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One of the sections that did not make it into the “Get Animated!” book was an extensive, exhaustive, examination of animation timing. After I cut it from the text, I figured it could make its way onto the DVD. If you’ve seen the DVD, you know there’s a timing section with a little junky robotThe example he gives on the disc is just one of three I intended to make, but after the first one I realized it might be tedious listening to this robot tell you how many frames each cut had. It’s still a good exercise, though, as examining footage and writing down timing really does help you get a grasp for what works.I was defending anime to a colleague once (who detests Japanese cartoons – probably solely based on their popularity, mind you) and I was telling him that I thought most anime shows were brilliantly timed. This is, of course, to make up for the fact that they are not fully animated. If you do not have the time, energy, or budget for full animation – as in the case with all television and most of our personal projects – then this kind of timing would be good to know.
I took as my example a small sequence from “School Rumble,” a 2005 TV series directed Shinji Takamatsu. In the scene, a martial arts expert, has offered to demonstrate to his female classmate (on whom he has a crush) why she needs to defend herself against perverts and n’er-do-wells.What he does not know, and what we do know, is that she can read his thoughts. |
You can watch the full sequence here:
[flashvideo filename=http://www.brightredrocket.com/getanimated/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/yakumo.flv /]
Here is a chart with the timings. The shots are numbered and timings are given for 24s as well as 30s. This cartoon was made for NTSC TV, so it was timed on 30s, but you may want to know the equivalents in 24. I use the standard denotation of “X” for “frames.” So “24x” means “24 frames.” It’s old man stuff. The column marked “On” lets you know how many frames per drawing – shot on 1s, 2s, 3s, or a hold. And finally, the action column tells you what is going on. Tiny scribbly thumbnails simplify the frames for reference.
| # | 24s | 30s | On | Action | Picture Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | 21x | 26x | 3s | The expert takes his first martial arts stance. |  |
| 2. | 27x | 34x | 3s | The expert slowly moves attacking arm forward to make a grab. |  |
| 2. | 39x | 49x | H | The expert pauses, some dialogue. | |
| 3. | 5x | 6x | 2s | She blinks. |  |
| 4. | 6x | 8x | 2s | He starts for her right arm. |  |
| 5. | 16x | 20x | 2s/1s | BG on 1s, He grabs for her arm and misses. |  |
| 6. | 6x | 8x | 2s | His hand grasps the arm where her arm isn’t. |  |
| 6. | 8x | 10x | 1s | Zoom out to include all of the girl in the shot. | |
| 6. | 36x | 45x | 2s | Very slow motion of his fist missing her by a fair distance, she watches passively, hair moves in wind. | |
| 7. | 60x | 75x | 2s/1s | BG moves slowly on 1s. He is in amazement he has missed. |  |
| 8. | 39x | 49x | 1s | Camera move only, figures are still. They face off, he is at ready position, she is watching. |  |
| 8. | 46x | 58x | 1s | No movement, titles, indicating his next move: “Now I will grab her left arm…” She can, of course, read his thoughts. | |
| 9. | 14x | 18x | 2s | He lowers head, ready for his move. |  |
| 10. | 32x | 40x | H | Pause for his line. | |
| 11. | 18x | 22x | 2s | He runs across screen, legs only. |  |
| 12. | 29x | 36x | 1s | He grabs at her, but she steps neatly out of the way. |  |
| 13. | 48x | 60x | 2s/1s | BG on 1s, She is passive, wind blowing hair, as she sidesteps. |  |
| 14. | 36x | 45x | 2s/1s | BG on 1s, low angle, he grabs for her leg and misses. |  |
| 15. | 48x | 60x | 2s/1s | BG on 1s, She is passive, wind blowing hair, as she sidesteps, different angle. |  |
| 15. | 72x | 90x | 2s | He grabs at her nine times and misses each one. |  |
| 16. | 108x | 135x | 2s | She, in close up, dodges his moves (6 times). |  |
| 17. | 96x | 120x | 2s/1s | BG on 1s, slow zoom in on him for his line. |  |
| 18. | 20x | 25x | 2s | Her brows narrow – she’s angry now. |  |
| 19. | 18x | 22x | 2s | She grabs his right arm with her left in close up. |  |
| 20. | 8x | 10x | 1s | Zoom out – She already has him on the ground. |  |
| 21. | 84x | 80x | H | Same shot, the crowd watches his defeat. |  |
Analysis
This is a television cartoon, so it uses as little art as possible. This is not at the expense of getting the job done, but because the schedules involved in TV production are so dreadful as to require cost cutting measures as often as possible. Different shows have their approaches to the TV budget. This one uses a lot of holds, for example. A “hold” is a period in which the art does not change at all – a still image is used, perhaps with a panning camera movement. Camera movements, accomplished entirely within the software or editing system, are easy to do and cost almost nothing to implement. There are instances where slight camera movement stands in for character movement. In these cases it is even more important to have a developed sense of timing.
