Animation Planning

In this Workflow subtopic, find out about how animators plan and complete animated scenes.

A sequence of tasks and processes

Workflow refers to the typical sequence of key tasks and processes you follow while working. Different types of animation usually mean different workflows. 

Although workflow is a term used to describe how each animator works individually, there are sometimes also workflow practices that a production team will use to help:

• ensure all animators and other artists achieve a consistent look and timely delivery
• easily incorporate adjustments and updates to work.

What’s the difference between a workflow and a pipeline?

The terms ‘workflow' and 'pipeline' are related but are not the same. 

• 'Pipeline’ typically refers to a specific sequence of production stages all team members follow to a planned schedule.
• ‘Workflow’ is used more frequently to describe how each team member manages and completes their tasks at a granular level.

What are the main workflow phases?

Workflow phases differ depending on whether it’s for 2D animation or 3D animation.

2D animation

The main workflow phases for 2D animation are:

1. Planning
2. Rough animation (straight-ahead and/or keys and breakdowns)
3. Clean-up (and in-betweens).

3D animation

The main workflow phases for 3D animation are:

1. Planning
2. Blocking
3. Splining (i.e. smoothing)
4. Polish.

Usually, the animator begins at the Planning phase and plans their animation by thumbnailing the main poses. The animator then proceeds to Blocking where they block in their main poses and any extra keys required for the action.

Splining further develops the animation by creating additional poses to make the action smooth. Finally, Polish is a last pass to refine the movements and add small details.

At each phase, the animator provides work-in-progress clips of their shot to a director or supervisor for feedback and revisions.

Watch Geoff describe the workflow and refer to the four phases of Planning, Blocking, Splining, and Polish in the video below.

Read through this short Reference subtopic and learn about two important references methods used by animators to study and plan for movements that ultimately lead to realistic and believable animations.

Observing movement around you

As an animator, spend as much time as you can observing and thinking about how people, objects, and elements around you move and react to each other.

Being aware of how your body moves – for example, when getting up from your desk or walking – is crucial in helping you create more believable, grounded, and balanced animation.

Using filmed references

As well as being aware of and observing movement in your daily life, you can also use filmed references you have filmed yourself or sourced online.

If using filmed reference, it's important not just to copy the movement frame-by-frame – you have rotoscoping for that! Instead, use the filmed reference as inspiration, a basic starting point for your animation poses, and a rough framework for the time it takes to complete an action.

Once you have the bare bones of your animation from the reference material, the next step is to push the poses and timing further while also thinking about the principles of strong posing and appeal.

Explore a fundamental aspect of animation planning in this Thumbnail Drawings subtopic and how small, simple, rough sketches can streamline your animation workflow by defining a character’s essential poses and capturing their attitude and action.

Small-scale planning sketches

Thumbnail drawings – know simply as ‘thumbnails’ – are small-scale, rough, gestural planning sketches you make before starting your animation scene. If done correctly, they can help you plan the main key poses for your scene and make animation easier.

Thumbnails can include written notations that help describe the motion and are essential when starting a shot.

Drawing the thumbnails

What should you capture first?

When drawing thumbnails as part of your planning, try to capture the attitude first.

Is the character happy, sad, or tired? What has happened to the character in the lead-up to the shot you are about to animate?

Answering these questions first will help you understand the character's motivation or mood and inform you how to approach the scene or draw a pose.

What should you capture next?

Once you have identified the character's motivation or mood, think about the action you need to animate.

For example, if you had to animate a character throwing a ball, you might start by acting out the action for yourself.

While acting out the action, think about what your body is doing during the action:

• How did you prepare yourself to perform the action?
• What happened after you completed the action?
• Were you tired and out of breath?
• Did you have to pause, slow down or speed up during the movement?

These questions help you plan the poses required for an action and set you up with a good foundation to build your scene.

Drawing an overhanded ball throw

Start by drawing the main positions required for the action. Then, add any special breakdown positions the character will move through when animating from each pose to the next.

Practice

Task 1: Draw planning thumbnails

Draw a page of planning thumbnails for a character performing a punch action, enhancing your animation planning skills and your ability to capture key poses and movement!

