— ARTICLE RESPONSE: SECONDARY ACTION

                      — SECONDARY ACTION by Kevin Koch

                                    Stiff movements and sitting still is never fun. In animation, the same thing
                           applies of course! Movement and action is what makes animation so special, and
                           defines character traits and creates a story. However, just stiff movements like
                           simple conversation, raising objects up and down, and running, doesn't make for
                           an interesting, definitive animation. Secondary action is the behavioral animation 
                           that gives crucial lifelike qualities to your work and characters. Kevin Koch,
                           mentor who wrote "Secondary Action: The 12 Basic Principles of Animation" 
                           breaks down what this principle is, and provides vivid examples and tips on how to                              apply it into your own work- be it 3D animation, 2D animation, or even film!

                                    Koch begins his in depth analysis by covering one basic misconception about
                           about Secondary-Action, the confusion of it's close cousin who came into town; 
                           Follow-through and overlapping action. This is another principle that holds 
                           importance, but is much different than Secondary-Action. The difference between 
                           the two principles is that Follow-through and overlapping action are more actions 
                           that are dependent upon another action, while Secondary-Actions are merely 
                           behavioral movements that are fluid, and are not reliant upon another action. 
                           Follow-through would be a tail following a falling ball, while Secondary-Action
                           would be the character holding it's tail in it's arms while speaking. With that cleared
                           out of the way, Koch puts on display more vivid examples and tips of this principle.

                                     "Good secondary action energizes your shots," (Koch) and brings to life 

                           your artwork, giving the characters in depth personality traits through simple motion
                           of their bodies. However, Koch warns in his article to not overdo the action, or make
                           it a primary action. "The primary action of a scene is the thing the scene is about," 
                           while secondary action is "something else the character is doing," (Koch).
                           A character flailing their arms while talking, or tilting their head up and down are
                           much different from the character punching another in the face over an argument.
                           The tilts aren't the primary source of movement, but they aid in showing the traits
                           of that character, while the punch is their main motion. If you striped the secondary 
                           action out of the shot, it should still clearly show the primary action. Koch warns the
                           reader to avoid "generic secondary action," and explore the character and their 
                           surroundings in order to get a good grasp on what they would be doing while 
                           preforming the main action. If your character is nervous, they could rub their fingers,
                           or look around shakily, or perhaps shuffle their feet slightly. It isn't a main action, yet
                           still shows the characters personality. The use of props may help this as well! 
                           Fiddling with glasses, moving a water bottle, adjusting their tie, these are secondary
                           actions that can help show a move vivid, interesting plot and art piece. Using 3D, 2D
                           and film examples to showcase these tips and explanations up above, Koch clearly 
                           defines a solid understanding of Secondary-Action, and how to perfect it.

                                    As always, I agree with Koch's thinking and mindset about Secondary-Action.

                           These little movements can define a character, and make for a less still, stiff product.
                           I found it interesting that a film example was used, as it did not occur to me how
                           much Secondary-action is used in everyday films and movies, and how much of a 
                           difference it makes in such production! I appreciated his lively 3D examples as well,
                           the varied types of audio and scenarios really set down a concrete demonstration of 
                           what he was describing up in his paragraphs. The cooking analogy he used as well, 
                           "the spices are the secondary action, and the ingredients are the primary action", was
                           an incredible and accurate example that helped 'spice' up his article. I was somewhat
                           uncertain before reading this article (as my animations contain a lot of primary
                           action, yet little secondary action) on the difference between Follow-through and 
                           overlapping action, and Secondary-action, but after taking a quick read through 
                           this, I've got a much better grip and understanding on what Secondary-Action 
                           entails.

                                    Secondary-Action is a very vital source of motion in any piece of animation,

                           be it 3D, 2D, or film. The little tics and behavioral movements to compliment a
                           clear primary motion help solidify a character's personality traits, and set a clear 
                           tone and mood of an animation. Kevin Koch in his article, "Secondary Action:
                           The 12 Basic Principles of Animation" explains with detailed videos and examples
                           of different medias and their use of Secondary-Action, and defines a difference 
                           between the idea of "Secondary animation/motion" and "Secondary Action."

