迪士尼動畫師Andreas Deja談動畫裡的視覺焦點

Disney Staging

The best of Disney's animators knew how to stage their characters in a way that made them easy to read on the screen. That way their personality statements were uncluttered and to the point.Every line put on paper supports a main thought, and the rhythm of the drawing leads your eyes toward the area you are supposed to look at.This is not an easy thing to achieve. 

迪士尼最厲害的動畫師知道該如何組織手上角色，讓他們很容易在螢幕上被辨識與閱讀，讓觀眾很清楚知道每個角色的個性與特色。因此，所有畫面上的線條都強調著一個主要想法：畫面的節奏變化將會引導觀眾的眼睛去看他們該看的地方。這其實很不容易。

An animator needs to boil things down to a clear essence, because the audience only has a split second to see and understand what's going on.I traced these classic Disney moments off from xeroxes of the originals. In most cases the characters were animated on different levels, I combined them here for the final composition.This stuff leaves me in awe. I know that some animators like Frank Thomas and Eric Larson worked hard to achieve this simplicity, while others like Milt Kahl and Marc Davis did it intuitively.Each drawing is accompanied by an overlay that shows the flow toward the focused area.
因為觀眾往往只有很短的時間去觀看，並且理解發生了什麼事，所以動畫師必須把他手中的素材提煉出菁華來吸引他們。我企圖還原這些經典的迪士尼鏡頭，發現多數情況下，不同角色動作的Timing其實是有所間隔的。最後，我綜合這些改變並且將他們湊在一塊兒結果令我感到震撼與敬畏。我知道像是Frank Thomas或是Eric Larson這樣了不起的動畫師努力想要保持每個畫面的簡單性，但同時Milt Kahl與Marc Davis卻已靠直覺達到這種境界了。每一張圖都顯現出畫面流向某個焦點區域。

The first example from "Pinocchio" even had two animators who worked out the staging issues. Stromboli was animated by Tytla, Pinoke by Frank Thomas.Combined they form a powerful composition, the main focus is Stromboli's right hand grabbing Pinocchio. The characters connect very strongly. That firm grip showes Stromboli's physical strength, and Pinocchio's vulnerability.
來自「木偶奇遇記」的例子：即使是兩個不同的動畫師卻能得出同樣的表演結論。繪製Stromboli(右)是Tytla，小木偶(左)則是出自Frank Thomas之手，綜合結果就是視覺主要焦點會集中在抓著小木偶的Stromboli的右手，因此觀眾馬上感受到這兩個角色的強烈連結。這樣結實的一抓，還顯示出Stromboli力量上的強大與小木偶的脆弱特質。

Milt Kahl did all three characters in this scene from "Song of the South".They relate sooo simply, clear personality and attitude in each of them.Your eyes end up at the rabbit.
Milt Kahl完成「南方之歌」這一場戲裡所有的角色動畫。每個角色的個性與關係都相當得清楚明確，妳的眼睛將會停在左邊的兔子上。

Frank Thomas animated Merlin and Mim. Props like Merlin's hat and his magic wand help point to his nose being grabbed by Mim. That's the business of the scene and all lines support the idea.Here again opposing attitudes make up for an entertaining statement.
Frank Thomas做了「石中劍」當中Merlin(右)與Mim(左)的道具動畫，像是Merlin手上的魔法棒和頭上的高帽子。同樣的例子，畫面的曲線性撐起同一個焦點，被Mim抓住的Merlin的鼻子。這場戲還說明了另一件事，兩個角色針鋒相對的表演，有時也能製造出意外的娛樂性。

Robin and Maid Marian were done By Milt, their hands/paws connect in such a simple and elegant way. Even the feather on Robin's hat is curved and points toward Maid Marian. This looks so simple, but it really is quite sophisticated.
「羅賓漢」裡Robin(右)與Maid Marian(左)用一個既簡單又優雅的方式讓兩手扣上。即便是Robin頭上帽子的羽毛都是曲線並且指著Maid Marian。這看起來再簡單不過，但實際上卻是非常的複雜巧妙。

Milt again, drawing Penny and Medusa. It is absolutely clear who is the forthcoming character, and who is reacting.Medusa is as usual overpowering, and here even her lips help the visual connection with Penny.
又是Milt，看看「救難小英雄」裡的Penny(左)跟Medusa(右)，很清楚，誰是主動，誰是被動。Medusa一如往常的咄咄逼人，連她的嘴唇曲線都幫著一起欺負左邊的Penny。

I don't know about you, but I find studying this stuff fascinating.

我不知道你們覺得怎樣，但我個人是覺得，能瞭解這些事實在是棒呆了。

作者簡介：Andreas Deja，擁有30年迪士尼動畫師經驗，現在正籌備自己的動畫短片，做做雕塑，和經營Deja View部落格，偶爾也會回迪士尼做動畫指導。好萊屋很多一線動畫師都是他的徒子徒孫。

原文出處：Disney Staging
(閣主負責任翻譯‧有疑義歡迎討論)

後記：筆者去年在北美館聽Pixar20年展系列講座時，師公KyleBalda第一次提到這樣的畫面動線的觀念，當場震撼。所以一看到這篇文章，就覺得fascinatic，棒呆了！