Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Can You Provide Some Tips For Good Pantomime?


The biggest challenge of pantomime is clarity. It isn't too hard for an audience to understand that a character is lifting a box without the use of dialogue. It is a bit more challenging to have them understand why the character is lifting the box and what emotions it is feeling while doing it. If a viewer can't understand what is going on in the character's head in the first viewing, then the animation is not quite working yet.

Great posing is the biggest component in giving a shot clarity. A good pose will immediately communicate what is happening to the viewer. A great pose will do it in an entertaining way. Entertaining doesn't necessarily mean that it has to be cartoony or insanely over the top. It does mean that the pose should be dynamic and interesting to look at. Comic books are a great resource for seeing clear, dynamic poses... and yes, I am a super dork. A comic book artist has to communicate both the external actions and internal motivations of a character in a single drawing. So basically, if your key poses could work well as a comic book panel then you are in good shape. If not, then you might need to tweak them some more.

A good technique for judging how clear your poses are is to look at them in silhouette. An audience can read the silhouette of a character much faster then they can overlapping body parts. Any actions that take place inside the silhouette have a much higher chance of becoming muddy and unclear.

Pantomime shots have a huge amount of freedom in them because of the lack of dialogue. It is a blank canvas. However, this can also be a challenge because you no longer have that audio to anchor your timing to. Sometimes creative restrictions can actually be helpful. The challenge in pantomime is making sure that your character doesn't feel like they are going through a set of meaningless actions. Try to imagine that there is an inner monologue going on so that it feels like they are thinking and then acting. The pacing of your shot can determine whether your character is simply doing some things, or doing some things in reaction to what is happening around them.

Acting choices are another huge factor in pantomime. I think some people treat a pantomime shot differently than a dialogue shot. With dialogue, they will relish in the nuances and detail, and try to get every bit of realism into it that they can. Then they will do a pantomime shot and feel that it has to be a super cartoony Charlie Chaplin piece. Don't get me wrong-- I love Charlie, but pantomime should still feel real to an audience. Sometimes going big is absolutely necessary, but there is a difference between that and overacting. You don't want your character to look like they are "playing" sad. You want them to actually be sad. Just because there is no dialogue doesn't mean that every idea has to be expressed with extreme antics. Viewers will respond to something that feels real and honest. The ultimate goal is to have them forget that the character was ever animated. Watch any great live action drama and pay attention to the shots that have no words. You will see that some of the most powerful performances from actors often happen without dialogue. If a person can do it in front of a camera, then I don't see any reason why an animator shouldn't strive to achieve the same thing.

Speaking of cameras, I can't emphasize the use of video reference enough. I always like to start my planning process in front of a camera, because you can get some surprising results from just getting up and doing it. It is the quickest way to explore ideas, and it will very often give you the idea that otherwise wouldn't have occurred to you. Also, video reference is incredibly useful as a tool for good body mechanics. There is no dialogue to distract the audience from what is happening in the body, so they will notice every little movement that is slightly off or awkward. Pantomime is very unforgiving in that way, because the animation is all they have to focus on. The video reference will give you a great foundation to base your animation on.

A huge part of creating believable, lifelike characters is the face, and more specifically, the eyes. Eye lid positions can tell you how alert someone is. How often a character blinks can convey intensity, or insecurity. Pupil dilation can show excitement or fear. Eye direction can reveal intent or help anticipate an action. Subtle shifts and saccades can hint at an internal thought process. Blinks can be used to show a change in thought or emotion. The list goes on and on. The eyes can communicate just about everything, and (assuming there is no nudity in the scene) the eyes are where most people will focus their attention. They are also one of the biggest areas of neglect in animation. Make sure that the eyes are moving like a real eye would, and not how you imagine an eye would move. Do some research on eye movements and you will probably be surprised at how complex it really is. I have some websites that I regularly use as a refresher on eye movement because there is a lot to remember. Everyone has heard the complaint that CG characters are "dead in the eyes". At times that may be partially due to how a character is lit or rendered, but I think a lot of it also comes from how they are animated. It is vitally important that the eyes not be an afterthought in your animation.

To sum it all up:

-Strive for clarity in your pantomime so that an audience can clearly understand both what the characters are doing and also what they are thinking and feeling.

-Focus on strong, clear poses that are both aesthetically pleasing and tell the story.

-Make sure that the timing in your shot helps the character feel like it is thinking as well as doing.

-Give the eyes plenty of attention in your animation, because they can totally sell your character's internal process.

-Make sure that your acting choices feel real and not contrived. Avoid the cliches when possible. Pantomime can be cartoony or realistic, but the character needs to be believable in either scenario.

-Use video reference as a tool for planning your shot and as a reference for body mechanics.

-Be sure to enjoy yourself. Shots always turn out better when you have fun working on them

Guest Blogger Travis Tohill

22 comments:

dennis e. sebastian said...

wow! perfect timing for a pantomime article. that's exactly what i'm animating right now.

Many Thanks!!! :)

Travis Tohill said...

It's always a good time for pantomime!

and yeah, I know how terrible that joke is :)

Daniel Harris said...

great post! I actually find Pantomime more challenging than dialog, but love the extra creativity it allows. I just finished a Pantomime piece recently, hmm, after reading this I'm thinking I probably could have got more detail in the eyes: http://kineticdan.blogspot.com/2011/01/old-man-reanimated.html . Anyone have any thoughts?

Cheers Travis, again, great post!
-Dan

Jonah Sidhom said...

Very helpful post, thanks!
What are the chances that you'll tell us the websites you use for refreshers on eye animation? :)

Travis Tohill said...

Hey Jonah,
The BBC motion gallery is always good for all kinds of reference, including people's eyes.

My favorite website that I go to for a refresher on eye movements is the blog of one of my former mentors Kevin Koch:

http://www.synchrolux.com

He has a whole section on eye movements if you look at the links on the right side of the page. He was in medicine and neurobiology before he was an animator, so he really knows this stuff. It's a great site!

Aaron Ludwig said...

This is awesome stuff-- super helpful, especially the thoughts on the eyes.
Thanks Travis!

Travis Tohill said...

No problem Aaron!

Anonymous said...

its really helps to me..pantomime article is super..thanks trohis

Unknown said...

thanks, this blog animation apantomime article.
http://latestarenaanimation.com/

Unknown said...

obat kutil kelamin instant
obat kutil kelamin resep dokter
obat kutil kelamin pada pria
obat kutil kelamin tradisional
obat kutil kelamin
pengobatan kutil kelamin
obat kutil kelamin tradisional alami
obat kutil kelamin herbal ampuh
pengobatan kutil kelamin |obat kutil kelamin
obat kutil kelamin | cara mengobati kutil kelamin
obat kutil kelamin yang sangat ampuh
obat kutil kelamin herbal
obat herbal kutil kelamin
obat kutil kelamin
obat kutil kelamin di apotek
obat kutil kelamin ampuh
obat kutil kelamin
Cara mengobati kutil kelamin
obat sipilis
Obat wasir
Obat wasir herbal
Obat wasir tradisional
cara mengobati wasir

Anonymous said...

Kondiloma akuminatum ialah vegetasi oleh Human Papiloma Virus tipe tertentu, bertangkai, dan permukaannya berjonjot. Tipe HPV tertentu mempunyai potensi onkogenik yang tinggi yaitu tipe 16 dan 18. tipe ini merupakan jenis virus yang paling sering dijumpai pada kanker serviks. Sedangkan tipe 6 dan 11 lebih sering dijumpai pada kondiloma akuminatum dan neoplasia intraepitelial serviks derajat ringan. Kondiloma akuminatum ialah vegetasi oleh Human Papiloma Virus tipe tertentu, bertangkai, dan permukaannya berjonjot. Tipe HPV tertentu mempunyai potensi onkogenik yang tinggi, yaitu tipe 16 dan 18. tipe ini merupakan jenis virus yang paling sering dijumpai pada kanker serviks. Sedangkan tipe 6 dan 11 lebih sering dijumpai pada kondiloma akuminatum dan neoplasia intraepitelial serviks derajat ringan segera kontak kami untuk mendapatkan obat kutil kelamin paling manjur

Unknown said...

obat sipilis
obat kutil kelamin
obat herbal untuk kencing nanah, gonore, raja singa dan sipilis
obat kencing nanah manjur
obat gonore ampuh
obat sipilis gang jie dan gho siah
obat kencing nanah
obat infeksi kencing nanah
obat kencing nanah
obat alami kencing nanah atau gonore
obat herbal penyakit gonore atau sipilis
obat gonore herbal manjur
obat raja singa dan sipilis
macam macam obat gonore
pengobatan manjur penyakit gonore
obat gonore
obat gonore tanpa efek samping
obat untuk sakit gonore
obat wasir de nature stadium 4 ampuh
cara mengobati wasir aman tanpa operasi
pengobatan wasir manjur
obat ambeien yang ampuh
ciri ciri penyakit wasir
mengobati wasir tanpa efek samping
obat wasir
Obat wasir tiongkok

Reseller De Nature said...

