Art College Crash Course, Lesson 27: Staging

Or: how to stop your scenes from looking like a "Where's Waldo?" page.

Staging means arranging everything in a shot (characters, camera, light and background) so the audience knows exactly where to look. A film director does this with actors. As an animator, you do it with drawings.

If you don't show viewers what matters, they won't find it.

Five staging problems and fixes

1. Clutter

Too many things fighting for attention. - Frame the shot around the most important thing. - Soften or tone down background colors. - Think like a camera: what's in focus?

2. Camera angles

Angles picked because they look cool, not because they help the story. - Choose angles with a purpose. Low angle: powerful. High angle: small or scared. - Show the space first with a wide "establishing shot." - The 180-degree rule: imagine a line between two characters talking. Keep the camera on one side of it, so they don't seem to swap places.

3. Character blocking

Characters in awkward spots, or blocking each other's faces. - Use the rule of thirds: place important things along imaginary lines that split the frame into thirds. - Keep faces and body language visible. - Never hide the important action behind something.

4. Lighting

Flat lighting makes everything blend together. - Put the brightest spot on the most important thing. - Don't let the background outshine your characters. - Use rim light (a bright edge) or contrast to separate characters from the background.

5. Depth

Flat shots feel lifeless. - Layer foreground, midground and background. - Use perspective. - Ground characters with shadows and contact with the floor.

Quick fixes

• Chaotic scene: simplify. Remove background details.

• Characters getting lost: contrast, light and framing.

• Weird angles: make the angle serve the story.

• Flat scenes: add layers.

• Can I break these rules? Yes, if you know why. Bad staging is still bad staging, even on purpose.

Try this

Take one story moment, "a kid finds a mysterious glowing egg," and thumbnail it three ways: a wide shot, a low-angle shot and a close-up. Which one tells the story best? Why?

Up next

Lesson 28: Smooth Loops. How to make cycles that never show their seams.

What's the best-staged scene in any animated movie? Tell us in the comments.

The revolution will not be graded.

New episodes drop on YouTube first. Subscribe to Mr. Bray Labs so you never miss one.