The LEGO Animation Book: Make Your Own LEGO Movies!

The LEGO Animation Book: Make Your Own LEGO Movies! — page 3
Contents INTRODUCTION VII About the Companion Film ix A Word About LEGO Animation x 1 THE BASICS 1 What You’ll Need 2 Step 1 Grab a Camera 3 Step 2 Set Up Your Studio 4 Build a Camera Cradle 5 Build a Scene 6 Step 3 Animate 8 Tips for Your First Animation 8 Basic Cinematography 9 Step 4 Watch Your Animation 10 Step 5 Adjust the Frame Rate 11 Next Steps 12 2 ANIMATING THE MINIFIGURE 13 Know Your Minifigure 14 Full-Body Poses 14 Minuscule Movements 17 Body Language 19 Basic Gestures 19 Complex Gestures 22 Exercise Show Your Feelings 23 Walking 24 A Solid Foundation 24 The Basic Walk Cycle 25 Tips on Animating a Minifigure Walk Cycle 26 Unusual Walks 27 Facial Animation 28 Purist Replacement Techniques 28 Custom Replacement Techniques 30 Digital Facial Animation 30 iv CONTENTS Jumping Flying and Floating 31 In-Camera Techniques 31 Advanced Levitation 32 Thinking Outside the Joints 33 Brick-Built Limbs 34 Animating Characters with Limited Articulation 35 Practice People-Watch and Experiment 36 3 ANIMATION PRINCIPLES 37 Exaggeration 39 Squash and Stretch 42 Exercise Ball Bounce 43 Timing and Spacing 44 Easing 46 Exercise Pendulum Animation 48 Anticipation Follow-Through and Recovery 48 Arcs 50 Exercise Minifigure Jump 51 Overlapping Action 52 Secondary Action 55 Staging and Blocking 58 Trial and Error 62 4 BUILDING FOR BRICKFILMS 63 Building Stable Sets 64 Securing Your Baseplates 65 Making Strong Connections 66 Securing Unstable Elements 66 Testing Your Set 67 Building for Movement 68 Articulation 68 Disconnection 72