Building a Scene

Click here to see Sc-6 Story Reel
Every animator has their own method to get to the end of a scene. First there is usually a story reel / animatic/ leica reel of the scene. This comes from shooting the storyboard drawings at the proper time to the sound track. Having the storyboard in this form helps give a good idea of how the cuts are working and if the basic acting will play out clearly. Above you can see the leica of Sc-6 from my film (the term leica comes from the name of the camera which used to be dedicated to filming the story boards). It it you can clearly see the character is looking behind him to an offstage voice. At the proper time you can see his reaction to the O.S. character and finally his reaction to an O.S. snap sound. It is clear that he knows there is a pending problem.
Click here to see the Rough Animation
Here you can see the completed rough animation of the scene that is based on the storyboards. See how I elaborated on the acting. I also turned him around more giving a feeling of space beyond the frame of the film. I also was able to play up the contrast between his anger and his reaction to the O.S. snap. The pose at the end of the scene is more natural and I didn't have to make him look directly towards the sound. Previous scenes and the scene that follows gives the audience a clear placement of where the sound is coming from.
As I started this scene I headed in the wrong direction and ended up scrapping the first version. The actions were not natural and where too predictable. By this I mean the acting felt too much like something I had seen before. I always try to think of a different way to act the scene so it has a fresh feel. This can sometimes be difficult because you run the risk of making it feel forced. It helps sometimes to think of a particular person or actor when planning the action of a character. Sometimes it's the voice actor who can inspire it. In this case I've had Lewis Black in mind. This character gradually gets more and more angry as the film progresses and I felt Lewis Black personifies that type of personality.