Staging

This principle goes as far back as early theatre, and simply put, is basically presenting a set and therefore an idea as clearly and unmistakeably as possible. This is so that the audience can tell what is going on within the first few seconds, even from a distance. The reason that this is so crucial is because it directs the audience’s attention to focus them on the most relevant action within a scene. This is especially crucial when it comes to highlighting someone’s reaction or expression in a particularly emotional scene. Dream state has been the terms used to describe classical animation, as because of its very surreal feel, ‘the dream-framing device, one of the most important animation codes, acts to establish the limits of rational thought.’ ((Donald Crafton) P. Wells, 2006 p.21.)
It could be argued that this stage comes mostly into play when it comes down to storyboard design, as it is down to the camera angles and movement to create the relevant staging. If a character is doing something with his feet you do not waste the time on a mid-shot, you need to make sure that the camera is the right distance away from the subject. Camerawork has got a large part to do with this but it isn’t purely the camera that determines this. If a scene needs to be spooky the set possibly needs to be filmed on a stormy night, kitted out with the right props, and if a character is overly masculine they need to have the correct attributes in order to portray this, either through his movements or through his clothing style or physique. The actual animation must be clearly seen movement wise too; you cannot have characters masked by drapery, props, other characters or the set, especially if their movement is key to the scene. Sound also comes into it, as the right sound affects and music must be considered carefully and placed in the correct timing point. You can’t have a threatening ear-piercing scream in the middle of a romance film if it doesn’t fit, just as you can’t have death metal playing on the radio in an old people’s home.
That said contrast is good in some ways as it makes the animation more interesting and adds conflict, which brings about change. Staging is possibly one of the easiest of the principles for animators to notice if it goes wrong, as the problem is so easy to tell within a camera angle. Yet at the same time it is one of the hardest to correct for it can sometimes be very difficult to pinpoint where the problem is coming from. You also have to consider the placement and composition of the characters, scene, props and how the action is to be portrayed (at what angle?) in order to achieve the right effect.
It was this exact principle that helped Walt Disney discover that it was actually better to show action in silhouette, so that the animators could see exactly where expressions and other keys bits of action were being covered. ‘Work in silhouette so that everything can be seen clearly. Don’t have a hand come over a face so that you can’t see what’s happening. Put it away from the face and make it clear,’ ((Walt Disney) F. Thomas and O. Johnston, 1981 p.56.)