Animation Glossary This is a short selection of words and phrases commonly used in UK Animation.

For specific CGI glossaries giving many technical explanations, check out some o f the books listed on www.skillset.org/animation or try the following link: www.hokum.freehomepage.com/content/glossary/glossary_anim.html 3-2 pulldown: Digital process required to extend 24 'fps' to 30 'fps' when conve rting from 'PAL' to 'NTSC' for US viewing. Accent: In timing a scene or shot, the most important action is called the accen t. In animating, the most emphatic pose of an action is the accent. Both are oft en related to the soundtrack, eg. the downbeat of a conductor's baton. Anticipation: A movement that anticipates a specific action, often in the opposi te direction of the intended action. Eg. when a golf player is about to to hit t he ball, the backswing anticipates the main action. Arc: The path of an action. Most movement follows some kind of arc, as opposed t o a straight line from A to B. Aspect Ratio: The relationship of width to height of a film or video frame. Spec ific examples include: Standard Widescreen cinema format is 1.85:1; High Definit ion TV and Widescreen TV is 1.77:1 (or 16:9 width to height); Regular Television (aka Standard Academy) is 1.33:1 (or 4:3). For a lot more information about asp ect ratios and projection, refer to www.hypermaths.org/quadibloc/other/aspint.ht m Bar Sheet: A chart marked up in frames and seconds on to which the 'track breakd own' can be transferred by the Editor. This is often used by the Director to pla n scenes/shots. Boiling: Movement of lines or fluctuating colour, sometimes a deliberate style b ut often due to inaccurate inbetweens or uneven application of colour. Bouncing Ball: A preliminary animation exercise to study weight, timing and the basics of 'Squash and Stretch'. Breakdown: The middle drawing or pose between two keys. COSHH: Control of Substances Hazardous to Health. These regulations are very imp ortant in Model Making and Stop Frame. Camera Shake: Vibration created by filming artwork or models with calibrated deg rees of camera movement in alternating directions. Clean up: Cleaning up or re-drawing the rough animation, referring to models she ets to ensure that the animation is 'on model', and preparing artwork for scanni ng or tracing. Comp-ing: Compositing or combining various elements to create the final image. Cycle: Continuous action created by repeating a sequence of drawings or images, typically used for walks and runs. Cycles are also used in Effects Animation, eg . rain, snow, flags, etc.; in fact, anything that is repeated action. Describe the Curve (aka follow the arc): Follow a path of action. See 'Arc'

Dope Sheet (proper name: Exposure Sheet. aka: X Sheet or Worksheet): Chart used by Director and Animator to time out action, identifying the numbering of the an imation and giving all instructions relating to action planning, animation level s, camera moves, exposures, etc. There is one Dope Sheet for each 'shot or scene '. To Dope: To enter information on to a 'dope sheet'. Double bounce: In a normal walk cycle, there is only one pose per step in a down ward position. For a double bounce, there are two down poses per step which give s a syncopated type of movement. (e.g. Mickey Mouse.) Extremes (see 'Keys') Facility House: Post-Production Company Fettling: Trimming and making seams on models or puppets after the moulding proc ess. Doubles (aka Twos): Creating one image to be exposed for two frames of film. The standard way of working for good drawn animation. See 'Singles' for examples of when not to use Doubles. Field: In 2D drawn animation, the area of the drawing to be seen by the camera i s referred to as the field size. The format of the field depends on the screen r atio at which the material is being shot. Field: A very basic explanation for the meaning in video is that there are two f ields for each frame of film. One field contains the odd scan lines of the frame , the other contains the even scan lines. When run at the correct speed, a compl ete image is seen. (UK television runs at 25 fps, i.e 50 fields per second; U.S. television runs at 30 fps, i.e. 60 fields per second). For images that originate from a film frame, the two fields appear identical to one another, because they are both captured from the same source frame. For imag es recorded as video, the two fields look different, representing different mome nts in time, recorded 1/50th second after one another. Moving images that are 'f ield based', and generated on video, will appear smoother when motion is present than those generated from film but can lack the texture of film. Flipping: Holding a pile of drawings and flipping them repeatedly to check the a nimation prior to shooting a line test. Same principle as a flip book. Follow through: Actions have a natural follow through. A follow through is the c ontinuation of movement after the main action. For example, in tennis, after the player serves, the arm 'follows through' the arc of the movement, after the bal l has been hit. Fours: Creating one image to be exposed for four frames. This will create jerky animation. Four frames is the shortest number of frames that will be perceived a s a hold so animation on fours can look like a series of short holds. Fps: Frames per second Frying: American for 'Boiling'. Keys (aka Key Poses, Key Drawings or Extremes): The keys are the extreme drawing s or images of an action, produced by the animator to create the structure of th e animation.

