Character Animation Starter Kit: Blocking Workflow and Key Pose Planning

From Idea to First Pass: Why Blocking Exists

Blocking is the stage where you decide what happens and when it happens—before you spend time polishing arcs, overlaps, and subtle spacing. A strong block is built from intentional key poses that communicate the story beats clearly in stepped mode (no interpolation). If the shot reads in stepped keys, it will usually read even better once you spline and refine.

Think of blocking as a contract: you commit to the action goal, emotional tone, and key moments. Everything later (breakdowns, splining, offsets, secondary motion) supports those decisions rather than replacing them.

1) Define the Action Goal and Emotional Tone

Clarify the “verb” and the “why”

Start with a one-sentence shot statement that combines an action verb with intent. This prevents random posing and keeps your keys purposeful.

• Action goal (verb): what the character is doing physically (reach, grab, sit, dodge, present, retreat).
• Objective (why): what they want (impress, hide, threaten, comfort, escape).
• Emotional tone: the flavor of the performance (confident, anxious, irritated, playful, exhausted).

Practical template

Shot statement: [Character] tries to [verb] in order to [objective], but feels [emotion].

Example: “The character tries to hand over a gift in order to impress, but feels nervous.” This immediately suggests: hesitant approach, protective arm position, micro-pauses before contact, and a relief beat after the handoff.

Define constraints before posing

• Camera/staging constraint: where the character must be readable (profile vs 3/4, distance to camera).
• Prop/interaction constraint: what must be touched, when, and with which hand.
• Shot length: total frames/seconds; decide if the action is “snappy” or “lingering.”

2) Thumbnail the Key Moments (Story Beats) and Identify Primary Contacts

Thumbnailing: plan beats, not details

Create quick thumbnails (stick figures are fine) that capture the sequence of story beats. Each thumbnail should represent a change in intention, not just a change in position.

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A helpful rule: if you can remove a pose and the story still reads the same, that pose might be unnecessary at the blocking stage.

Beat list example (gift handoff)

Identify primary contacts (the “must-hit” moments)

Primary contacts are frames where the character touches something important: foot plants, hand hits a table, prop transfer, shoulder bump, etc. These are anchors for timing and continuity.

• Foot contacts: first frame the foot is planted and supporting weight for that step.
• Hand contacts: first frame the hand makes meaningful contact (grip begins, push begins, prop transfer begins).
• Body contacts: sit contact (hips meet chair), lean contact (forearm on table), impact contact (collision).

Mark these contacts on your thumbnails with a simple symbol (e.g., a dot at the wrist/ankle) so you remember which frames must be precise in blocking.

3) Block in Stepped Keys: Contacts, Extremes, and Passing Poses

Work in a predictable order

Blocking becomes faster and cleaner when you always build keys in the same sequence. A common order is:

1. Contacts (interaction anchors)
2. Extremes (largest changes in pose for each beat)
3. Passing poses (the “in-between” storytelling poses that clarify direction and intent)

Step-by-step blocking workflow (practical)

• Step A — Set your shot range and frame rate. Decide the total duration and lock it early so you don’t keep “solving” timing by stretching the shot.
• Step B — Place contact keys first. On the timeline, create keys for every primary contact you identified. Keep them stepped. These are your immovable pillars.
• Step C — Add extremes for each beat. For every story beat, create the most informative pose (often the most compressed or most extended version of that beat). Extremes should show a clear change in intention.
• Step D — Add passing poses only where clarity needs them. Passing poses are not “filler.” Add them when the audience needs help understanding direction, path, or a change of mind.
• Step E — Block the eyes/head last within each pose. First establish body action; then add head/eye direction to support the beat (e.g., glance to target before reaching).

Contacts vs extremes: a quick distinction

• Contact pose: defined by touch (foot planted, hand grabs). It’s about physical truth and continuity.
• Extreme pose: defined by story emphasis (furthest lean, biggest recoil, strongest offer). It’s about readability of intent.

Mini example: reach and grab (timeline sketch)

Frame 01: Start pose (beat: notice object)  [extreme of stillness/intent begins]  Frame 08: Decision (prep)                   [extreme: arm pulls back slightly]  Frame 14: Contact (hand touches object)     [primary contact]  Frame 18: Grip/secure (settle)              [contact refinement / small extreme]  Frame 26: Pull away (result)                [extreme: object now controlled]

Notice how the contact is a specific frame, while extremes can be before or after depending on what sells the beat.

4) Keep Timing Readable: Space Keys and Hold Where Needed

Timing is storytelling, not math

In blocking, timing should make the audience understand: what changed, why it changed, and what matters most. You do that by spacing keys intentionally and using holds as punctuation.

Practical timing rules for blocking

• Give each beat enough screen time to register. If a pose communicates a new idea (hesitation, realization, decision), it often needs a brief hold.
• Use holds to separate thoughts. A hold is not “nothing happening”—it’s the audience processing a thought. Even 2–6 frames can clarify a beat in a fast shot.
• Speed up transitions, slow down decisions. Physical travel can be quick; mental shifts often benefit from a readable pause.
• Don’t evenly distribute keys by default. Even spacing can feel robotic. Cluster keys around important moments (contacts, decisions) and leave more space where nothing new is being communicated.

How to test readability in stepped mode

• Flipbook test: scrub frame-by-frame; each key should look like a deliberate drawing.
• Pose-to-pose test: jump between keys only; the story should still make sense.
• Half-speed test: playblast at 50% speed; if it becomes confusing, you may need clearer beat separation (often a hold or a missing passing pose).

Common timing fixes (fast diagnosis)

5) Blocking Checklist: Silhouette, Balance, Staging, Continuity Between Poses

Use this checklist while you block (not after). Run it every time you add a new key pose so problems don’t multiply.

Silhouette (readability at a glance)

• Can you understand the action from the outline alone?
• Are hands/arms separated enough from the torso to read the gesture?
• Is the prop readable (not hidden behind the body) at the key storytelling moments?

Balance (physical plausibility of support)

• Does each planted foot contact look like it can support the pose?
• When the character leans or reaches, is there an appropriate counter-action (hips/torso/feet) to keep the pose believable?
• Do transitions between supports (one foot to the other, hand to prop) happen on clear frames?

Staging (where the audience should look)

• Is the most important idea facing the camera enough to read?
• Are you avoiding tangents (hand lining up with torso edge, prop aligning with limb) that hide the action?
• Is the head/eye direction supporting the beat (look before reach, look to listener on reaction)?

Continuity between poses (pose-to-pose logic)

• Does each pose lead naturally to the next (no unexplained teleporting of limbs or props)?
• Are left/right choices consistent (which hand holds the prop, which foot steps first)?
• Do screen direction and facing remain coherent (especially across turns or big shifts)?
• Are contact points consistent (hand stays on the object once grabbed unless you show release)?

Quick self-review pass (2 minutes)

1. Playblast stepped.
2. Write down the beats you perceive as a viewer (without looking at your beat list).
3. Compare to your intended beats; adjust keys/holds until they match.