Animation Fundamentals

Josh Conn
Josh Conn
Sep 5, 2018 · 2 min read
Arc

This is a short animation made by Andreas Hykade in 2000. It is a surreal western based around two cowboys who spend all their time hiding behind a rock until one day they stumble into a land of temptations and desire. When they leave their lives are changed forever. It’s pretty much just a giant metaphor, interpret it how you like. This first screenshot demonstrates the use of Arcs. The cooler cowboy on the left is spinning his revolver so fast that it looks like it is in many places at once. The animator made use of the smear technique here and it is obvious to the viewer that a very fast movement is occuring.

Anticipation

Before the two cowboys leave from behind their rock they prepare for the motion to give the audience a clue as to what is going to happen next. They stand frozen like this for a few seconds before joining arms and marching off into the desert. This is an excellent example of anticipation, as it makes it as easy as possible for the viewer to understand what is happening. These cowboys also make use of multiple layers of anticipation as they make several movements before the action actually occurs.

Exaggeration/Appeal

The characters and art style in this short film are very unique and surreal. The characters are definitely appealing to look at which is what makes this near-silent film so interesting. The background is also very detailed and it makes the viewer really want to look and see what kind of crazy actions are taking place behind our main characters. The supporting characters are all very sexualized and exaggerated, such as the line dancers whose entire upper body are made of breasts. The creatures are so creative and over the top which is why the character design is probably my favorite part about this short and a huge part about what makes this such a strong metaphorical piece.

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

Josh Conn

Written by

Josh Conn

BetweenTheFrames

Animated analysis from UMBC's Intro to Animation class

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