Moving Holds
Moving Hold means that when a character is holding a pose, they shouldn’t be completely still — there needs to be some slight movement. Even something as subtle as breathing, a small head tilt, or a gentle body shift can make the character feel more alive. If a character stays perfectly frozen for a few frames, it immediately gives off a “mannequin” vibe, especially in 3D animation where complete stillness feels unnatural. Compared to 2D, where we can use line wiggles or stylized shaking to fake subtle movement, in 3D we really have to animate those micro-movements by hand.
My personal understanding is: don’t let your character die on screen. Even just a few frames of subtle “fake movement” can add tension and realism to the shot.
Copied Pairs
Copied Pairs are a specific technique used to create moving holds. The process is actually pretty straightforward — you take your key pose and duplicate it, then move the duplicated keys a few frames forward on the timeline. This creates a pair of identical keyframes that hold the pose for a bit.
At first it might seem like a lazy shortcut, but in practice, you can slightly adjust the in-between to add a soft transition — like the character shifting weight, breathing, or gently swaying. It creates a subtle sense of motion within a hold.
I see this as a way to refine your blocking — beyond just having key poses and breakdowns, you’re adding mini-transitions that give your animation more depth and rhythm.
This is my attempt to moving holds and copy pairs:
I added a pause to the pose where the character opens her arms — I felt like she was building up energy for the next sequence of movements, kind of like a gymnast preparing for a routine. Then I copied and pasted the keyframes and extended their duration. In the spline phase, I adjusted the curves to give her a slight sense of motion, so it feels like she’s subtly shifting, not completely still.
BREAKDOWNS & Arcs
During blocking, it’s important to pay attention to the movement of the hands, limbs, and the COG — making sure their motion follows arcs instead of straight lines.
My blocking: