Fundamentals

WEEK 4- HALLOWEEN LOOP

Final Reel (SOUND ON)

FINAL OUTCOME

SQUASH AND STRETCH: Helps to reinforce gravity and other laws of physics acting on an object. It is also used to strengthen visual aesthetic- for example, Roger Rabbit squashes and stretches significantly in order to create humour.

ANTICIPATION: Helps to show the viewer what is about to happen- for example, a character bending backwards before shooting forwards.

STAGING: Similar to the concept of composition- focusing on the significant things in a scene and using motion to guide the viewers. For example, if a character has an idea a light bulb will appear above his head.

STRAIGHT AHEAD AND POSE TO POSE: The two ways of taking on drawing animation: Straight ahead is frame by frame through out, whereas pose to pose is drawing the first and last frame then the in betweens.

FOLLOW THROUGH AND OVERLAPPING ACTION: Different parts of an object move at different speeds- this helps to portray that. For example a character starts to run but half of their body is left behind and when they come to a sudden halt half of their body jolts forwards.

SLOW IN AND SLOW OUT: Gives characters and objects life- adding more frames at the beginning and at the end of an action helps to create a smooth path.

ARC: Majority of actions follow an arc so this principle helps the action/ object to abide by the laws of Physics.

SECONDARY ACTION: Can create more dimension in a scene when other actions are involved and can be used to reinforce the main action.

TIMING: Using timing helps to control the characters, atmoshphere etc in a scene that has realistic physics.

EXAGGERATION: Exaggeration helps animation to appear more dynamic and exciting- without it characters such as Roger Rabbit would be lifeless.

SOLID DRAWING: This is the understanding of three- dimensional world- adds different perspectives, tones, shadows and highlights rather than flat surfaces and objects.

APPEAL: For example, appeal is very important for character design specifically. Making a character that has a simple but effective design and personality is more appealing and easy to analyse rather than a design that is vice- versa.

(Bibliography: https://www.facebook.com/CreativeBloQ (2018). Understand Disney’s 12 principles of animation. [online] Creative Bloq. Available at: https://www.creativebloq.com/advice/understand-the-12-principles-of-animation.)

Research on how the Animation principles can be used in order to portray a character’s personality and backstory

Hazbin Hotel (2019)- Vivziepop

As well as reinforcing applied natural physics and visual aesthetics, the twelve principles also provide back bone to a character’s persona and backstory. For this independent research investigation I have chosen to work from Vivziepop’s Hazbin Hotel. More specifically, I have picked out two characters of whom are polar opposites regarding their personality: Sir Pentious and Alastor the Radio Demon.

For context, Hazbin Hotel is set in Hell- The princess of Hell plans on creating a hotel were sinners go to redeem themselves in order to go to Heaven but she is unsuccessful as her demon citizens think otherwise of her aspirations. Within the story we meet Sir Pentious; a flamboyant, eccentric snake demon who died in the Victorian era (1888). When he was alive he was an inventor and a supervillain much like his demon form. Many refer to him as ‘the embarrasing dad character’ or reminiscent to a character from Scooby- Doo in the sense that he is very exaggerated and child- like. As shown in the video, we first meet him on his evil blimp laughing maniacally. During this scene, his body stretches and arcs back and forth and his eyes pop out of his head. The use of squash and stretch, arcs, anticipation and follow through reinforces his ‘bad villain’ persona as he proceeds to praise himself, “The power of my machines are unmatched! No other demon can compare to the likes of I”. His narcissism is ironic as he is not powerful at all. Being a snake demon also helps to achieve the extreme, exaggerated movements he makes. The principles used portays his character as ‘trying to hard to be a villain to the point where he is only present for comic purposes’. Appeal and secondary action strengthens this; his character design is not as sharp as Alastor’s. To expand, Sir Pentious is made up of mostly squares and circles so he appears less threatening than Alastor. Secondary action however comes down to his top hat. His hat replicates Sir Pentious’ mood at any given time. This helps to make his persona and character design more dynamic whereas Alastor is the complete opposite.

On the other end of the spectrum, Alastor the Radio Demon (and serial killer in the human realm) died in 1933 and is one of the most powerful demons in Hell. Much like his occupation as a Radio host on Earth, he wields a microphone and possesses a radio static voice. Coincidentally both characters wield objects that are in a sense ‘alive’. Alastor’s microphone talks to him through a radio- this secondary action is more stationary and static than Sir Pentious’ top hat- which is dynamic just like him. Compared to the snake demon, The cannibal is not animated with the same amount of squash and stretch ecetera. This is most likely because it portrays his dark, manipulative side. Although many fans and the creator herself calls him ‘charming’, he is a sadistic serial killer and his plans for the hotel are a mystery for now. His ‘charming’ side is either legitimate or a metaphorical mask to manipulate those around him. His character design (appeal) as mentioned, is made up of triangles. The sharpness of his design immediately tells the audience that he is powerful and villain like. His voice however distinguishes his occupation on Earth before he died, a Radio Host. Whereas the only clue Sir Pentious was from the Victorian era is the top hat as that was an item of Victorian fashion. There are not really any direct hints that Sir Pentious was and is still indeed an inventor.

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