Follow Through And Overlapping Action Animation Definition

It's been a while, but I think now is a good time to get back into our Principles of Animation, this time focusing on Follow through and Overlapping Action.

But what is Follow through? Or Overlapping Action, for that matter?

Well, let's start with some definitions:

Follow through: animation the demonstrate the physical effects of the main action even if the main action has stopped

In the example below: the right squirrels' head is moving in reaction/follow through to the left squirrel's hard kissing.

Overlapping Action: animation that demonstrates the body's tendency to move at different rates and effects given the circumstances.

In the example below, you can see how Sailor Moon's hair and clothes are moving in overlapping action to the wind that does not affect the stiffer parts of her body. The skirts and her hair also move at different rates from each other.

Looking at them, you can see how both of these techniques are actually the product of Newton's Laws of Physics. Specifically the second part of the principle of inertia which states that an object in motion tends to stay in motion.

And you can see how both these things can add so much live to what would normally be a stiff or static motion to give a greater sense of realism all around.

Okay, so what does this have to do with writing?

Well, a lot actually. For example, every time a character makes a decision and then has to face a consequence? That's Follow through. Having your character face one conflict while thinking about another? That's Overlapping Action. And honestly, I don't see how any story can be good without either.

But I can understand how this explanation might get a bit confusing, so to make the whole thing clearer, let's go back to that most ubiquitous of ubiquitous examples: Star Wars: A New Hope.

Looking at Luke's character arc, we can clearly see the Follow through of Luke's efforts to build a relationship with Han when the Millennium Falcon comes screaming back during the Death Star attack. After all, Luke had already done everything he could, built in that relationship, but despite the fact that he had stopped, the effects of his efforts continued to bring Han back in the nick of time.

When it comes to the Overlapping Action, well that's even easier. After all, Luke's outward journey is about going from Farm Boy to Hero Rebel Pilot. It really doesn't have anything to do with the Force except as a secondary area of growth due to Luke's affinity with the Force.

And so Luke trains with the Force, but it's really only a side gig.Something to do inbetween the times he's busy saving the princess and the Rebellion from the Empire.

Sure it comes in handy at the end, but really, even the destruction of the Death Star is but the very beginning of Luke's journey to be a Jedi.

In the mean time, the main storyline still has him a hero for saving the other planets from destruction.

Thus it is that Luke's force training, important as it is, is an overlapping action and not the main action of the main storyline.

Okay, so why is this important for anyone's writing?

Well, basically, Follow through and Overlapping Action add a realism to the story since life doesn't always happen in a 100% controllable, linear way. Another point is that action often happen simultaneously and both these principles are tools to help manage it.

But really, the key thing for me is that Follow through and Overlapping Action are what ultimately bind the story together. Like sinew since they're neither the core muscle stuff like plot or the pretty skin stuff like character arc but still you need them else everything else becomes rigid and brittle.

And they breathe life, reality into the work because they're basically manifestations of one of the most important parts of story telling: momentum and timing.

So yeah. I love Follow through and Overlapping Action. They are what ultimately make the work believable.