MOTION GRAPHICS

Introduction to the 12 Principles of Animation & After Effects

The 12 Principles:

  1. Squash and Stretch
  2. Anticipation
  3. Staging
  4. Straight ahead action and pose to pose
  5. Follow through
  6. Ease in/Ease out
  7. Arcs
  8. Secondary action
  9. Timing
  10. Exaggeration
  11. Solid drawing
  12. Appeal
Self-practice using frame by frame animation.

Using After Effects to create short animation involved quite a learning curve. Although it seemed like an efficient way to create motion through technology, the software was not very intuitive. However, I was able to understand the basics of animating on the software by the end of the lesson.

Learning about keyframes also helped streamline my approach to animation, whether it be hand drawn animation, or through After Effects. It helped me understand where my objects’ movements were going, and made me feel more in control of their actions. This also helped me plan motions ahead, and really make use of each principle.

(I lost the after-effects files on my laptop ill get them back asap)

Hand Drawn Animation on Photoshop

Keyframes from the hand drawn animation

The hand drawn animation assignment involved adding a piece of clothing onto a stick figure jumping. Going with the halloween spirit, I chose to animate a ghost jumping. This was an apt choice, as I also felt that a loose cloth would help me understand how fabric moves on a body. I was sure to draw creases to show where the “body” comes in contact with the sheet, giving it some structure.

Observing a scarf prior to this animation was helpful, as it helped me observe these motions in action, and apply the 12 principles to the movement. I was able to actively apply the following principles to this animation:

  • Squash and Stretch
  • Ease in and ease out
  • Anticipation
  • Follow through
  • Straight ahead animation

Following feedback on Friday, I feel that I could have conveyed the weight of the fabric better through exaggeration, and implementing follow through more effectively. This could have been done better by amplifying the ballooning of the cloth as the character landed. I felt that I could have also considered the timing of the motion better by allowing the fabric to settle down slower.

Week 2: Animating soundscapes (Experimenting)

Initial storyboard for final animation

Initially, I wanted the animation to start with a slow zoom out of my character closing her eyes to take in the sounds. However, I soon realised that this motion takes away from the emotion, and that a cold open of the character floating alone much better captures the feeling of being at peace around nature. Not only did this convey the emotion better, but also drew more focus to the surroundings of the character.

Before cementing in that the first two frames would not work, I decided to design a character and make a short animation to experiment with the idea.

Initial character

Not only was this an experiment with the character, but also the colour palette. After watching this back, I decided that both the character design and the colour palette were a bit loud for the emotion I was going for. However, I still liked the wild hair and some tones from the colour palette, which I preserved in the final piece. I decided to omit the bright pink and yellow colours, and simplified the character.

Test for unravelling

The above clip shows a test for the main motion with the character. I came to the decision that although the texture of the brush was out of place, I still liked how the animation flowed. I enjoyed working with morphing shapes and frame by frame drawing.

I also wanted to animate more background elements (like deep sea creatures), but again, felt that it took away from the main picture.

Week 2 Final Project: Stingray

Final animation: Stingray

I used a combination of frame by frame animation and keyframes to animate this piece. I exported the hand drawn layers (the main character and the background) and compiled them in After Effects. Additionally, I also played around with contrast and lighting. I found that, although I am not fully comfortable with the software, After Effects was useful in making small adjustments to enhance a piece.

Feedback:

  • The animation may come across as more refined and calm if the first few frames were paused on to help the audience settle into the film.
  • Boiling usually involves a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 4 frames. The two-frame boiling for the stingray looks slightly choppy.
  • A zoom out motion towards the end of the film would provide a sense of closure for the audience.