12 principles of animation

This is an evaluation of the animation Rex asked us to post:

1. squash and stretch - our particle units appear to individually and collectively squash and stretch as they merge together and separate

2. anticipation - crescendo of action, decrescendo in the middle of the animation, crescendo towards the end builds up viewer’s anticipation of the particle’s action. the few seconds the particles spend paused gives a feeling of suspense

3. staging - the particles of greatest importance typically are framed in the center of the composition throughout the animation

4. straight ahead action/pose to pose - pose to pose technique used in the process of creating the animation; the computer fills in the missing sequences in between poses

5. follow through/overlapping action - there is inherent overlapping action as particles slow down and speed up...some almost pause while others are decelerate at a slower rate

6. slow in/slow out - slow start and slower end gives particles time to acceleration and decelerate. ending could use improvement, i.e. a continuation of the rotation of the line

7. arcs - the particles

8. secondary action - the particles are programmed to react to each other. there is secondary movement amongst individuals particles versus the movement of the whole “flock”

9. timing - there is a good balance of slow versus fast action. the music is similar, but the movement of the particles could parallel it better

10. exaggeration - the level of exaggeration of the particles’ movement in relation to each other is more subtle than unrealistic. overall, it works well on the micro and macro level.

11. solid drawing - the individual particles have volume and weight, and although they are all the same shape, their position in relation to the camera distorts their shapes. creates a dynamic composition with less modeling work

12. appeal - the timing of the movement of the sound and particles, though abstract, is appealing to the viewer