Live Action Reference and The Road to El Dorado

The Road To El Dorado was a Dreamworks picture that I worked on back in the late 1990s.  I was assigned to Tulio, one of the two lead characters, voiced by Kevin Kline and supervised by lead animator James Baxter, who I had worked with a decade earlier on Who Framed Roger Rabbit in London.  It was a great experience, and I learned a lot, especially about the use of live action reference to create believable animation.

Live Action Reference

The Road To El Dorado was a buddy movie with two human characters - perfect for shooting live action reference. One of the first shots I was given was the one at the front of the reel above - Tulio and Miguel do a high five, then a chest bump - then Tulio picks up Chel, spins her around, and drops her.  A complicated shot.  How to get it done?

Start with a Video Camera

Dreamworks had a video camera for the animators to use (we had no iPhones back then), and I persuaded two Canadian animators Kyle Jefferson and Cameron Hood to act out the scene.  Both were extroverts, and I figured they'd be up for it - and they were. With Cameron and Kyle, I could capture the action on video.

Portable TV and VCR

Then, using a portable TV and VCR I had in my office (we all had private offices at Dreamworks back then) I was able to trace the action in a blue pencil off the screen, holding the drawings down with a peg bar taped to the VCR, and advancing the motion frame by frame.

Rotoscoping

1990s high tech

It was in effect a crude kind of rotoscoping - but it worked. Once the blue pencil was done, I went over the rough sketches in graphite, tightening up the timing and making sure the action worked.  

Most of the other shots on the reel above were done the same way - starting with live action to get the mechanics right, then polishing the motion and tightening up the timing.

The beauty of starting with live action is that, if you get the live action right, you know the animation will work.  Studios want you to hit your deadlines, and the judicious use of live action will get your shots approved by Friday afternoon. 

Live Action Reference Resources at Escape Studios

For more resources on how to use live action reference for animation, follow the links below:

• Live Action Tutorials at Vimeo Channel
• Animate a Character Dancing Using Live Action
• Using Live Action Reference to Create Animation
• How to Film Animals for Live Action
• Animate a Character Throwing a Ball Using Live Action Reference
• Endless Reference for Animators
• How do Animators use Live Action to Create Believable Animation?
• Tripod for Recording Live Action

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