Quotes
"Among my favourite books, Timing for Animation (Focal Press), by Harold Whitaker and John Halas ranks high. Originally written in 1981 (and newly revised in 2009) this slim volume presents a thorough analysis of the many kinds of timing issues one encounters in producing a narrative style animated film. Timing on Bar Sheets, Movement and Caricature, Newton’s Laws of Motion, Objects Thrown Through the Air, Timing a Slow Action, Timing a Fast Action, Timing to Suggest Weight and Force... these are only a few of the many chapters included. A thoroughly compiled manual, it’s an old and current favourite."--Animation World Network
Contents
denotes new material
Foreword by John Lasseter
new preface
Preface to 1981 edition
What is good timing?
The storyboard new illustration needed
Traditional hand drawn storyboards
Digital storyboarding in 2d
Digital storyboarding in 3d
The use of After-effects
The Responsibility of the director (rewrite)
The basic unit of time in animation (new illustration)
Timing for hand-drawn film
Timing for overseas production
Timing for digital production
Motion or Performance Capture
Animation and properties of matter
Movement and Caricature (new illustration)
Cause and effect
Newton's laws of motion
Object's thrown through the air
Timing of inanimate objects
Force transmitted through a flexible joint
Force transmitted through jointed limbs
Spacing of drawings (some additional rewrite to take Digital into account - new illustration needed)
Timing a slow action
Tiiming fast action new illustration needed
getting into and out of holds (some rewrite - new illustration)
Single frames or double frames?
How long to hold?
Anticipation
Follow through
Overlapping action new illustration needed
Timing an oscillating movement
Timing to suggest weight and force new illustration needed
Timing to suggest force: repeat action
Character reaction and takes
Timing to give feeling of size new illustration needed (New Japanese Anime examples)
The effects of friction, air resistance and wind
Timing cycles
Scenes with multiple characters
A word about Massive
Effects animation:
2D Hand drawn effects: flames and smoke
Water
Rain
Snow
Explosions
3D Digital Effects
repeat movements of inanimate objects (new illustration)
Timing a walk
Types of walk
Spacing of drawings in perspective animation
Timing animals' movements
Bird flight
Speed lines, and motion blur new illustration needed
Snap Principle: Accentuating movement, ( some rewriting, new illustration)
Strobing fast run cycles (new illustration)
Characterisation (new illustration)
The use of timing to suggest mood (new illustration)
Synchronising animation to speech , ( some rewriting, new illustration)
Lip-sync
Timing and music
Camera movements: Traditional
Camera Movements: Digital
Edting for different animated media
Feature films
Televison
Downloads and short form media games
Conclusions: Traditional skills and Future technological development.
(Drop the Peter Foldes material. It looks thrown in and really dates the book.)
Index
Author Information
By Tom Sito, Tom Sito is an Adjunct Professor of Animation at USC, Woodbury College, and UCLA and has written numerous articles for Animation Magazine and Animation World Network. Tom’s screen credits include the Disney classics THE LITTLE MERMAID (1989), BEAUTY & THE BEAST (1991), ALADDIN (1992), THE LION KING (1994), WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBITT (1988), POCAHONTAS (1995), FANTASIA (2000) and SHREK (2001). Tom is President-Emeritus of the Hollywood Animation Guild Local 839 IATSE. He is vice president of the International Animator's Society (ASIFA/Hollywood) He is a member of the Motion Picture Academy, the National Cartoonists Society and Hollywood Heritage. In 1998 he was named in Animation Magazine's list of the 100 Most Important People in Animation.
