Secondary action: a gesture under a line

Secondary action is one of the 12 principles of animation: a smaller action that goes with the main one and supports it. A shrug while someone says they don't know, a hand pointing while they say where, arms swinging as a body jumps. It adds to what the audience understands, and it must never pull their attention away from the main action.

In this lesson Sunny says two lines in a cartoon, first with no gesture at all, then with a shrug under the first line and a point under the second. You hear the same words each time; what changes is how quickly they read. It takes about ten minutes, and nothing needs to be drawn.

1. Open the editor

Go to jabbertoon.com/editor/. The editor opens on the Cartoon: a meadow, with nobody in it yet.

2. Bring in Sunny

Press Add a character on the stage. The characters you can bring in are shown.

3. Sunny on the stage

Press Sunny. Sunny stands in the meadow, with a bar of buttons on top.

4. A line to say

Press Say on Sunny's bar. A box opens for the words.

5. The words

Type Sunny's line in the Type the words box: I have no idea where it went.

6. On the Timeline

Press Add it. Sunny's line goes on the Timeline, on Sunny's says row.

7. Watch it plain

Press Watch. Sunny says it with the arms down at the sides: the words do all the work, and the body adds nothing.

8. Back to the line

Press Sunny's line on the Timeline: the playhead goes to where the line starts. Then press Do on Sunny's bar. The moves Sunny can do are on the right, in kinds.

9. Moves for talking

Press Talk and wave. These are the moves that go with talking: gestures, nods and waves.

10. A shrug

Press Shrug. Sunny lifts the shoulders and turns the hands out: the body's way of saying who knows.

11. Under the line

Press Put it on Sunny's row. The shrug goes on the does row, starting where the playhead is: at the start of the line.

12. Watch it with the shrug

Press Watch. Now Sunny shrugs while saying it. The shrug is a secondary action: smaller than the line and under it, it makes the line clearer without taking your eyes off it.

13. A second line

Press Say on Sunny's bar again.

14. Its words

Type the next line in the Type the words box: Wait. There it is, by the door!

15. After the first

Press Add it. The second line goes after the first, and the playhead moves to where it starts.

16. Moves again

Press Do on Sunny's bar.

17. Talking moves again

Press Talk and wave.

18. A point

Press Point. Sunny turns and points across the meadow.

19. Under the second line

Press Put it on Sunny's row. The point starts with the second line.

20. Watch the scene

Press Watch. The shrug goes with no idea, the point goes with there it is: each gesture supports its line, and the words stay the main action.

Try it yourself

• Too big to be secondary. Add a third line, and put Jump for joy (under Move) with it: the leap takes over and the words are lost. A secondary action bigger than the main one is not secondary any more.
• A yes. Add a line that agrees, like Yes, that is the one, and put Nod yes with it: a small move, and the line reads as certain.
• A second character. Bring in Grump and give him an answer. Watch where you look while Sunny talks: if Grump moves while Sunny speaks, he is a secondary action too, and he must not steal the scene.

The 12 principles of animation show secondary action in a jump as well: arms that lift as the body rises. In Arcs in animation you key that arm swing yourself.