What is a Key Frame in the Cel Animation Technique?
A key frame is a fundamental drawing that marks a crucial point in an animated action.
In traditional cel animation, the process of bringing drawings to life involves creating a sequence of images shown rapidly. At the heart of this process are key frames. These are not just any drawings in the sequence; they are the important frames which contain information of a start/end point of an action.
Think of keyframes as the 'poses' or 'milestones' of an action. A lead animator typically draws these critical frames, defining the most significant moments in a character's movement or a scene's progression.
What a Keyframe Communicates
According to the definition, a keyframe is crucial because it tells you about two main things:
- What Action Occurs: It defines the specific state or pose of the character or object at that moment. For example, a keyframe might show a character starting to jump, reaching the peak of their jump, or landing.
- When the Action Occurs: It specifies the exact point in time within the animation sequence where that particular state or pose should appear.
The Role in the Cel Animation Process
In the traditional studio setting of cel animation:
- Key Animators draw the keyframes, establishing the timing and major movements of a scene.
- Assistant Animators might refine the keyframes and add breakdown drawings (poses between keyframes to further define the action).
- In-betweeners draw all the necessary frames between the keyframes and breakdowns to create smooth transitions, filling in the gaps to complete the action.
This division of labor, driven by the definition and placement of keyframes, is essential for efficient production. The keyframes provide the blueprint that the in-betweeners follow.
Practical Insight
Consider a simple animation of a ball bouncing:
- Key Frame 1: Ball at its highest point before falling.
- Key Frame 2: Ball hitting the ground.
- Key Frame 3: Ball at its highest point after bouncing.
These three keyframes establish the beginning, middle, and end of the primary bounce action. The in-between frames would show the ball falling from the first keyframe to the second, and rising from the second to the third, creating the illusion of smooth motion.
Essentially, keyframes are the skeleton of the animation, defining the timing and major poses, upon which all other frames are built.
