← Animation Glossary

Slow Motion

Slow motion in animation is when a part of the scene moves much slower than normal. It's like pressing the slow-motion button on a remote control for a video, making things look like they're moving in slow motion.

Slow motion is a popular technique used in animation to create dramatic and emotional moments. It is an effective way to capture the attention of the audience and highlight specific details of an animated sequence. Slow motion can be used to show the weight and momentum of an object in motion, or to emphasize a character’s movements during a critical moment.

To achieve slow motion in animation, there are two primary methods that animators use. The first method involves animating at a higher frame rate than usual, and then playing back the animation at the normal rate. This approach allows for more frames to be captured, resulting in smoother movements.

The second method involves manipulating the timing of individual frames in post-production using software tools. This technique is often used when animators want to achieve slow motion effects on specific parts of an animation sequence.

By slowing down the action, viewers are given more time to appreciate the details of each frame, creating a more immersive experience. Additionally, slow motion can help convey a sense of tension or excitement during key moments in an animated sequence.

One example of slow motion being used effectively in animation can be seen in the hit anime series Attack on Titan. The show frequently uses slow motion during intense action scenes, allowing viewers to appreciate the complex movements of characters as they battle giant monsters known as Titans. By emphasizing the weight and power behind each attack, slow motion adds a layer of tension and drama that would not be present otherwise.

Slow motion is an essential tool in any animator’s toolkit. Whether it’s used to create dramatic moments or highlight specific details within an animation sequence, slow motion is an effective way to engage viewers and add depth to animated works. As technology continues to evolve, new techniques for achieving slow motion effects will undoubtedly emerge, further expanding the possibilities for this powerful animation technique.

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

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