Economic Approaches to Animating Emotion

In the following list, I will be explaining the nine economical ways of building emotion through animation in the imagination of the viewers. I will also explain an additional five points of what to remember when animating emotions. For each item on the lists, I will use an example from the Rocko's Modern Life (Joe Murray) episode "Wimp on the Barbie."

Nine economical ways animation can be done to build emotion through the imagination of the audience:

• Rear View- The rear view shot seems to have two ways of being economical. First, detail does not have to go into body parts at the front of the body such as the face. Second, a rear view shot can be used to make characters look off in the distance together, while they are dreaming about the future. In this case, more animation isn't needed because it is best to allow the imagination of the audience see what the characters may see.

Ex. This technique seems to be used on "Wimp on the Barbie" when Rocko is staring at the picture of his enemy Dingo. A behind view is shown for a while and a time lapse occurs between day and night. Rocko later rips a chunk out of the picture's face and eats it, which explains that he had been angry and thinking about revenge during the rear view shot.

• Shadows- Shadows are economical because using them saves time in drawing characters. The reason for them saving time is the fact that a character no longer needs great detail when they are a shadow.

Ex. During the scene when Rocko is staring at his enemy's picture, a quick shot is shown of just Rocko's shadow. This shot was effective in letting the viewers know that Rocko was still there. It also effectively eliminated a small amount of animation.

• Shadows used over the character- Shadows being used over a character can convey what they are seeing. In this case, the character's emotional expression and the shadows combine to create strong emotion toward an action.

Ex. This did not seem to be used in the Rocko episode. Instead, all action and emotion seemed to be shown in a straight-forward manner. Straight-forward methods are not quite as economical, but, in the case of the episode, I do not believe that such a shot would have been of much benefit.

• Overlays- Overlays are pieces of background and foreground that may exist around a character. For example, if a character is in a forest, branches and weeds may be overlays on the rest of his body. This means that they cover part of the character.

Ex. An overlay is used when Mr. Bighead yells at Rocko for Rocko's dog being in his yard. Instead of drawing out Mr. Bighead's complete character, a fence is between him and Rocko. Only the top part of Mr. Bighead's body is visible.

• Dramatic Layout- A dramatic layout can be economical in a situation when a character is depressed and walking away. In this situation, the character can be seen as small, and the surroundings could be seen as darker and less detailed.

Ex. This method is not used in the episode I have been using as an example. For the most part, the episode is straight-forward with the background. Character emotions are shown through the actions of the characters.

• Pictorial Shot- This deals with a background containing a mood being used to convey emotion. It can save having to animate a character to create a mood.

Ex. I did not encounter this technique in the episode. The emotion in the episode seems to be shown purely through the actions of the characters. No background changes achieve a mood shift.

• Effects Animation- Objects such as falling leaves, rain, or fire can be under this category. They are more economical because they save animating complex and detailed characters.

Ex. This did not occur in the Rocko episode. Nothing was shown falling. Characters were animated in a normal manner.

• Held Drawing With Camera Moves- In this case, a character sits still and the camera does the work instead of complex animation. The camera can convey a mood by zooming in on part of the character such as the eyes. If the eyes are somewhat sad, the camera helps achieve the mood being sad by making it so it cannot be missed.

Ex. This technique is used during the scene when Rocko is told that Dingo is coming to see him. A shot shows only Rocko's horrified face. Rocko then proceeds to running closer to the camera and then running around the house screaming.

• Offstage Sounds- A shot can be taken outside of a building and use sound effects to describe the inside. In this case, no animation is required because the building generally does not move. This method can set a mood depending on the sounds used.

Ex. This technique is not used in the episode. All of the characters are shown and the sound effects are matched with them. When characters go indoors, the camera also goes indoors.


Points of Animating Emotions:

• The emotional state of the character must be clearly defined- The character's current emotions should be obvious to the audience so that they can better understand the situation and connect to the character.

Ex. This point is achieved early in the episode, when Rocko's dog Spunky is on Mr. Bigheads lawn. Spunky is spewing out hearts because he loves Mr. Bighead. However, Mr. Bighead then yells at Rocko and makes him keep Spunky in his own yard.

• A characters thought process must reveal feeling- Characters should appear to think on their own much like humans. During their thinking, emotional signs should be present to show they feel such as facial expressions or gestures.

Ex. When Rocko is staring at the picture of his enemy, he remains motionless for a while and is in deep focus. This focus then turns into Rocko tearing a piece out of the picture's face. The change between Rocko's focused state and his angry state, when he tears out and eats a piece of the picture, clearly define his emotions and thought-process.

• Cutting and camera can be used to focus in on emotion- A camera zoom or a cut of the shot that shows a sad facial expression or sad eyes can help define the character's emotional state by drawing attention to the signs.

Ex. As mentioned above, a cut is used showing Rocko's horrified face when he finds out Dingo is coming. The face is centered and completely noticeable. Then Rocko moves closer to the camera, which gives a quick and even more detailed view.

• Ask yourself: What am I trying to say? What do I want to show? How do I want the audience to react- Asking these questions can help animators create exactly what they want. If an animator lost focus on these questions, they may convey something in a strange way that does not appear correct. For example, if a situation is met to be bad and the character is supposed to be sad along with the audience, happier music or facial expressions will not work.

Ex. This episode seems to be about violence not solving anything and the fact that people can change. Rocko's old enemy Dingo actually came to apologize to Rocko. All of the training Rocko had from his friends was useless because he did not actually have to defend himself.

• Use the element of time wisely- Timing must be used so that an audience can experience how the character feels. Too short of timing can ruin the experience, but too long of an experience can do the same and become boring.

Ex. This episode does not become boring because of too much time being used on one shot. It also does not become fast-paced and non-emotional due to many fast shots. The episode falls in between both, which makes it interesting enough to follow. If the timing was misused in either way, many people probably would have changed the channel.





All of the points and economical ways of animating emotion came from:

Thomas, Frank and Ollie Johnston. 1995. The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation. New York: Disney Editions.