Rules of animation 1) Squash and stretch: One of the most important aspects of animation is the squash and stretch

rule. It can be applied to simple objects, like a bouncing ball, or more complex constructions, Factors that influence motion include gravity, directional force and the mass of the object, as well as the surfaces it comes into contact with. ake a bouncing ball as an example. !s the ball hits the ground, gravitational force, which depends on the mass of the object, makes it come to blows with the surface, and this will cause the ball to squash. Obviously a softer ball "for example, a beach ball# will squash and stretch a lot, whereas a cannonball will hardly squash and stretch at all. $ut perhaps what you didn%t know is that the ball will also stretch slightly as it falls and rises. &tretching is kind of like the reflex action that comes before and after squashing. 2) Exaggeration: 'xaggeration is a method of emphasising something to increase its significance or draw attention to it. In animation, we use it to emphasise whatever key idea or feeling you wish to portray. if a scene contains several elements, there should be a balance in how those elements are exaggerated in relation to each other, to avoid confusing or overawing the viewer. o sum up, good use of exaggeration can make an animation come to life. o make it really work, choose the most important element of the scene, and apply exaggeration only to that. hink carefully about the different elements that can have exaggeration applied to them( movement, facial expressions, squash and stretch, bounce and timing. $y exaggerating one of these elements, you can draw the viewer%s attention and make sure nothing is missed. 3) Staging: &taging the animation means setting the scene ) attracting the viewer%s attention and focusing it on a particular subject or area of the screen before the action takes place. *ou must remember that the viewers don%t have the luxury of knowing what is about to happen in your animation, so if something moves very quickly, they may not have time enough to realise what is going on. his is why it is necessary to set the scene for them. +oing so can also set up a mood or feeling that you want the viewer to understand before the action takes place. 'xamples of this would be having the subject move suddenly to attract attention, colouring or lighting your subject in such a way that it stands out from the rest of the scene, or using music or sound effects to capture the viewer%s attention. 4) Anticipation: !nticipation can also be used to direct the attention to part of the screen, and it is often intermingled with staging. ,owever, there are differences that make it a rule unto itself. !nticipation is used to prepare the audience for an action, and to make the action appear more realistic. ! dancer jumping off the floor has to bend his knees first- a golfer making a swing has to swing the club back first. he technique can also be used for less physical actions, such as a character looking off.screen to anticipate someone/s arrival, or attention focusing on an object that a character is about to pick up. 5) Motivation: &omewhat linked to staging and anticipation, motivation occurs when one action clearly shows that another action is about to take place. Imagine that you are animating a car speeding off from a crime scene. 0hen the engine starts, the car shudders. *ou can exaggerate this movement to let the viewer know that the car is ready to 1oom off the screen. 6) Overlap: Overlap is when one action overlaps another. Imagine you are sitting at the breakfast tableyou take a bite of your toast and then have a sip of tea. *ou may still be putting the toast back down on

your plate with one hand while putting the cup of tea to your lips with the other. hese are overlapping actions. It%s very important to apply this rule to make your animations flow nicely and have a natural rhythm. In real life, very seldom does one action finish completely before another starts. If you are new to animation, it may seem natural for you to animate actions in sequence, one after the other. *ou should avoid doing this because it can make your animations look rigid and unnatural if you don%t overlap the actions. his will take some practice, but a good tip is to animate the actions individually first and then try overlapping them by adjusting groups of key frames along the timeline. 0ith this technique, you don%t have to get the timing right the first time. 7) ollo! "#roug#: Follow.through is, again, something that occurs in nature and is often exaggerated in animation. hink of a golfer taking a swing at a ball. he golf club doesn%t stop suddenly when it comes into contact with the ball- it follows through and then gradually comes to a halt. !nother kind of follow. through is when a cat flicks its tail. !fter the cat has flicked the base of the tail, a wave of action will follow through to the tip of the tail, even though the base has stopped moving. his wave action can be observed everywhere in nature. he human body sways as it steps from foot to foot when walking. 0hen you are using natural elements like water, plants, people and animals in your animations, you should try your best to create fluid waves of movement.

$) Secon%ar& Action: ! secondary action is any action that results from the main action. 'xamples could include your character%s tummy wobbling after he has jumped from a great height. 2ike anticipation, secondary actions can be used to help to strengthen the idea or feeling you are trying to portray. One thing to avoid is making the secondary action more prominent than the main action, since it can then distract the viewer and detract from your intended message. ') (alance: $alance is crucial for an animation to be truly convincing. *our characters must be drawn in poses that look real and sustainable. *ou can do this by drawing a centre line through your character and making sure that you have equal mass on either side of the line. $alance will change according to the weight of an object- heavy objects will generally take longer to pick up speed. hey will also take longer to stop moving than light objects because more resistance is needed to slow them down. 1)) "iming: 11) 3hythm( ! good understanding of rhythm will help you work out the timing of your animations. If music is provided as part of the project, you can use this to define the rhythm of the piece.If the project doesn%t require music, I often use a soundtrack to help time my animations and then delete it once the animation is completed. 4hoose a piece of music that conveys the mood you want to convey. *ou%ll be ama1ed at how the rhythm of the music improves the feel of the whole animation. 12) 4amera 5ovement( 4amera movement can lend filmic conventions to your animation. Interesting camera angles and animated camera movement can help to represent the point of view of a character. It can add dynamism to an otherwise static scene and can give the viewer a sense of being more involved in the piece.