Animation

What is Animation?

Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images

of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to

create an illusion of movement. It is an optical illusion of

motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision.

The most common method of presenting animation

is as a motion picture or a video.

What is Persistence of Vision?

Persistence of vision is the phenomenon of the

eye by which an afterimage is thought to persist for

approximately one twenty-fifth of a second on

the retina.

In other words, it’s the ability

of the eye to retain the impression

of an image for a short time after

the image has disappeared.

Six Types of Animation Techniques:

1. Stop-motion animation:- Puppet animation- Claymation- Cutout animation, etc.

2. Traditional, hand-drawn animation

3. Rotoscoping

Six Types of Animation Techniques:

4. Live-action animation

5. Anime

6. Computer animation:

2D (Flash) & 3D (Maya)

Stop-motion Animation

Real-world objects are physically manipulated and

photographed one frame of film at a time to create

the illusion of movement.

Invented by

Georges Melies

in the Early 20th Cent.

purely by accident.

(Ex: bus transformed

into a hearse)

Stop-motion Animation

Different kinds exist: clay & puppet animation, etc.

Stop-motion Animation

Stop motion is often called frame-by-frame animation.

As mentioned earlier, it’s a generic term for an animation technique that makes static objects appear to move.

The object is moved very small amounts between individual frames, producing the effect of motion when the film is played back, as in conventional drawn and painted animation.

A Trip to the Moon, Georges Melies, 1902Was the 1st Sci Fi Movie ever made! Incorporated theatrical sets, props and real actors.

One of the Oldest Stop-Motion Films

Contemporary Stop-motion Animation

“Coraline”, 2009

Film With Elements of Stop-motion

The Science of Sleep by Michel Gondry, 2006

To find more examples:

Google Video is an excellent source for finding examples of every kind of

stop-motion technique.

A simple “stop motion animation” search will yield immediate results,

of varying quality.

Pioneers of the Animation Genre

J. Stuart Blackton (American), Early 20th Cent.

is often considered to be the 1st true animator. Perfected

stop-motion & hand-drawn animation techniques.

Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (Short Anim., 1906)

Emile Cohl (French),

Early 20th Century.

Became famous for his

short hand-drawn film

“Fantasmagorie”, 1908.

Hand-Drawn Animation Technique

1) Traditional animation (cel or hand-drawn) – wasused for most films animated in the 20th century.

2) Each frame is drawn slightly differently from the one before it.

Hand-Drawn Animation Technique

3) Drawings are traced or photocopied onto

transparent acetate sheets called cels.

4) The completed character cels are photographed one-by-one onto motion picture film.

Hand-Drawn Animation TechniqueThis image shows how 2 transparent cels, each with

a different character drawn on them, and an opaque

background are photographed together to form 1 image.

Examples of Traditional AnimationHand-drawn:

Disney’s Pinocchio (1940), Akira (1988)

Animations created with the help of a computer:

The Lion King (1994), The Triplets of Bellivelle (2003)

Rotoscoping

1. Was invented in 1917

2. Animators trace live-action movement, frame by frame

3. The source film can be directly copied from actors’ outlines into animated drawings, as in The Lord of the Rings (US, 1978) or Waking Life (US, 2001).

Ex: Charles Schwab commercial

Rotoscoping

Patent drawing for Fleischer’s original rotoscope. The artist is drawing on a transparent easel, onto which the movie projector at the right is throwing an image of a single film frame.

Rotoscoping Examples:

“Charlie Chaplin” by Kyungwha Leehttp://www.allyourdatabasearebelongto.us/2d.php

“Waking Life” Animationhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9yJE1iiO0qI

Live-Action & Anime

Live-action is a technique which combines hand-drawn

characters with live action shots. Examples: Who Framed

Roger Rabbit? (USA, 1988) & Osmosis Jones (USA,2002).

Anime is a technique primarily used in Japan. It usually consists of detailed characters but more of a stiff animation.

Examples: Spirited Away (Japan, 2001) and Princess Mononoke.

2D & 3D Animation

2D animation figures are created and/or edited on thecomputer using 2D bitmap graphics or created and editedusing 2D vector graphics. Techniques include tweening,morphing, etc.

Digital 3D models are manipulated by an animator. Various techniques can be applied to objects, such asmathematical functions (ex. gravity, particle simulations).Ex: Toy Story, Shrek.

Automatic Writing by William Kentridge

Mark Romanek (Contemporary Film Maker)

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