Blog #7

Here are Fred's 14 points of Animation.

1)Appeal in drawing meaning, his refers to the way the viewer feels about the character.  For an example of this, For the Birds has cute characters that are relatable to all ages. They are simply drawn and have personality emanating from them.


2. Staging
-The purpose is to direct the audience’s attention. The animator needs to make clear what is of greatest importance in a scene, what is happening, and what is about to happen.

Example: By using angles and lines the director is able to direct the viewers attention right to the birds in the middle of the screen. 

3. Most interesting way [Would anyone other than your mother want to see it?]
 - Animation needs to be interesting. You need a story line that will captivate audiences.

Example: For the Birds is a funny and charming story. Pixar created characters that the audience becomes attached to and wants to see more of.

4. Is it the most entertaining way?
- An animator needs to be aware of how they draw a scene. They need to think of all the possibilities how a scene could happen and then choose the option that is the most intriguing.  

Example:The scene that is the most intriguing is when the birds fly off the power line. Pixar could have just simply had them fall, but they shoot up into the sky leaving all their feathers behind.

5. Are you in character?
- Animators need to be in character before they even start to draw. To achieve a truly great drawing, the artist needs to feel what the character is feeling, understand the character’s thought processes, and really grasp the character’s personality.
Example: The Pixar animators took years to develop mulitple bird charters in For the Birds. Every bird has a different personality and view of the world around them.

6. Are you advancing the character?
- Everyone is constantly learning and evolving, your animated character also needs to. As the story develops, your characters need to develop as well.


Example: By the end of the story, all the birds have learned their lesson. They are embarrassed, and the large bird who always gets picked on finally gets the last laugh.

7. Is this the simplest statement of the main idea of the scene?
 -It is easy to over complicate your work; often the simplest idea is the best idea.

Example: For the Birds is a very simple story. There are only a few characters and only one major prop: a power line.

8. Is the story point clear?
 -A large audience needs to understand the story. Make sure that your ideas, themes, and motifs are all constant and clear.
Example: Image how you would have story without words. Would it still express a meaning or story.


9. Are the secondary actions working with the main action?
-If a character is walking do their arms move at the same pace?  If wind is blowing, is the hair moving in the right direction? Secondary actions support the main action so be sure then work well together.

Example:In For the Birds, an example of secondary action supporting the main action can be seen when  the bird bends over and shakes. Just his body doesn’t shake, all of his feathers move and ruffle with him.

10. Is the presentation best for the medium?
- How will your story or scene look in animation. Is another medium a better option- hand-drawn, computer animated, clay-mation, etc. . . Are you taking full advantage of the medium and all of the options it offers?

Example: Pixar was able to use computer animation to the best of their ability. In a world where anything is possible, they used animation to give life and personality to birds.

11. Does it have 2 dimensional clarity?
 - Good animation needs to be clear, bright, and defined.

Example: For the Birds is a great example of 2 dimensional clarity. All the the colors are sharp, and the shapes are well defined.

12. Does it have 3 dimensional solidity?
 -Is it a good drawing? The animator needs to be understand the basics of anatomy, composition, weight, balance, light and shadow etc.

Example: For the Birds does not follow the solid drawing rules. The characters do not adhere to the laws of physics. Anatomy is changed and balance and weight are way off. Pixar also ignores the rule of twins: when character’s left and right sides mirror each other, and look lifeless. Pixar disregards this principle because they do not want a realistic looking image; they want to capture a sense of humor within the work.

13. Does it have 4 dimensional drawing? [Drag and follow through]
 - This refers to the techniques that help render movement more realistic, and give the impression that the characters follow the laws of physics. Separate parts of the body will continue to move after the character has stopped or it may take a few frames for parts of a character to catch up after they start to move.

Example: Drag can be seen when the birds fly off the power line. The birds fly into the air, but their feathers don’t follow them. Instead, they remain in place and then float to the ground.

14. Are you trying to do something that shouldn’t be attempted? [Like trying to show the top of Mickey's head?]
- Animators should always evaluate what they are doing. Often, a difficult scene to draw may be unnecessary. Fred believed that you should draw according to feeling and what looks right.

Example: Image batman without the Bat suit would that still make him batman if he didn't wear the suit to fight crime.

12 Components in Good Animation

1. Inner feeling and emotion
-A character should be animated with the personality first. For there to be an illusion of life, characters need feelings and emotion.


Example:Mickey is relateable because he has the personality of your average young boy. He is fun loving, clean living, bashful around girls, polite, and clever.

2. Acting with clear and definite action
- Animators need to know exactly what needs to be accomplished within a scene. They must animate with these ideas in mind and clearly define action.

Example: In this famous scene from Fantasia the animators had a clear and definite story line. There are only a couple props in the scene which they used to get the story idea across.

3. Character and personality
- This goes along with point number 1. For a character to be appealing they need to have personality. Audiences need to believe in the characters to connect with them.

Example: If the character was complete bland would you want to watch them or would you rather watch a silly guy making lame jokes to soften the mood.

4. Thought process through expression changes
- This is one of the most important principles for an animator to know. It is used to quickly captivate audiences. Creating subtle movements that change the expression give off the illusion of life.


Example:Like the character waving their hand to say hello to somebody or a nod of the head to response to question.

5. Ability to analyze
-Animators need to be able to analyze several things: construction, movements, story lines, etc. . . Analysis allows an animator to see if the characters look right and obey the laws of physics.


Example:Walt’s best skill was his ability to analyze. He was able to study animations and push his workers to achieve the best picture possible.

6. Clear Staging
-The purpose is to direct the audience’s attention. The animator needs to make clear what is of greatest importance in a scene, what is happening, and what is about to happen.

Example: Would be to have a charter or object be the center or most important part of the current scene making the stuff in the background less important.

Photo Credit
7. Good Composition
 - This refers to the structure and arrangement of a scene. Does everything flow? Is a background object too distracting?


Example: By having a simple background like one color. There is nothing distracting from the main content of the scene.

8. Timing
-Refers to the length of time action takes place on a screen; with the more inbetweens shots the longer the time.

Example:There are an average of 4 drawings per frame and 24 frames per second, that equals to 96 drawings a seconds. An average 80 minute film requires 460,800 drawings.

9. Solidity in drawing
-Solid drawing refers to good drawing. It means that the animator must be able to understand the basics of anatomy, composition, weight, balance, light and shadow etc.


Example: Mickey’s head is drawn as a ball, with all the features (eyes, black and white, ears) drawn to fit the ball. He has a plump pear-shaped body with the suggestion of a stomach and a fanny. His clothes are drawn so that they move with him.

 10. Power in drawing
-Good animation needs to have power behind it. This can best be seen in Disney’s villains. Why are these characters scarier than others? Because they have power. As an animator, the best way to put power into your characters is to draw from the inner feelings and emotions of that character.

Example:Black Pete, Mickey’s enemy, is intimidating because his emotions and strength were established first then incorporated into his final image.

 11. Strength in movement
 -A character must be strong in their movements. Every character should have their own personality and attitude. They should move with force and steadiness.



Example: Disney has created a variety of characters, yet each one is immediately recognizable. Even though they were created by the same people each one is unique.

12. Imagination
-Imagination is of vital importance to animation. This is the illusion of life. Nothing is real, it only exists in the imagination of the viewers. Therefore, anything is possible and the only limit is the animators imagination.

Example:Good animation is not just a summation of various points. The best animators are born that way not taught. Mastering technical skills is not enough, a truly talented artist draws with feeling, capturing emotion in the drawings.