——————— WEEKLY RESPONSE 12/10/18

                            ————————— WEEKLY COMMENTS —————————



                          ♕  — LEARNED : Boy oh boy is 3D something. It's definitely nothing I've worked
                                                           on before, and it was slightly hard for me to get used to. I think
                                                           the notes and exercises have helped. no matter how many times
                                                           I ask questions. I swear I'm understanding! Polygons and mesh
                                                           editing isn't as hard as I thought, I especially enjoy messing
                                                           with vertices, even if I didn't quite understand at first.



                          ♕  — WANT TO LEARN: Excited to start animating in 3D! I think style will be
                                                                       easier for me to grasp, and the technical side of it makes
                                                                       less difficult for me to grasp. I really want to try doing
                                                                       a bouncing ball, or in my case, another seal.




                          ♕  — FRUSTRATED: I'm mostly frustrated at myself for last week, I was in a slight
                                                                depression episode (Winter time is the hardest for me I think)
                                                                and I dropped the ball on writing my article response. It made
                                                                me feel really mad, and then it spiraled me down further into
                                                                the self pitying and shaming problem. I have this urge to be
                                                                the best student no matter what, like I have to prove myself to
                                                                be considered average. So, I guess missing that really ruined
                                                                my night- but again I've only myself to blame. I'm gonna try
                                                                to avoid forgetting, or get on top of it earlier.



                          ♕  — HAPPY: I went to the mall with my Mom! I rarely go outside, so this was fun
                                                    for me! We went Christmas shopping, and I got to buy some ramune
                                                    (soft drink) and some new pins- and a nice gift for my boyfriend.
                                                    There was a whole lot at the mall to see, and even more to do that
                                                    my feet weren't ready for walking-wise. God, I don't get out much.
                                                    But that was my 'happy' of the week, I believe!
                                                 



                          ♕  — INTERESTING LINK: This is a link that shows the breakdown-process of
                                                                            the 3D animated movie "Rapunzel". I thought this     
                                                                            was super terrifying honestly, the bare bones of an
                                                                            intricate animation look absolutely awful- but I got
                                                                            a clear view of a blocking process, which helped
                                                                            solidify it in my mind that it's important to get frame
                                                                            -work done before any other strides can be taken.

——————— WEEKLY RESPONSE 12/2/18

                            ————————— WEEKLY COMMENTS —————————



                          ♕  — LEARNED : I've got to address the math now, I see. I think we all know
                                                           how much I dislike math, and maybe you saw me cry a bit
                                                           as we learned about geometric and isometric shapes! I can't
                                                           grasp perspective well, but I've been looking it up and studying.
                                                           Also, I got the homework done on time I SWEAR, but I forgot
                                                           to hand it in- so I swear I'm following along!! I'll grasp it soon.



                          ♕  — WANT TO LEARN: Can't wait for 3D soon! As I've said, rigging is easy to
                                                                       me and I find it fun honestly to mess with joints of
                                                                       skeletons. Reminds me intensely of my old MMD days,
                                                                       and those were fun times!



                          ♕  — FRUSTRATED: Math, as per usual, is the main culprit of my frustrations.
                                                                 I simply struggle in understanding the information if it is
                                                                 given to me in a complicated way, however Ms. Licata
                                                                 really came through with using pringle tins to explain the
                                                                 content at hand. With time, and my friends slowly going
                                                                 insane explaining things to me, I think I'll get it!



                          ♕  — HAPPY: Honestly, I've been intensely stressed this week and haven't had
                                                    much happy moments. I was able to leave my house on Saturday
                                                    however, and I spent the afternoon with my school friend (studying)
                                                    at Panera. That's a milestone for me, leaving the house with some
                                                    friend who isn't from my close circle! I also found out my parents
                                                    are going to buy me three brand new chest binders for Christmas!
                                                    Chest binders are extremely important to help lessen my dysphoria,
                                                    and my homemade ones tend to leave bruises. These will make me
                                                    ten times more comfortable, and I'm happy my parents accept me.


