Animated Performance

Nancy Beiman, Professor, Bachelor of Animation, Sheridan College, Oakville, Canada.

Animated Performance shows how a character can seemingly 'come to life' when their movements reflect the emotional or narrative context of their situation: when they start to 'perform'.The many tips, examples and exercises from a veteran of the animation industry will help readers harness the flexibility of animation to portray a limitless variety of characters and ensure that no two performances are ever alike. More than 300 color illustrations demonstrate how animal and fantasy characters can live and move without losing their non-human qualities and interviews with Disney animators Art Babbitt, Frank Thomas, Ollie Johnston and Ellen Woodbury make this a unique insight into bringing a whole world of characters to life.New to the second edition: A new chapter with introductory exercises to introduce beginner animators to the the world of animated acting; dozens of new assignments and examples focusing on designing and animating fantasy and animal characters.

Foreword by Lynn JohnstonPreface: Driving the Jet PlaneChapter 1: Animation's Basic Movements: The Bouncing Ball and the PendulumOuter Space: Defining and Distorting VolumesInner Space: Defining and Distorting TimeA Brief History of TimeActing: The BeginningThe Line of Action and the ArcChapter 2: Designs That Animate'Look Ma, No Hands!' Animating Snakes, Worms, and Other CrawlersAn Introduction to ThumbnailsGood Actors: Designs That AnimateChapter 3: Setting the Stage: Character and Story ContextDon't Just Do Something...Every Move You Make: Analyzing the CharacterCharacter Volume, Size and MovementChapter 4: Is Sex Necessary?Masculine and Feminine Character ActingThe Ages of Man (And Woman)An Introduction to Dialogue AnimationChapter 5: Animal ActorsFour Legs Good, Two Legs Better? Creating Animal CharactersFlights of Information: Animating Winged CharactersPortraying Animal Qualities in Human CharactersChapter 6: Fantastic Performance!Natural Inspirations for the SupernaturalFloating Worlds: The Weightless ActorChapter 7: The Performer as ObjectMoving the Furniture: Bringing Inanimate Objects to LifeMaterial Girl: Fabric and Cloth CharactersChapter 8: Double Timing: Animating Character InteractionsStaging and Composition Changing Leads in Multiple-Character ScenesJazz Hands: Acting Out Your Scenes without Using Your BodyPotemkin Villages: Crowd Scenes and How to Fake ThemChapter 9: Character Development Over TimeCharacter and Story ArcsInspiration and ReferenceIndexAcknowledgements