Real-Life Communication
Cartoon animators have a language all their own. Like most industries,
animation uses "jargon" to refer to tools and techniques.
"Any trade
has its terms of art," says animator Nick Fox-Gieg. He says that just because
animators have their own language, however, doesn't mean they're standoffish.
"It's a pretty amazing group of people," says Fox-Gieg. "Basically,
it's a trade that was founded by geeks, so that creates a more approachable
social climate."
Still, cartoon animators need to understand and speak
in jargon in order to effectively do their jobs.
Here are some common
definitions:
- Frame: A single drawing showing the cartoon character in a still
position.
- Sequence: A series of several frames that, when shown at high
speed, creates the illusion of motion.
- Storyboard: A pictorial outline of a film presentation, based
on sketches that clearly demonstrate the focus and direction of the story.
One of the first stages in the animation process.
- Continuity: The unbroken flow of events or styles from one scene
to another.
- Extremes: Drawings showing the animated character at the critical
moments of action. Like the storyboard, only there are more pictures closer
together in sequence.
- Transitions: Creates continuity. Fills in the blanks between the
extremes and the storyboard with a large number of illustrations. The transitions
phase of animation makes the cartoon characters appear to move rapidly and
smoothly.
- Key animator: The animator who draws the extremes, or the key
points in the animation sequence.
- In-betweener: The animator who draws the transitions between the
extreme frames.
Now that you can "talk the talk," look at the cartoon strip below.
You
can see the first and last extremes for a sequence of animation.
This is an example of the frames which would be created by the key
animator. Pretend you are the in-betweener and it's your job to
create continuity in the sequence.
Two transition frames
are needed to connect the two extremes provided. Think about what each should
look like and then draw them.
