Timing for Animation, 40th Anniversary Edition, 3rd Edition

Scenes with Multiple Characters

At times you may be asked to animate a scene in which two or more figures are moving in the same shot. You have to plan the motion so as not to cloud the scene’s intent with a lot of extraneous movement. Motions occurring at opposite sides of the screen at random could divide and distract your audience’s attention. Just like a dance choreographer is always aware of which dancer the audience should focus on, so should the animator be aware of the primary character in a scene. The supporting characters have to move little enough to be alive, reacting to the primary character’s actions, but not move so as to be distracting. Characters in the far background could move very little or hold, since the audience will sense ...