Bar Sheets: The forgotten language?
In 1928 there was no formula on how to successfully
pair music to animation, i.e. to plan them so that they grow and develop
alongside one another (Thomas and Johnston 287). To improvise a score after the
film was completed was an easy task, but to do it the other way around was
almost unthinkable. That is until Wilfred Jackson came along with a very simple
solution: the metronome (Thomas and Johnston 287). He reasoned that if a film
ran at a constant speed of 24 frames per second, you just have to determine how
much music went by in a second. Jackson had only a basic knowledge of music but
could figure out how the beats, bars and staffs all relate to the timing of the
animation. After much experimentation a new language was discovered (which, incidentally,
only worked if the whole song adhered to a strict beat).
How did Wilfred Jackson’s new ‘language’
work? The animation director and the musicians worked closely together. The
musician will change things and the director will enhance the actions until
both are satisfied. The animator director will mark down the action on a bar
sheet[1]. The
music or sound can then be matched accurately to specific frames, which makes
it easier for the animators to work to specific marked points (Thomas and
Johnston 287).
When the bar sheets were first used the
animation directors made notes on blank music notation paper or even on the
sheet music itself (Michael Sporn Animation, Inc. 1), but later designed actual
bar sheets specifically for the directors. Today blank bar sheets can even be
downloaded in pdf form.
The following is an example of old bar sheets
done on sheet music:
Source: http://www.michaelbarrier.com/Home%20Page/RedHeadedBabyLg.jpg
An example of newer bar sheets without
musical notation not done on sheet music:
Below is an example of a blank bar sheet:
The bar sheets used these days have dropped
the musical notation and only shows the tempo, what frames fit where, and to
see the bigger picture (Michael Sporn Animation, Inc. 1).
Soundtracks are usually divided into four separate
areas namely voice, music, effects and atmosphere (Webster 185). With music all that is actually needed is a
rough indication of beat or rhythm. One needs to analyse and breakdown the
music in order to write down the start and finishing of the music, and then fit
the frames in where they match the music (Webster 185).
A bar sheet is read like a piece of sheet
music; from left to write. You first analyse the key, check the tempo, check
what frame or bar you are at and start animating from there on. Most animators
do not use bar sheets anymore (Michael Sporn Animation, Inc. 1). This can be because
the music is done afterwards, or because animators do not find them helpful (Jenkins
on Michael Sporn Animation).
I think that if used in the right way, a bar
sheet can be very helpful tool in animating to music. The tempo, beats and even
seeing the notes alongside the frames might give the animator a better picture
of what to animate and of the feeling the music conveys. For example, many notes
in one bar means that the music is fast, notes written higher on the staff
means that there might be some excitement in the music and so forth. Maybe this
forgotten language must be given a second look and perhaps introduced in
programmes preparing animators for the world of animation.
[1] A bar sheet or bar chart is a way of making notation of sound, music and dialog in a systematic manner (Webster 182).
Works Cited
Webster,
Chris. Animation: The Mechanics of Motion.
Burlington, Elsevier. 2006. Print
Thomas, Frank
and Johnston, Ollie. The Illusion of Life.
New York, Disney Editions. 1981. Print
Michael
Sporn Animation, Inc. Bar Sheets.
Michael Sporn’s Splog, 30 August 2006. Web. 12 April 2016.
http://www.michaelspornanimation.com/splog/?p=711
