ABSTRACT
In terms of acting, the main difference between animators and actors is that actors work "in the present moment", and animators work with an illusion of a present moment, that is, 24 frames = 1 second. Stage actors are trained not to think about physical movement and the appearance of things. A stage actor is the one interacting directly with the audience, in real time. In animation, the animated character is the one doing the interacting, and the animator functions more like a puppet master. Her relationship with the character is one of empathetic direction. Animators who want to learn about acting are often encouraged to take an acting class. Actors seek to justify movement emotionally; animators seek to justify emotion with movement. Actors tend to work on a character from the inside out; animators start with movement, working from the outside in.