What tools or resources do you need for this task?

Make sure you have access to:

• Pencil/pen and sketchbook, or device and Adobe Photoshop
• Phone camera (if using pencil/pen and sketchbook)

What steps should you take to complete this task?

1. Revisit this Thumbnail Drawing subtopic to reinforce what you know if you need to.
2. Imagine a character performing a punch action. Consider their emotions, mood, and the lead-up to the punch.
3. Act out the punch action safely by yourself. Pay attention to your entire body’s movements during the action, from preparation to completion, and the required force and direction needed.
4. Sketch a series of rough thumbnails on a single page. Capture various stages of the punch, focussing on a character’s key poses that convey the action.
5. Review your work and save it as an image, either as a photo (if you used your sketchbook) or a JPEG or PNG file (if you used Adobe Photoshop).

1-2 Hours

Set aside 1-2 hours to complete steps 1-5 below. Remember to save your work as you go if you’re using Adobe Photoshop.

What should you do after completing this task?

1. Do your thumbnails convey the action’s dynamic nature throughout the stages of the punch? How did acting out the punch influence the realism of your thumbnails? Were there specific moments in the thumbnail process where you needed to make adjustments?
2. Share your page of thumbnails to forum:
   1. Select your forum thread in Forum: Animation Planning - remember to create your thread if you have not already done so.
   2. Select Reply to your first Forum post.
   3. Enter the words ‘Task 1: Thumbnails’ in your new post.
   4. Select the Post your response button, then select Edit in your reply when it shows up.
   5. Upload your page of thumbnails using the Attachment field.
   6. Select Save changes to share your coursework to your forum thread.
3. Get feedback on this and other learning tasks at the next Live Session – check the Live Session calendar for dates and times.

Fantastic job completing this task! You've explored one component of animation planning and practised capturing dynamic movement and conveying a character's attitude through key poses. Think about how these skills can elevate your animation planning in future projects.

In this topic, you’ve explored what’s involved in planning animated scenes. You’ve:

• explored workflow processes guiding the creation of animated scenes, emphasising consistency, timely delivery, and adaptability to feedback.
• looked into the importance of using references from real-life observations and filmed materials to enhance the realism and believability of animated movements.
• engaged with the fundamental practice of thumbnail drawings, practising the art of small-scale sketches to plan and define key poses for your scene, helping streamline your animation workflow.

Understanding workflow, exploring references, and drawing planning thumbnails is essential. Consistent practice will empower you to create great animation sequences within different types of animation production.

Check what you know about animation planning

Use the quiz below to test your knowledge of animation planning to help ensure you’re on the right track, and identify areas where you may need to revisit subtopics.

Practice

Task 2: Check your knowledge – Animation Planning

Get ready to put your animation planning knowledge to the test! This quiz is designed to help reinforce your understanding and is not part of the formal assessment process. Treat it as a valuable tool to track your progress and identify areas for improvement.

What steps should you take to complete this task?

15-30 minutes

Set aside 15-30 minutes to complete this knowledge check.

1. This quiz has 12 questions. Read each question carefully. Make sure you understand what is being asked before attempting an answer.
2. If a question stumps you, make an educated guess based on your knowledge. Don't let difficult questions discourage you.
3. Stay confident and do your best. Remember, it's a learning opportunity, and not a formal assessment!
4. Once you've reviewed your answer and are satisfied, click the ‘Check button’ to see if you chose the correct answer. You can also retry questions and show solutions.

What should you do after completing this task?

Knowing how to use planning processes and tools is crucial for responding to animation briefs. Take the time to practice the concepts covered in this knowledge check.

Put your learnings into practice by incorporating planning into your animation projects. The more you apply these concepts, the more proficient you'll become.

Reflect on what you’ve learnt, practised, and achieved

As you wrap up this topic, take a moment to reflect on what you've learnt, practised, and achieved by completing the two learning tasks in this topic.

Animation planning is an essential process, and your skills in adapting to workflow, using references, and thumbnail drawing can transform your approach to bringing animated visions to life. Store these processes and tools in your creative arsenal, guiding your journey towards impactful, precision-crafted animations.