MAT 150 - Flash 1

The Animator's Survival Kit

The Animator’s Survival Kit was written by Richard Williams, the animator who directed and designed many characters in the film “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” which helped initiate a renaissance for animated Disney movies throughout the 90s. Companies like Disney, Dreamworks, and Industrial Light send animators to mentor under him as he is considered the link between hand-drawn Golden Age animation and computer animations. Having been in the animation industry for 50 years, he has mentored many new generations of animators, and he is still alive to this day. In the book, he shares knowledge about the principles of animation, insight about what animation used to be like, and many examples of how to make characters move.  He learned from animators at Disney how to animate during the Golden Age. One of those animators, Milt Thomas said “Our animation differs from anyone else’s because it is believable. Things have weight and the characters have muscles and we’re giving the illusion of reality.” The author gives the readers tips they may otherwise not think of such acting in order to draw movement or taking figure drawing classes in order to have learn how to draw people and anthropomorphic creatures. An animator named Emile Cohl said something that inspired him, “Don’t do what the camera can do - do what the camera can’t do.” In other words, the characters should do unbelievable things with believable motion. Williams reflects back on animation’s history and many memories he has studying great animators and telling their stories.

Not only does he explain principles of animation, but also uses examples that are very helpful and allow you think about things that you might miss. Here, Williams shows us that when easing the action of pointing, you have to be mindful of the curve of the finger in order for it to look life like and believable. He also shows us how movements are more life-like drawn in an arc.

He goes into other topics that also advance the animator's ability to create believable movement such as overlapping action. Different parts of the body move at different times.Things like hair and long ears don't catch up to subject until it has settled for a little bit just like the cheeks and ears on this bulldog.

Here, Williams shows the animator how far he/she can push the principle of anticipation. He mentions antics, accents, and a settling position after the action is completed. As you go down each row of drawings show here, you can see how the animation becomes more exaggerated to clearly express the emotions felt by the character.

These are only a few pages from the Animator's Survival Kit and there is a lot of information in this book. While it is important to understand the media you are working with and stay updated on new technology, it is also important to understand the universal concepts that you can apply to any software.