The Language of Animation
Storyboard, keys, extremes,
breakdowns, in-between
(Animator’s survival guide: pgs. 63-67
Most important to
the least
important.
Key Frames or Key Poses
• the “Sum-it-up” or “story-telling” drawings that
show what happens in a shot (storyboard)
• the most important drawings that have to be
there to show what’s happening; without which
you cannot tell the story of the shot.
A sad man heard or saw
something that made him
happy: only 2 keys required.
Key Poses
A character walking along, saw a piece of chalk, picked it up; wrote on the board: 3
key frames to tell the story. All other drawings to bring the action to life are the
extremes, breakdowns and in-betweens.
Timing
How long does it take to finish the shot.
This shot takes approximately 120-200 frames at 24 fps. to complete.
Extremes
• A change of direction: weight shifts, bends, leans, a clear
action between keys (Survival guide: pgs. 64-67). In this
example, how many steps would it take the character to go
from one key to the next.
• Keys and extremes can block out the main actions of a shot.
Breakdowns or Passing Poses
• A pose between two extremes: how to get from
one extreme to the other. These are important
because they describe rotation trajectories,
timing eases, elbow bending, etc.
In-Betweens = everything else
• The poses used to fill-in between the key
poses and breakdown poses. These are the
extra drawings used to make the animation
smooth (Maya’s auto spline interpolation).
What goes into a storyboard?
Storyboards are about acting and performing.
They tell the story of the projects.
• Camera (what kind of shots: medium, closeup,
etc.)
• Action (what’s going on)
• Emotion (what are the characters thinking or
feeling)
Types of storyboards
• Animated feature film boards (drive the
production: its all about the story….gets re-board
all the time)
• Live action film boards (more about
cinematography: not character driven)
• TV Animation boards (mostly comedies, simple)
• Advertising boards (mostly beautiful images with
packaging information to impress the client)
They are all essentially the same: all tell a story.
Most important things when
storyboarding
•
•
•
•
Clear drawings
Clear characters
Clear continuity
Clear emotions
Storyboarding tips ?
•
•
•
•
•
Don’t draw everything
Don’t need a pose for everything
Draw for the ‘back row’
Lead the audience’s eye
Act out the storyboard: you shouldn’t have to
explain the drawings. Story should be clear.