#leading force

[rainplace-animates]

Essence of a Movement ~

In the animating process, one can inadvertently take wrong turns by emphasizing too many aspects of a movement from a technical perspective. Similar to composing a painting, one takes a step back to view the overall image and adjust the various aspects from here, keeping in mind the initial intention. For animation, it is the playback during pencil-testing.

In a composition, there is an order of visual priority with emphasis to one focal point.  For movement, there is one leading force at a time, transferring from one body compartment to another with the communicating emotion as anchor point.

The animating process is a sculpting motion process.  It takes readjustments based on how movement feels.

For example, I meant to communicate power & elegance in the volleyball spike.  The elegance emerged in the rough pass.  In 1st tie-down, I got carried away with emphasis to the power of the legs.  The movement now has a conflict of 2 focal points, the spiking arm and the powerful leg-jump.  Power is achieved but grace disappeared.  Adjustment is needed with toning down the graphic look of jumping legs. 

Here, Some reference study prior to animating.

[rainplace-animates]

Leading Force (Animation Workflow 04)-

The complexity of life evolved in the beautiful simplicity of cause and effect, same to the animated movement.

The key to every new drawing is to identify the location of the initiating force within a structure.  Once the spacing for this particular compartment or join is found, the rest of the structure respond accordingly in a series of chain reaction, following the leading cause in an orderly manner, starting from the epicenter, rippling outward to the outer most parts (such as hairs or clothing articles).

Imagine the various compartments and joins within a given character is like a long train with many wagons. The locomotion to the entire train is driven by the engine.  All the parts don’t start and stop at the same time.  

In complex organic or mechanical structures, the leading force is transferred from one body part to another.  Because of gravity, once a leading force is initiated in a particular compartment, it takes time for a force to unfold before it can be redirect to another compartment.

The ‘right’ initiating spacing of the leading force is most critical.  It is determined by the animator’s ‘feel’ according to the predetermined force he or she wishes to express.  If this initiating spacing is off, the entire drawing will be off.

In the sample above from my indie feature-in-progress ‘My Little WORLD’, the leading force is initiated at the leg area, transferring into the stomach area, and then back around the waist line as gravity is pulling the structure down, back to leg.