Positive and negative shapes can be used to great advantage in both layout and in animation.
For instance, a background can help set the mood for a scene through proper staging, utilizing the positive/negative. This allows the animator to capitalize on the mood suggestion and carry it even further in his animation.
A story is naturally packed with a variety of moods. The gambit runs from happiness to sadness, gaiety to seriousness, and defeat (or the possibility of defeat) to victory (or the anticipation of victory).
A series of scenes where a character feels threatened could be enhanced by using dominant negative shapes, placing the potential victim in ominous compositions.
On the other hand, if the character is “on top” of his situation, he can be the dominant positive filling the screen with his victorious stances or with his boasting attitude.
