Here’s more material from my theory lectures. I made these clips to analyze various timing styles by showing the exact frame overlap of each animation. The clips on the left basically isolate the motion and allow us to see and compare it clearly - without design, color or sound distracting our brains.
My last post showed how motion-contrast was something that evolved over time. These examples show how motion, as it’s own aesthetic, eventually branched out into different schools of timing. Each one is a refined method of representing movement in a stylized way. They don’t strive towards realism, their beauty is in how unrealistic they are while still communicating ideas. They are all solutions to the same problem: how does a character get from one place to another.
Animation schools are extremely dogmatic about teaching essentially Disney timing, the 3d animation we see in the cinema is just a continuation of these old principles. There’s nothing inherently wrong with that, but theres so much else to explore. A lot of (dumb) people dismiss South Park’s animation, but it’s an education in minimalism. Richard Williams’s style (the 2nd clip) is obsessively smooth and floaty. Anime uses very few drawings and feels choppy and solid.
Hopefully this shows you that animation is basically music, theres entire genres of motion if you look deep enough.
This is a simple motion-diagram thing I made when talking about animation to non-animators.
Not sure if this is interesting for you guys.
Around 6 years ago (gasp) I did a bunch of lectures on animation theory. One subject was how textures of movement have evolved over the years, alongside the more obvious progression of design.
I made these videos to illustrate more clearly how contrast in timing was something that has a clear progression from the 30s to the 90s. The timechart below each clip represents relative change in space between drawings - from the ultra linear early animation - to the soft bouncing of Classic era Disney - to the exaggerated Warner Bros style, brought to it’s peak by John K (in my opinion).
Sorry about the quality on these gifs. I’ll post more stuff like this if theres any interest.
This is the best, as a black kid that was bullied in school for wearing nail polish and playing in metal bands growing up… this warms my heart.
This is beyond cool, I hope I see them out somewhere.
I just missed these guys playing! I went to an afropunk show on friday, which was so off the hook. I saw Meatloaf play and they had the greatest hightops in the world.
(via petitsirena)
picture in my sister’s book about the dangers of the internet
she smilin aint no danger she aight
(via pantsareunwelcome)