Leica Reel: Similar to an animatic. Effectively a filmed storyboard to demonstra te the composition of scenes and overall pace of the film. (Name originated beca use early story reels were shot on Leica cameras.) LOD: Level of Detail. Model sheet: A page of sample poses of a character or prop, giving character det ails and expressions. Moving hold: Although there is no change in the movement, the image is redrawn t o keep it alive. Multiplane (Camera): A set up of layers of glass above a table that allows a ros trum camera to travel a significant distance, pulling focus as the camera 'track s in'. This is used to achieve a feeling of depth, i.e. background, middle groun d, foreground. A famous example of a Multiplane Shot is the opening scene of Bamb i . NTSC: National Television Standards Committee. N. America Television and Video f ormat. Plays at 30 frames or 60 fields per second. Ones (see 'Singles') On model: Keeping the work in style, following established designs. Overlap: Occurs when not everything is moving evenly so, for example, the clothe s or hair carry on the momentum once the body has stopped moving. Overlapping Action (see overlap) PPE: Personal Protective Equipment. Use of such equipment is very important in M odel Making and Stop Frame. Paint Pop: When there is a paint mistake on a single frame, it creates a visual pop. PAL: Phase Alternate Line. This is the UK TV and Video format. It also applies i n some other European countries. Plays at 25 frames or 50 fields per second. Pegbar: A thin strip, usually made of metal, on which are fixed three pegs, one oblong on both sides of a central round one. This provides an accurate system of registration when working on punched paper. Peg reinforcements: Animation paper regularly, so thin card or plastic punched holes in the paper. If the registration may not be good enough can get worn being taken on and off the pegs reinforcements can be used to strengthen the paper does not fit tightly on the pegs, the for certain accurate types of work.

Peg Strips: Strips of paper or card, often self adhesive, in which peg holes hav e been punched. These can be used to add peg holes to unpunched paper or to move pegs to an irregular position for a particular camera set up. Off the Pegs: An animator is 'off the pegs' when the animation drawings are take n off the peg bar. This can make it easier to draw a breakdown or an inbetween i n an accurate position between two other drawings. It can also make it easier fo r animators to control shapes and volumes because they can adjust the position o f one drawing on top of another. Plates: Sometimes referred to as Background Plates, these are the background ele ments, usually live action, to which CGI or drawn animation, will be matched.

