Sometimes a single pose tells us what an animated character is thinking. The angle of the shoulders, the direction of the head and a pause before moving can shape our expectations. Big Buck Bunny is Blender Foundation’s 2008 open movie. Here we use it as a starting point for exploring how movement can carry a story, rather than treating it as a formal technical lesson.

Begin with the whole film

On your first viewing, simply follow what happens. Afterwards, choose one short moment that stayed with you: a response, a glance or a change of position. Write down why it stood out. Was it funny or surprising? Did it make you wait for the next action? Recording your own response can be more interesting than beginning with someone else’s interpretation.

Break a movement into three parts

  1. Preparation: What signals appear before the movement begins?

  2. Action: How long does the main movement take, and where does it lead?

  3. Result: How are the character’s response and the surrounding effects shown?

You do not need professional terminology. A few arrows and stick figures are enough. Imagine the same movement after a much longer pause, then imagine removing that pause entirely. Consider whether your expectation of the moment changes.

What comes before and after a movement can tell us as much as the movement itself.

Try a small paper experiment

Draw six boxes. In the first two, show a character noticing a glass on a table. In the middle pair, show them reaching for it. In the last two, show their response. Now give the reaching action more frames and shorten the beginning. The same event may feel more hesitant or more hurried when you distribute the time differently.

Questions to take away

  • When did you first understand what the character wanted?

  • Which background detail made the action easier to follow?

  • What might you interpret differently with the sound turned off?

You can bring these questions to your own short videos or presentations. Thinking about what you want the viewer to notice, and when, can be more useful than adding another layer of detail.

Film and reuse information

The film is released under CC BY 3.0. Its official YouTube upload is embedded here without altering the film. The viewing questions and exercises in this article were written originally for Qalnex.

Film: © 2008 Blender Foundation / www.bigbuckbunny.org. Official project and licensing information · CC BY 3.0