exaggeration
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Exaggeration
does not mean just distorting the actions or objects arbitrarily, but the
animator must carefully choose which properties to exaggerate. If only one
thing is exaggerated then it may stand out too much. If everything is exaggerated,
then the entire scene may appear too unrealistic. A scene has many components
to it the design, the shape of the objects, the action, the emotion, the
color, the sound. Exaggeration can work with any component but not in isolation.
The exaggeration of the various components should be balanced. If just one
thing is exaggerated in an otherwise lifelike scene, it will stick out and
seem unrealistic. |
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However, exaggerating everything in a scene can be equally
unrealistic to an audience. Some elements must be based in nature, with
others exaggerated unnaturally. If there is an element that the audience
can recognize, something that seems natural to them, that becomes the
ground for comparison of the exaggeration of the other elements, and the
whole scene remains very realistic to them.
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Images by Tex Avery,
'North West Hounded Police' (1946)
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The animator must
go to the heart of anything or any idea and develop its essence, understanding
the reason for it, so that the audience will also understand it.
If
a character is sad, make it sadder; if he is bright, make it shine; worried,
make it fret; wild, make it frantic
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the effects of emotions. Study the physics. Then see how far you can push
it. Try to look for ways to break the rules. Only when you have a realistic
motion can you add personality; so, make sure that your character is moving
convincingly. (In 3D animation it is most likely if the character's movements
do not look right from one angle, they will look wrong from your camera
angle.) Once you get the motion down, embellish it where needed to create
the personality you desire. |
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