100 topics · Read, check sources and follow your curiosity.

A little room to wonder

Animation & Timing

Separate frame rate, duration and spacing, then use numbers to explain an imagined movement.

Why can the same drawing sequence feel slow, quick or hesitant?

An animation display with a ring of horse images and central mirrors.
This historical animation display uses successive horse images and mirrors to explore apparent motion. A still photograph cannot show its timing.User:FA2010 · Source · Public domain

Frames and duration are connected

Animation presents images in sequence to create apparent movement. Frame rate is the number of frames presented per second. If 24 frames are played at 12 frames per second, they last 2 seconds. At 24 frames per second, that same frame count lasts 1 second. State both numbers when describing duration.

A frame need not contain a completely new drawing. Holding one drawing for several frames creates a pause. The playback frame rate and the rate at which the artwork changes are related but different pieces of information.

Spacing describes the change

Timing concerns when events occur and how long they take. Spacing concerns how far a feature changes position between images. Equal position changes over equal time steps represent constant speed in a simple motion model. Increasing changes suggest acceleration; decreasing changes suggest slowing.

More images do not automatically make a movement more convincing. If the positions jump inconsistently, the movement may still appear uneven. A deliberate sudden change can also be expressive. Ask whether the spacing supports the action you want the viewer to understand.

Work through a paper motion plan

For a fictional dot moving along a line, record six positions at equal time steps: 0, 1, 3, 6, 10 and 15 units. The successive changes are 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 units. Because those steps take equal times, the increasing distances describe increasing speed.

Compare that with positions 0, 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15. Both sequences begin and end in the same places over the same number of time intervals, but their movement between those places differs. The endpoint alone does not describe the motion.

A pause communicates too

Imagine a robot reaching a door, pausing, then opening it. A longer hold before opening may let the audience anticipate the action. An animatic tests storyboard panels with rough timing. It can expose a rushed clue before detailed animation begins. A paper timing table is also a complete way to explore the decision.

Only if you feel like trying

Compare two timing plans

  1. Mark six equally timed positions for an invented moving dot.
  2. Calculate each change in position and label constant, increasing or decreasing steps.
  3. Add a hold at one position and explain how that changes the duration or anticipation.

Optional paper calculation. No flashing animation, recording, app or moving equipment is required.