Monday, August 30, 2010

March 15, 1990 -Final Notes, Lip Synch and More

These are the last of the notes from the Tissa David lectures.  We'll have to get the tags straight so they're easy to find.  It'll be "notes".


Storyboard:

should have good soundtrack and story.
1) create environment (e.g. behind the couch, tiny space restricted to intricate perspective)
2) passing of time -window light coming in will establish time.
area being restricted (2 characters start at end where second character enters) this way you will avoid trap if not enough room.

From back of couch to outside atmosphere.  Should be planned so everything will be natural.

Horse: horse running has a stretch and a reach.  Stretch higher up and reach is lower.

Be original in your approach and don't be afraid to be inventive.  Don't be timid but be interesting and adventurous.  Exagerate.

Every action takes place on an arc.  Except when it is a zig zag very rarely.

[illustration]

Spacing should have an order.  It's almost as important as timing some sort of rhythm.


Mouth is part of face.

Skull stationary -the rest is movable.

Hand speaks as gestures, head must move when talking (tilt, up and down movements)

Vowels
Consonant- must have 2 frames
always closed mouth

Try to animate lip synch with only the shape of the mouth.  Avoid teeth (only use if ferocious)


Mouth should look like the sound and the contrasts will make it work.  You can exaggerate but don't over animate.

Simple lip synch and simple action.

When you have important dialogue the action can be ahead of the word.  Gesture can precede or proceed the word for...



effect and impact.

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you very much for this wonderful material.
I’ve just noticed with a bit of surprise that there are several cases where specific topics/examples are almost identical in Tissa’s notes and in Richard Williams’ “The Animator’s Survival Kit”. For example:

Breaking of joints in the arm (Tissa’s note July 20-1989 - The A. S. K. Expanded Edition p. 342)
Character turning (Tissa’s note July 27-1989 - The A. S. K. p. 226 and following)
Take (Tissa’s note July 27-1989 - The A. S. K. p. 290)
Laughter, cold shiver (Tissa’s note August 3-1989 - The A. S. K. p. 299)
Finger pushing (Tissa’s note November 16-1989 - The A. S. K. p. 262)
Pushing balloon versus bowling ball; silk, coat and dough falling (Tissa’s note November 30-1989 - The A. S. K. p. 260 and 261)
Pupil, eye blink (Tissa’s note February 8-1990 - The A. S. K. p. 326).
I wonder who was the original source in these cases, whether Richard or Tissa (I know Tissa worked for Williams in 'Raggedy Ann and Andy'), or more likely their old mentors Art Babbitt, Ken Harris and Grim Natwick...

What do you think about it?

roconnor said...

Tissa first worked with Richard Williams on "Raggedy Ann" and continued to animate commercials for his London studio.

She even animated Yum Yum's twin sister in an incarnation of The Thief and the Cobbler. That character was cut but there's one brief scene in the final that remains Tissa's work (the princess in the bathtub).

Both animators share a lineage to Grim Natwick and to a lesser extent (in Tissa's case) Art Babbitt.

Dick and Tissa both feel that this knowledge they've learned should be shared. It only makes sense that there is a great deal of overlap.

Even if they never met, I believe that good ideas are in the ether (or Dark Energy, if that's what you want to call it). Smart people on opposite ends of the earth are likely to come up with similar answers to big questions. In this case, smart people had not only a similar background but a substantial working relationship.

If you haven't seen it, search out John Canemaker's book on "Raggedy Ann". The chapter on Tissa is a highlight of great book which set the standard for animation writing.

Unknown said...

I'll follow the advice concerning Canemaker's book and thanks again for sharing Tissa's notes.