80/20 Rule

Ugh man, I'm trying very hard to deliver this piece of information in a good way, but it's just pretty dry stuff, I'm sorry about that! I promise it's incredibly useful though!

80/20 Rule
Sam Nielson wrote a blogpost about the 80/20 rule. I'll summarize the blogpost's conclusion and describe its use in creating animation. If you want more info head on over to his blog: here.

The way he describes this rule of thumb is that you need to find the 20% of "stuff" in your work that'll demand 80% of the viewers attention. In a painting for example that might be one or several persons on the canvas.

Once you've found that 20% you can focus on perfecting just that which the viewer pays most attention to. So basically this is a way to efficiently allocate your time! When you put your time in 20% of the art that is most important, the viewer will have a better impression of it. Get more value for less time put into it.

Animation specific
In a painting it might be easier to identify what is the focus of the viewer will be, but it's definitely possible in animation too. For example in a close-up animation it might be the eyes. If we're watching full body performance, it might be a combination of the body language (the pose and silhouette for example) and the face.

If your shot is (example) just a hand picking up a ball, this might not be applicable, but in most human(oid) performances it will be. Be aware of the focus of the viewer at the very least and act accordingly!