Walk Cycle

Throughout my blog posts I've talked a  great deal about walk cycles, but I've given little information about them. Walk cycles are crucial in animation, as they make up the majority of actions in any given shot, and according to Richard Williams, are "about the toughest things to do right" (102). There is a general formula that most walk cycles follow, but as Williams writes time and time again, "All walks are different...no two people in the world walk the same" (103).

This is the general formula for walk cycles. If you look closely you will see a set of curved lines around the head of the walk cycle, and that line is the golden rule. Almost every cycle follows those lines. According to Williams, the above image is a "normal" walk cycle, where the weight goes down just after the step and the weight goes up just after the passing position (108).
When I tried this method, I followed the example above. The positions are labeled, and I found William's method a very easy and simple one to use. What are some things I could add to make varying walk cycles?

Straight ahead VS pose to pose

In The Animator's Survival Kit, author Richard Williams describes two types of animation: Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose.
Straight Ahead animation, as described by Richard Williams, is "[to] just start drawing and see what happens - like a kid drawing in the page corners of a schoolbook - stick the numbers on afterwards" (61). Frame by frame, an artist can work to complete the piece without worrying about the technicalities, and can include as many spontaneous twists as they would like. This method allows for a lot of artistic liberty, and can be very fun to do. On the other hand, however, this method can be wandering, messy, and inconsistent (Williams 61).
In order to try this method, I animated a simple walk cycle. Instead of planning out what I was going to do, I just began making frames and adding whatever I liked. It was very fun, but as just as Williams warned, was messy and unstructured.

The second method of animating is called Pose to Pose. In this method, the key frames are placed first, exactly where you need them. Then, the blank frames in between the key are filled with tweens. This method is far more structured than straight ahead, but it can be less fun and more predictable. Williams lists "Where's the magic?" (62) as a con, and when I tried this method I found myself agreeing.

This method, although easier to space out, felt much more mechanical and less stylized. My question is: is there a noticeable difference between the two animations?

Tweens and Keys

No matter what it is you're animating, one of the most important concepts to understand is the difference between key and in between frames.

Key frames, as defined by Richard William in the Animator's Survival Kit, are "The drawing or drawings that show what's happening in the shot" (57). These frames are the ones that tell the actual story, and they are crucial to understanding what's happening. These should be your most powerful and dynamic drawings, as they need to clearly illustrate what's happening in the animation.



In contrast to keys, there are in-between frames, or tweens. These drawings fill the space between each key, and they are crucial in a way that is far different than the key frames. Without these drawings your piece would appear choppy and discontinuous. Tweens keep the continuity of the piece fluid and smooth.

In order to practice these methods, I drew a series of key frames in a walk cycle. Through these few drawings you can easily make out what is happening in the picture, and I found Richard William's advice to be very helpful while completing this. What do you guys think about this?

Line of action

The difference between a strong piece of animation and a lifeless one can be as simple as a line. This line is called the line of action, and it's essential to all dynamic scenes.
In The Animator's Survival Kit by Richard Williams, this skill is described as the use of weight.
Williams writes, "...in picking up something heavy, the whole body will help" (262).  In the images below, the main line that is preforming the action is highlighted in red.




In order to practice finding the line of action in various forms of media and see the dramatic effect it has, I put together some examples:

In the first example, the two superheroes from the Marvel movie Captain America: Civil War (Joe Russo, 2016) are in very dynamic poses. This is because they both have very strongly recognizable lines of action, as highlighted in red. The actions they are about to take appear much more powerful because of this as well. 

In the second example, from the movie Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (Richard Marquand, 1983) Luke and Darth Vader are facing off. Take notice of how their poses contrast each other: Luke looks as if he's exerting himself completely, while Darth Vader doesn't seem to be applying himself as fully. The reason for these distinct poses is the line of action, which is again highlighted in red. Luke's line is curved, while Vader's line is fairly straight up and down.

The Third example is from the 2017 film Wonder Woman, directed by Patty Jenkins. The woman in the air with a bow is a perfect example of a strong line of action. Her pose in the air is dramatic and dynamic, and the line of action is incredibly clear to see. 

My final question is this: how is the line of action applied to other forms of media other than animations and movies?