by distorting its shape during an action.
Squash and stretch is a common animation technique applied to characters or machinery in motion, giving it a cartoonish feel as opposed to realistic jerky motion. Squash and stretch keeps the volume of the character constant. This is often explained by analogy to a half-filled sack of flour.
2. Timing - Spacing actions to define the weight & size of objects
& the personality of characters.
Timing can affect the perception of mass of an object. A heavier object takes a greater force and a longer time to accelerate and decelerate. For example, if a character picks up a heavy object, e.g., a bowlng ball, they should do it much slower than picking up a light object such as a basketball. Similarly, timing affects the perception of object size. A larger object moves more slowly than a smaller object. These effects are done not by changing the poses, but by varying the spaces or time (number of frames) between poses.
3. Anticipation - The preparation for an action.
A well timed anticipation can enable the viewer to better understand a rapid action, e.g., preparing to run and then dashing off-screen.
Anticipation can also create the perception of weight or mass, e.g., a heavy person might put their arms on a chair before they rise, whereas a smaller person might just stand up.
4. Staging - Presenting an idea so that it is unmistakably clear.
Staging is the presentation of an idea so that it is clear. The key idea is that the idea is made clear to the viewer. An important objective of staging is to lead the viewers eye to where the action will happen so that they do not miss anything.
