← Animation Glossary

Overlapping action

\"Overlapping action\" in animation is when different parts of a character move at different times to make their movements look more natural. For example, when a character runs, their arms will swing back and forth after their legs have already started moving. This makes the character look like they are really running and not just sliding around.

Overlapping action is an essential principle of animation that can help bring life to otherwise static characters. It is a technique that involves the independent movement of one or more parts of an object, which creates a natural and fluid motion in the animation. This technique is widely used in various forms of animated media, including movies, television shows, and video games.

One common example of overlapping action is when a character runs and then suddenly stops. In this scenario, the character’s body would continue to move forward due to momentum. However, their hair or clothing would still be moving forward before settling back into place. The same principle can be applied to other parts of the character’s body, such as their arms or legs.

Another way that overlapping action can be used is by creating secondary actions within the animation. This could include a character’s arms swinging while they walk or talk or their hair swaying in the wind. These movements add depth and dimension to the animation, making it more interesting and engaging for the viewer.

Overlapping action can also be used as a storytelling device. For example, if a character is feeling nervous or anxious, their hands may shake or fidget independently from their body movements. This subtle movement can help convey emotion and provide insight into the character’s state of mind.

To effectively use overlapping action in an animation, it is important to consider the physics and mechanics of movement. Animators must understand how different parts of the body move independently from one another and how momentum plays a role in motion. They must also take into account factors like gravity and friction when creating realistic movements.

Overall, overlapping action is an essential principle of animation that helps bring characters to life on screen. By creating natural movements and secondary actions, animators can make their animations more engaging and immersive for viewers. To master this technique requires careful attention to detail and an understanding of the mechanics of movement, but the end result is a more dynamic and realistic animation.

Animation Terms

2

2D Animation

3

3D Animation

A

Alpha Channel

Ambient sound

Animation

Anti-Aliasing

Anticipation

Aspect Ratio

B

Bezier Curve

Bitmap

Blue Screen

Bone Animation

Bounce

Broadcast Standards

C

Camera Angle

Camera Shake

Casting

Cel Animation

Character Animation

Character Design Sheets

Cinematic lighting

Claymation

Clean-up

Close-up

Color Correction

Color Grading

Compositing

Composition

Concept Art

Continuity editing

Cross-cutting

Cut

Cutout nimation

D

Depth of Field

Dialogue

Dissolve

Distributed Rendering

Dolby Atmos

Dope Sheet

Dutch Angle

E

Easing

Emitter

Exaggeration

Eyedropper

F

Foley

Follow through

Forward Kinematics

Frame Rate

Frame

Framing

Freeze Frame

G

Ghosting

GIF File Format

Golden Ratio

Graph Editor

H

High key lighting

Hue and Saturation

I

Inertia

Infographic Animation

Inverse Kinematics

J

Joint

JPEG File Format

Jump cut

K

Keyframe Interpolation

Keyframe

Kinetic typography

L

Layers

Lens distortion

Level of Detail

Lighting

Line of action

Lip syncing

Low key lighting

M

Match cut

Matte painting

Montage

Morphing

Motion blur

Motion capture

Motion graphics

Motion path

Motion trail

Mouth shapes

MP3 File Format

MP4 File Format

N

Network rendering

Non-linear editing

O

Occlusion culling

Onion skinning

Overlapping action

P

Pan

Parallel rendering

Particle system

Persistance of Vision

Phonemes

Playback speed

Plot

PNG File Format

Pose-to-pose animation

Props

Puppet animation

R

Render farm

Rendering

Resolution

Rigging

Rotoscoping

Rule of thirds

Run cycle

S

Safe zone

Scene

Score

Screenplay

Script

Shot

Silhouette

Skeletal animation

Slow Motion

Smears

Sound Design

Sound effects

Soundtrack

Special Effects

Split screen

Squash and Stretch

Staging

Stop Motion Animation

Storyboard

Straight-ahead Animation

T

Time Remapping

Timeline

Timing

Title Card

Title Sequence

Tracking shot

Tweening

V

Vector graphics

Visemes

Voice acting

Voice-over Narration

W

Walk cycle

WebM File Format

Weighting

Wide shot

Z

Z-depth

Zoom

Icon for Brush Ninja: Online Animation Maker Brush Ninja Online Animation Maker
Icon for Paint Ninja: Draw and Paint Online Paint Ninja Draw and Paint Online
Icon for Code Ninja: Make Art with Code Code Ninja Make Art with Code
Icon for Emoji Art: Make Emoji Art Emoji Art Make Emoji Art
Icon for Photo Collage: Make Photo Collages Photo Collage Make Photo Collages
Icon for Comic Maker: Make Comics Comic Maker Make Comics