Tag: animation lecture

Storytelling in Staging

Staging in animation is the process of breaking down a story into the most simple and basic beats in order to provide a foundation with which to further manipulate the scene into something more unique and entertaining. It is about setting the stage for your character’s actions, ensuring the camera is in the right place, and conveying the story in the simplest, most effective way possible. In this clip from a live AnimSchool lecture, instructor Tyler Phillips breaks down an alien abduction scene from former student Jonah Sidhom.

In Sidhom’s example, the character begins sleeping and wakes up to an alien, reacts, and runs away, ultimately being sucked out into space. This sequence is a clear example of staging that conveys an entire story using only six simple beats. These beats guide the viewer through the character’s emotional and physical journey, from initial confusion to their final fate.

Staging can start with basic visual storytelling elements: simple poses and camera placements. As in the alien scenario, a character might move across the scene, push a button, and face multiple challenges. Each of these actions becomes a beat—an individual piece of the animation that, together, creates the flow of the narrative.

The key to effective staging is to capture not just the actions but the emotions behind those actions. Adding “thinking beats”—moments when the character pauses to react or assess the situation—creates depth and engagement. For example, a character might look at an alien, then pause, registering the danger, and only then react with a frantic escape.

Additionally, creating more granular acting beats can add texture and realism. In one instance, when the character slams against a wall, the small moment of bounce and holding that pose for just a couple of frames enhances the readability of the action. This small pause gives the viewer enough time to process the action before moving to the next step, ensuring the sequence is clear and believable.

One of the most important aspects of animation is variety—using quick, medium, and slow beats. A variety of pacing helps keep the audience engaged and ensures the shot feels dynamic. These contrasting rhythms add richness to the animation, making it feel more alive and less mechanical.

In professional animation, the focus is on bringing characters to life. They must be believable in their thoughts and actions, reacting to their environment. An animator’s job is to think about these moments of reaction and transition, creating a character that feels genuinely alive. Though seemingly small and perhaps even insignificant, intentionally placed acting beats are what ultimately make characters feel real and relatable.


Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here: 

At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. ⁠Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/

Animating Nothing | Create Moving Holds

How do you animate a character that isn’t doing much? Using moving holds! Moving holds are crucial in animation – they provide the breathing space between high energy motions as well as making the characters look alive when they are in the background. AnimSchool instructor and professional animator Scott McWhinnie explains how he handles moving holds, and shows an example from his own shots to illustrate his methodology.

McWhinnie breaks down moving holds into four categories: momentum, breathing, eye darts, and head support, all of which are crucial to consider when animating a moving hold.


Momentum

A common pitfall when animating moving holds is disregarding or neglecting the previous movement and the momentum that leads from that. To avoid this, it’s important to keep in mind the “drift” follows the direction of the most recent momentum shift – it needs to work with physics. Try to keep things simple as a directional and rotational shift, and find a balance between the two to avoid overcomplicating the movements. Be careful not to start the drifting too early into the next movement.

Breathing

Even in stillness, small movements like chest or shoulder shifts suggest breathing. These tiny details make the character feel more grounded and dynamic, helping with transitions between holds and actions. Breathing also impacts the pacing of the animation, and can lead to a buildup of momentum that carries into the next action.

Eye Darts

Small, quick movements of the character’s eyes play a huge role in adding life to a seemingly inactive moment. These subtle shifts of attention can convey a character’s inner world, whether it’s curiosity, tension, or anticipation. Eye darts often signal that the character is aware of their surroundings or preparing to engage with something in the near future, and can help keep the audience engaged in what might otherwise feel like a stagnant moment.

Head Support

Ensure that the head moves in a way that supports the body’s direction – the character’s head should follow the same momentum as the rest of the body to maintain consistency. If a character is holding a pose and their head moves in a different direction without context, it can break the illusion of weight and consistency.

McWhinnie uses a scene he worked on from Ferdinand (2017) to demonstrate how he approaches a moving hold.


Watch the full clip from an AnimSchool lecture here: 

At AnimSchool, we teach students who want to make 3D characters move and act. Our instructors are professionals at film and game animation studios like Dreamworks, Pixar, Sony Pictures, Blizzard & Disney. ⁠Get LIVE feedback on your Animation from the pros. Learn more at https://animschool.edu/