In animation, takes get all the love; those big, broad, comedic reactions that Tex Avery mastered and the rest of us try to emulate. Standing out like the class clown, takes win all popularity contests with animators and fans of animation alike. But for every class clown, there's a quiet kid representing the class with dignity and grace; in animation terms, the rolling hold.
When I watch pencil tests and see rolling holds, I get a feeling not unlike drinking a Guinness really fast. It's good. I've felt this was since my student days, before I could afford Guinness, watching countless pencil tests of my classmates' films. So what is it about the rolling hold that has a hold on me?
