Art has always been an exceptional method to express complex states, feelings and ideas where words don’t work. Traveling back in history you will notice how visual imagery has always been used to present a concept or to deliver messages across. As far as recent developments are concerned, animations have been the gateway between businesses and their customers. And to get to that point animators have had to familiarize themselves with all the basics concerning the extensive world of animations. Only then can one bring reality to mere thoughts and ideas present in one’s mind.
To grow yourself as an animated video maker its important that you grasp onto every rooting fundamentals there is. This will allow you to get into the depths of narratives and how imagery can complement it. Here are the main factors that you need to keep an out for whilst animating.
- Movements that overlap one another:
There is a phenomenon within animations where different subject matters start overlapping one another in a way that one part of the character moves at a different speed than the other. For example, you are displaying a character walking. But due to overlapping movements, the characters head is going to move forward first and then the upper body and lastly the lower body. The difference rates of motions is going to make the character appear as if he is being dragged rather than moving on his own.
It looks as interesting as it sounds and that is why audience love witnessing such animations. Not only does it gain their attention but keeps them entertained. However, one factor to keep into consideration is that there is no confined order to movement within this strategy. It is the randomness which makes it stand out from others.
- Misaligned movement:
Misaligned movement also known as arcs was first noticed by artists who observed how living beings move. And upon looking at it more closely they realized that motion is not in a straight line but rather in an arc form, it bends and lilts. And that is what influenced them to incorporate this concept into animations, turning it into one of the basic concepts.
In order to create elegant and smooth movements of a certain character, animators use arcs and make their movements appear soft. The more refined an arc is the more professional an animator is considered to be, since this basic methodology is not an easy one to nail and get right in the first few attempts.
- Staging:
Staging is a strategy where significant changes within a frame are highlighted through line works, which makes it easier for the viewer to observe and pay attention to the changes. Whilst keeping the main subject matter in focus and at the center of attention, features around it are highlighted. It is very much similar to keeping a character from a screenplay into the spotlight.
This is a highly effective strategy to make someone understand and delve deeper into the narrative of the visuals. Not only does it drive home the main idea behind the visuals but makes them engage with it as well.
- Pose to pose:
Transforming from a single pose to another is a strategy that is widely known as straight ahead. In this approach poses are gradually changed from one form to another and during the process the previous pose remains there till the newer one has not occupied the space completely. This basically causes the viewer to experience transitioning first hand.
One of the main features of this concept is to engage the viewer into the transformation processes rather than only witnessing the end results. This keeps them informed of how the story is unfolding and the changes occurring within the narrative.
These are the main features to animating video contents, once you have grasped onto these fundamentals you will be able to develop a deeper understanding on how imagery works and on what basis it can be shifted from one idea to another, each having its own significance and meaning. Get a steady hand at these and your journey as an animator is going to get smooth.