Animation is all about making people see what you want to see.
Entertainment is making sure they enjoy themselves while you show them.
An animator can spend a lot of time making sure the mechanical side of things is perfect, but all of this work will be for nothing if the viewer doesn’t see it.
The secret to gaining mastery of this control lies in the animator’s understanding of Composition and the Principles of Design.
By carefully story-boarding an idea, one can keep track of their cameras and essentially make sure the viewer sees, feels and anticipates every emotional nuance that should be experienced from a story. The best stories are the ones that can do this with subtlety and flair, but first the basics:
The Principles of Design are: Balance, Proportion, Rhythm, Emphasis and Unity.
Balancing an image is not about keeping the same number of objects equally distributed over the screen. It is about creating a harmonious pattern that makes the eye move and look around the screen. This can be done by creating similarities or patterns and then offsetting them with Positive and Negative Spaces. Remember that rhythm and movement can be created in a still image too. It’s all about the flow of patterns.
If something takes up too much space in the screen it can be overwhelming. If that is not the goal of the shot then more negative space should be added in. Adding too much negative space can make a character seem insignificant.
A lopsided image will usually make the eye stop in one space or worse, cause the viewer to ignore a portion of the screen entirely.
It is important to remember that the screen is there to be fully utilized otherwise it will be like paying for storage space you don’t store things in.
The Rule of Thirds is a quick way to make sure the scene holds together.
To keep the eye moving we can use any number of tools, like background objects, perspective foreshortening to create Leading Lines in a shot. Characters can create leading lines by how they angle their arms, shoulders, bodies or even with the direction of their gaze.
This also bleeds into how character poses are set, but then, the Principles of Design can and should be applied everywhere possible.
Leading Lines are important with the moving image because they make sure the audience follows the motion. Remember that Symmetry and Patterns can be created by invisible lines (like a gaze or something pointing in a direction) or by the paths of moving objects.
Speaking of moving things: camera movements or shot changes can alter the viewer’s sense of time. This is a powerful tool when used wisely, and hugely confusing when fumbled. Think about the last high-paced chase scene, or fight scene you watched.
Were you ever lost? How did you keep up with the action? Was there ever a moment when you were left wondering what happened?
Leading lines and well-designed cameras help support the anticipation necessary to keep viewers engaged and informed.
