This weeks #TopTip comes from Lead Animator Declan Doyle for animators:

Use ‘Contrast in Animation’:

When planning a shot for animation there are many things to take into consideration; for me one of the most important aspects is 'Contrast'.

This covers several facets of your scene. There can be contrasts in the poses. A character starts off hunched over and tight and sinister; then suddenly he springs forth and stretches up to kill his intended victim; making the audience 'jump' unexpectedly.

There can be contrast in how the character appears. He can have a large upper body and a small lower body. Two or more characters on screen can contrast with each other visually in terms of design and in terms of colour. Dark versus light. This kind of contrast was the primary premise behind Pixar's short film - 'Night and Day'.

Two characters in a scene can have contrasting poses; one character can be sluggishly posed slouching with a bent, leaning over pose whilst the other is energetic and alert; standing to attention. Another contrast can be in the speed of the movement; with one character standing still whilst the other characters in the scene whizz around in a frenzy.

You can use contrasting poses to make stronger visual statements. You can have contrasting silhouettes and lines of actions in two characters in a shot. By pushing the contrast element of the shot, you can get your acting choices across more clearly. Emphasis about a characters attitude can be highlighted by contrasting against an oppositely endowed character.

If you want to show that a character is extremely overweight; it makes sense to contrast with much thinner characters. If you want to show that a character is beautiful; then it can be a good idea to contrast them with ugly flawed characters.

You can use contrast in the characters performance to highlight the drama or comedy value of a particular action. A character could be standing very still looking around nonchalantly; then casually looks down to discover the bottom of his trouser leg has caught fire causing him to flap about and run around frantically to try and put out the fire. Typically it's the contrast in a scene that actually tells the story. Successful scenes generally require some kind of negotiation either between characters or between a character and a set of circumstances. We can use contrast to heighten or explain this negotiation of a scene.

Try to look for areas in your animation where you can add contrast to your characters movement to add interest and balance. Contrast the speed of the movement. It's usually dull if a character has the same continuous pacing throughout a shot (even timing). Experiment with adding variety of speed to the movement to add lyricism, with the aim to have about three different speeds.

Contrast is your friend!