Rendering In 2D drawn animation: Rendering is the process of adding animated tex ture to artwork. Rendering In CGI: Rendering is the process of out-putting a shot as a sequence o f images and is the final stage of the computer production process. Rotoscope (In 2D drawn animation): Rotoscope can be used to describe a techniqu e which utilises live action 'trace-offs' as a style of animation Rotoscoping (aka Tracing Off): In 2D drawn animation, Rotoscoping is the proces s of tracing off live action images, taking whatever is required from each frame . These 'trace-offs' can provide reference for movement or establish the points at which the animation interacts with, or matches to, the live action. Rotoscoping (In CGI): Rotoscoping is the process of tracing elements of live act ion images - characters, objects or backgrounds - frame by frame. The tracing is done with a vector line in order to obtain a sharp, clean matte. Mattes are nee ded to allow the final images to be manipulated and composited without affecting the rest of the frame. The technique is also used to make changes and fix mista kes; eg. a live action character has been shot with a red hat but now it has to be changed to green. A Roto Artist can trace every frame of the hat to enable th e Compositor to change the colour. Rolling: Rolling four or five drawings between the fingers in order to view move ment while drawings are anchored to the peg bar. SECAM: Sequential Couleur a Memoire. French Television and Video format, also us ed in some Eastern European countries. Plays at 25 frames or 50 fields per secon d. Scene or Shot? This can be a source of some confusion. In most, but not all, 2D drawn animation (including feature films, television series, shorts and commerci als, etc), a scene is the footage between two cut points; the camera angle or am ount of background usually changes with every scene. However, most CGI projects have adopted the live action interpretation of the word; a scene is the action t hat takes place in a single location and can be composed of several shots. So a shot can also be the footage between two cut points and there can be as many sho ts as are necessary to make up a scene. In this case, a scene usually takes plac e in a single environment but there may be several cuts (shots), changing angles , close-ups, long shots, etc. Sequence (see also 'Scene or Shot?'): Animation has traditionally been made up o f scenes and Sequences. A sequence is a section of the film, made up of as many scenes as are necessary to tell that section of narrative. Shot or Scene? (see 'Scene or Shot?') Singles (aka Ones): Creating one image for every frame, which means 24 frames pe r second for film projection or 25 frames per second for UK television. There ca n be several reasons for choosing to work on singles: if the action is very fast , or the camera is panning, or the lip synch is crucial, or the animation is mat ching to live action or CG backgrounds that are moving every frame. Animating on singles takes longer but produces smoother movement. Slow in/Slow out: If starting a movement from a hold or a stop, it is likely tha t there will be a gradual increase in the speed of the action (Slow out) to over come inertia. Equally, at the end of a movement, the action slows to a stop (Slo w in) unless the action is hitting something like a brick wall and has to stop i nstantly.

Squash and Stretch: Any animate object or character can contract and extend to e nhance a performance, improve timing, give elasticity and, often, to create humo ur. The 'Squash' extreme is a flattened pose and the 'Stretch' extreme is the sa me form in an exaggeratedly extended pose. But the volume should remain constant . In most cases, an in-animate object will not squash and stretch unless there i s an implication that the object is alive. Stagger: Drawn or computer generated vibration Stagger Cycle: A 'cycle' of drawings or images that give the impression of vibra ting movement. Straight Ahead: Animated movement created by a sequence of consecutive images as opposed to keys and inbetweens. Most often used for fast action. Strobing: As a result of certain incorrect camera speed to image size ratios, a blurred effect is created. This is Strobing and usually occurs when the camera i s panning. It can be seen in all forms of film. In animation, it is sometimes ca used by panning the camera on 'singles' but animating the action on 'doubles'. A similar effect can be created by moving the camera in or out on 'singles' over action that has been animated on 'doubles'. Threes: Creating one image to be exposed for three frames of film. This can be u sed when there is very little movement otherwise it can read as jerky animation. Timing (used in the context of Animation): Timing relates to the number of image s required to create an action. The more images per action, the slower that acti on will be; and, conversely, the fewer images there are, the faster the action w ill be. Timing (used in the context of Direction and Planning): Timing relates to the s tructure of scene or sequence. It is what establishes action and performance, an d paces the overall narrative. Trace back: Any part of a drawing that has not moved from the previous pose is t raced very accurately on to the next drawing(s). This is always 'traced back' fr om the first drawing in the sequence to make sure it remains as steady as possib le. This is done when it is more practical to trace back rather than introduce a n additional held level. Tracing off (aka 'Rotoscoping'): Tracing elements of live action frames, either as reference or to define areas to which animation has to match. Track Breakdown: The soundtrack is broken down by the Editing Department to let the animator know what sound is happening on each frame of film. This may includ e a phonetic breakdown for dialogue and a beat breakdown for music and sound eff ects if animation needs to synch to the soundtrack. Track in or Track out (Truck in or Truck out in America): Moving the camera in o r out. Turnaround: A page of sample poses of a character or a prop, drawn from several positions of a 360 degree rotation. Tweening: An abbreviation of Inbetweening, it refers to the middle pose or draw ing between a breakdown and a key, or between two keys. More likely to be called Inbetweening in 2D drawn animation. Twos (see 'doubles')