Why Live Action Reference Needs Exaggeration

Edward Muybridge

Using live action reference to create great animation is one of the key techniques we teach at Animation Apprentice. However, as a technique, it has its risks, the main risk being that the animator follows the live action too closely, and the final performance ends up being floaty, weightless and "spliney".

Animators should always remember that our job is to give a performance. This means using live action to create realistic, believable animation, but then going further, pushing it, and exaggerating the results. Good animation is a caricature of life, not a copy of it.

Live action reference is a very powerful tool, one which I have myself relied upon countless times on many feature films to get my shot completed on time. It is a technique used by animators all over the world.

Exaggerate the Live Action

Use live action to create great poses

For example, in a walk cycle, an animator using live action reference would probably want to exaggerate the up and down motion in the walk, making the down position lower, and the up position higher, to give more weight in the walk cycle. 

Take the walk on the left, created by the photography pioneer Edward Muybridge. A literal use of this walk reference would create a walk cycle which is floaty and soft. But, exaggerate the ups and downs, and the walk will have a lot more weight. 

The same could be true of a run, a trot, or any physical action which aims to create a sense of weight.

Stay in the Key Poses Longer

Another way to exaggerate and caricature live action reference is to spend more time in your key poses. Find the key poses in a piece of live action, and make sure you get into the pose faster, and stay there longer. Try to reduce the number of "in-betweens" so that the timing of your animation is as snappy as possible.

Using Live Action Reference in Animation

Character pose by Jing Hwee Tan

For more information on how to use live action reference for animation, follow the links below:

• How to Fix Floaty Animation Based on Live Action Reference
• Using Live Action Reference to Plan Animation
• How to Use Live Action Reference to Plan Animation
• Live Action Reference with Pernille
• How FrameStore Animators Use Live Action for Animation
• A Great Inexpensive Tripod for Filming Animation
• Endless Reference - Live Action Reference Resource for Animators
• Edward Muybridge - The Animator's Photographer
• How Disney Animators Used Live Action to Animate "Frozen"
• Live Action Reference for Character Walks

Planning Animation

MoCap cleanup and performance by Steven Lall

To see some examples of how to plan animation (including how to use thumbnail sketches and live action), follow these links:

• Medusa Thumbnails by Milt Kahl
• Why thumbnail sketches need facial expressions
• Thumbnail sketches by Pixar's Victor Navone
• Thumbnailing Mrs Copperbottom from "Robots"
• Thumbnailing "Boog" from "Open Season"
• How to Animate a Dialogue Shot
• How to Plan a Pantomime Shot
• How to Plan a Creature Animation Shot
• How to Use Live Action Reference to Plan Animation

To find out more about Animation Apprentice, click here for a link to Frequently Asked Questions. To sign up for our next classroom at Animation Apprentice, follow this link.