Obat kutil kelamin tradisional
Obat kutil kelamin wanita
Obat kutil kelamin apotik
Obat kutil kelamin murah
Obat kutil kelamin de nature
Obat kutil kelamin untuk ibu hamil
Obat kutil kelamin dokter
Obat kutil kelamin di jakarta
Obat kutil kelamin untuk wanita
Obat kutil kelamin/jengger ayam
Obat kutil kelamin malaysia
Obat kutil kelamin di anus
Pengobatan ampuh kutil kelamin
Obat kutil kelamin selain ace maxs
Obat kutil kelamin bandung
Pengobatan Wasir Dengan Laser
Pengobatan Wasir Pada Ibu Hamil
Pengobatan Wasir Alami
Pengobatan Wasir Eksternal
Pengobatan Wasir Luar
Pengobatan Wasir Stadium 1
Pengobatan Wasir Secara Tradisional
Pengobatan Wasir Dengan Suntikan
Pengobatan Wasir Bandung
obat kencing nanah dari apotik
obat kencing nanah bandung
obat kencing nanah buatan sendiri
obat kencing nanah yang bisa dibeli di apotik
obat kencing nanah di bandung
obat kencing nanah di bogor

teguh wibowo said...

Obat herpes
Obat wasir herbal tanpa operasi
Obat wasir herbal stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Cara mengobati wasir dan ambeien
Obat ambeien ampuh sembuh dalam 5 hari
Pengobatan ambeien keluar benjolan tanpa operasi
Pengobatan wasir stadium 4 tanpa operasi
Obat wasir untuk ibu setelah melahirkan
Obat wasir tradisional yang ampuh
Cara ampuh atasi wasir pada wanita
Obat yang bagus untuk wasir
Obat de nature khusus untuk wasir stdium 4
Cara mengobati wasir tana perlu operasi
Pengobatan wasir dan ambeien mujarab
Pengobatan wasir tanpa operasi
Obat wasir dan ambeien stadium 4
Obat penyakit wasir herbal De Nature
Obat untuk wasir pada ibu hamil
Cara mengobati wasir yang parah tanpa operasi
Obat ambeien tradisional
Obat wasir herbal De Nature
Obat wasir ambeclear

Arjunane Denature said...

Obat kencing Nanah De Nature Obat Herbal obat Kutil Kelamincara mengobati menghilangkan kutil cara mengobati kutil kelamin kelamin keluar nanah obat kutil kelamin

Unknown said...

ray ban sunglasses
lee jeans
kate spade handbags
coach outlet
tory burch
air jordan
christian louboutin shoes
nike air force 1
adidas trainers
michael kors handbags outlet
20173.8wengdongdong

John said...

hermes outlet online
louboutin outlet
nike flyknit
adidas superstar
coach outlet online
coach outlet online
coach outlet online
cheap nike sneakers
fitflops clearance
adidas yeezy boost
20170322yuanyuan

Unknown said...

dior sunglasses
prada glasses
pandora charms
dior glasses
ferragamo belts
lacoste polo
michael kors factory outlet
golden goose
lebron shoes
Kanye West shoes

raybanoutlet001 said...

asics sneakers
reebok sneakers
cheap ray ban sunglasses
cheap ugg boots
cheap uggs
oakley sunglasses wholesale
ugg boots on sale
polo ralph lauren
cheap uggs
air huarache

Unknown said...

retro jordans
kobe shoes
cheap nfl jerseys
kobe basketball shoes
michael jordan shoes
falcons jersey
nike roshe one
michael kors
lebron 13 shoes
pandora bracelet

raybanoutlet001 said...

air huarache
bears jerseys
hugo boss outlet
ralph lauren uk
coach outlet online
coach outlet
cheap snapbacks
nike air max 90
coach outlet
coach outlet online

jjjjjjjjjjjjj said...

jordan shoes
kd shoes
adidas yeezy
adidas nmd
nike flyknit racer
yeezy boost 500
kd shoes
moncler outlet
nike air zoom
stephen curry 5