                          ♕  — INTERESTING LINK: I'm trying to branch out from regular boring articles,
                                                                            so this week I present a new comic I've become
                                                                            enamored by! It's in black and white, yet the designs
                                                                            + characters are eye-candy and aesthetically pleasing
                                                                            to me! It's called "Devil's Candy". It's an easy read,
                                                                            and good to look at and skim while bored! I've
                                                                            followed the artist since the original storyboards
                                                                            came out, and recently got back into it! It's amazing
                                                                            inspiration for my style, and helped me feel more
                                                                            confident in trying new character designs.

— ARTICLE RESPONSE: FACIAL ANIMATION

                      — FACIAL ANIMATION 101 by Dana Boadway-Masson


                                    Facial animation is one of the most important parts when animating, clearly
                           showing the characters emotion and response to an external trigger, therefore
                           creating a story and making the audience feel an emotion. It's the basis of any
                           action, and "reveals what is being processed through the mind of your 
                           character" (Boadway-Masson.). Being able to show this action leads to a more
                           consistent, interesting story and animation that will make your work come to 
                           life, and help your viewers relate to the characters. Dana Boadway-Masson 
                           explains wonderfully certain tips and things to keep in mind while animating                                         a character. She clearly illustrates the importance, and includes real-life and
                           drawn examples to take ideas from.

                                     Masson creates a clear four step guide into learning the basics of showing
                           emotion, this process is called the 'KISS' Method. "Keep It Simple, Silly!" At first
                           reading that might invoke some confusion, (which is an emotion, silly.), but after
                           explaining it further, the author makes a lot more sense. Breaking the shot down,
                           creating key poses and frames and writing little notes of what the emotion is and 
                           why it is occurring can help you go a long way! She uses a perfect example of 
                           a scene in Sherlock Holmes, where one character shows multiple emotions in a 
                           matter of one sentence! Now that can be confusing if it wasn't for a simple 
                           breakdown and explanation of the emotion, before replicating the actual emotion.
                           Bringing it back to the times of a bouncing ball or pendulum, Masson reminds us 
                           that there is a special timing for emotion as well! There must be an initial emotion,
                           a factor to trigger a response (this would be the 'emotional hang-time', considered a 
                           neutral face), and then the next emotion. Seems simple, right? She trails off of to the
                           next topic — discussing dialogue blocking and jaw movements. This part was a bit
                           confusing to understand when animating, but Masson explains it clearly. She gives
                           the tip of using ones own body to understand the movement, pressing your fingers
                           against your jaw and moving your mouth to the words to find the emphasis and 
                           dominating vowels in the sentence. You may look silly while doing it, but it's better 
                           to look like a fool than to have your animation look like a fool! The examples she
                           used were very clear, showing proper stretch and squash, and further delving into 
                           another wondrous process of animation; emphasis! All of these factors tie in together
                           to create a beautiful piece of art, and Masson highlights this perfectly.

                                    Honestly, I'm super impressed by this article. It was well thought out, clear,
                           and straight to the point!  Her examples also made me squeal on the inside a bit, as 
                           for my interview, I used the exact same reference to practice my 'stretch and squash' 
                           of faces! Seeing those beautiful examples again made me smile to know I was doing
                           things the right way, and I had a little 'you're one step ahead!' moment. Besides that,
                           I was having a bit of trouble on my own when trying to show emotion in my eleven
                           second club animation. With her steps of KISS (I laughed a bit at that.) and
                           breakdown of "input - pause - output" and "initial action - event - reaction" made it
                           a lot more simple than me just winging it and hoping for the best! I plan to use her 
                           jaw theory some time as well, if my style allows me to attempt a jaw movement. I 
                           could also use that for 3-D however, so the tips won't go to waste! I loved this article
                           and honestly believe it to be one of my favorite ones to be posted so far!

                                    Facial expressions have proven to be the basis to any good story, emotion 
                           being the driving cause of a story and animation. However, figuring out where to
                           put emotion, how to use it to your advantage, and how to perfect it, can be quite the
                           challenge when faced with a big animation project! There is hope however, the easy
                           and simple guide posted by Dana Boadway-Masson on emotion timing, jaw motion,
                           and implicating emphasis and stretch and squash into your face, clearly outline tips 
                           and tricks to wash your troubles away!