Richard Williams Survival Kit

Inbetween

Classic Inbetween mistakes

This one should hit all the 3d animators right in the gut. The computer just interpolates between keys given what ever method we chose in its graph editor. The computer doesn't understand contact and penetration unless we do a helluva lot of physics additions.

Contact happens at CONTACT!

Arcs

The example below is equivalent to the the 12 Principles of Animation Arcs. Most things which are interconnected and also compete with external forces will travel in arcs.

Impact

Break the rules of spacing and timing and exaggerate. In the example below, removing a frame of animation would make for a quicker movement on screen, but because that very movement has been stretched in the form of the character here, a smear has been created. This smear makes for a quick and abrupt splat on the next resulting frame. The impact, in its anticipation, has been exaggerated.

Below is another example of exaggerating the contact. This is definitive "cartoony" movement. There can be a lot of nuance injected into the how this animation problem of contact can be solved, but this is an obtuse example and it works.

Elongated Inbetween

Like the examples above, the elongated inbetween Richard writes about becomes what is now the contemporary smear. Below are his examples.

'Ruff' Approach

Richard writes at length about work ethic, whether he knows he is writing about work ethic or not is another rant. One of his mentors is quoted in the book, Milt Kahl, one of those Nine Old Men of Disney.

Work ethic is important to Milt Kahl, and it also relates to the Principle Zero. If one wants to really make, they need to be making.

It is also in this section where I differ from the view on 'rough drawings'.

"Rough drawings have lots of seductive vitality, blurs, pressure of line, etc. But when they're polished and tidied up you usually find there wasn't that much there to begin with." - Dicky Williams

If you really breakdown that thought, it gets kind of sad from an artist perspective. The very act of 'tidying' up the drawing can and will ruin vitality and spontaneity. Working quickly, making quick decisions can be the closest one gets to their true creative self. For those artists who really buckle in to learning craft and analyze work created by others and themselves, the analyst can be detrimental to creativity. The more one craftsman works within the project, the more time the self editor has time to creep in. This isn't always a bad thing, but it can kill spontaneity and the creatives personal hand.

Walkcycles

Richard goes into walkcycles, then he really goes into walkcycles. Walkcycles are cool, but in the greater world of animation, walkcycles are just a small part. The Survival Kit book really gets in the weeds with walkcycles, and if that is your thing, it is a good resource. Below are some of the general walkcycle approaches which stand out.

Foot detail

Weight shift

Arms

Breaking the arm on the swing back.

Runcycle

Jump

Weight

Lifting - profile

Lifting - Frontal

Lifting - low weight

low weight - falling - arcs and paths

Follow through

Anticipation

Cartoon Zip out

The magic trick

Takes - Antics - Accents

Hard and soft accent - hands example

Dialogue

timing and spacing

tongue and teeth

double consonants

Milt Kahl's secret and thoughts on Jim Henson