turn out to be selfless and helpful, not dangerous as they first seem to be. Handsome Gaston in Beauty and the Beast is also egotistical and mean. Discuss with your students what animator Norman McClaren meant by the statement,“Animation is not the art of drawings-that-move but rather the art of movements-that-are-drawn.” Have them think of an emotion such as anger, fear, happiness or surprise and act it out in front of a mirror or the class. Ask them to describe the facial and body movements that communicated the emotion and explain why some people consider an animator the actor of an animated film.