The first thing to note in this sequence is that the timer has alternated shots with long holds and shots with very quick movements. This contrast of short, sharp motion and long extended holds gives the cartoon a snappy feel, even as it reduces the artwork necessary. The next is that the timer has a very fluid concept of how long certain actions take, and that these are primarily dictated by the emotions of the characters. The timer elongates passages that would take a fraction of a second in real life to much longer on screen not only to heighten the action, but to provide comic contrast for the latter part of the sequence. It is much funnier for the martial arts expert to be in the state of heightened awareness, conscious of every slow move that does not connect, only to follow that up with incredibly rapid-fire attempts to connect that have the same result.
This epic elongation of time is characteristic of anime more than American or European animation, and seems to have its precedent in manga (Japanese comics), where artists will similarly pace small actions and a few moments over several pages. In turn, manga is probably influenced by Chinese and Japanese film directors, specifically in the martial arts genre. Many anime stories, including ones that take place in high school, have the timing and “feel” of martial arts films.
Note that the humor in this scene comes from the way in which contrasting timings are juxtaposed. The slow, measured, drawn out time is mildly amusing, but doesn’t provoke outward laughter – it’s a setup for the bigger jokes later. These gags get more charge from being more quickly paced and drawn more wildly – it’s a play of stylized time, action and art. Slow is serious and fast is comic. Slow encourages you to experience the situation with the characters, identifying with their lightning-fast thought processes by slowing them down into discrete notions and specific lines of dialogue. The fast sections suggest we are outside the character’s head, and suggest a spectator’s position – watching the exaggerated movements and comic staging. Similarly the slow sections feature characters who are drawn more realistically, whereas the comic sections show simple character expressions.
You can trace through all the action at your leisure, but just consider this set of movements from the sequence. Starting at #11, the build-up for the martial artist’s next attempt to attack the girl is five and a half seconds. He bursts forward, in 18 frames – a little over 2/3 of a second. For almost seven seconds we watch as he misses her. This would be instantaneous if timed as a realistic action, and probably would not even take 24 frames. The timer and director realized they wanted several story points to take precedence over “realistic” timing. In that seven seconds they wanted to show not only the slow motion of the grab missing her leg, but they wanted to linger on her passive expression as she easily steps aside. The next set of blows take 8 frames apiece! He is striking out at her at the rate of 3 hits per second, which is probably impossible for human beings. We get not only the contrast of slow motion and hyper-fast action, but the humor of the movements contrasted and the strange narrative elongation of time to simulate the series of lightning-quick thoughts that go into the mind of someone full of adrenaline, going into their “battle mode.”
It’s not magic. It’s hard work. And it’s the experience the director, timers, and animators all have that make this kind of thing work. Best of all, it’s never been easier to check this kind of work. No longer do we have to animate it all out to final art before we can see if the timing works. You can just edit sketches in a video editing program until you get a good feel for it. Try it!