Task 1 understand the techniques and development of 2d animation
Techniques
Animation
- 'A simulation of movement created by displaying a series of pictures, or
frames.'
Animation is the process of displaying still images in a rapid sequence to
create the illusion of movement. These images can be hand drawn, computer
generated, or pictures of 3D objects.
There are three main types of animation: traditional, stop motion, and computer
generated. Each can be used to make both 2D or 3D images. Traditional
2D animation involves drawing every frame of a film by hand. After all
the drawings are completed and coloured, they can be photographed or scanned
into a computer and then combined with sound on film. The process is extremely
time-consuming, since it requires the creation of around 24 drawings per second
of film. The process is generally much cheaper. This requires a team of
artists, clean-up artists, painters, directors, background artists, and
film/camera crews, along with the storyboard artists and script writers to work
out the original concepts. At the top of the page is an example of 2D
Animation, and it shows all different sorts of objects moving with music
in the background which I think makes it more exciting. They way they do is
very clever as it doesn't look like it's been drawn in the first place. These
are the different types of 2D animation: Flip books are the oldest and easiest animation going, the way
that it works is that you create a series of images on paper that are almost
the same as each other, but not quite. Then you flip the pages rapidly and you
get the impression of animation. This is used by a lot of people and the
outcome is very rewarding when done right. Flip Books became one of the biggest selling optical toys in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Although Frenchman Pierre-Hubert Desvignes had the idea for what he called folioscopes around 1860, it was the English printer John Barnes Linnett who patented a design in 1868 for the Kineograph. Cel animation is a transparent sheet on which objects are drawn or
painted for traditional, hand-drawn animation. It is incredibly time
consuming and requires incredible organisation and attention to detail. The
lead animator makes rough sketches of the key frames (extremes of an action) in
a scene. The assistant animator takes those roughs and cleans up the line work,
possibly creating some of the in-between drawings. These sheets are passed on
to the in-betweener, who draws the rest of the action on separate sheets in
order to complete the action established by the animator's key frames. Once the
drawings are finished, a pencil test is done to check all that all the
movements flow and nothing is missing. Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over
footage, frame by frame, for use in live-action and animated films. The
technique was invented by cartoonist/illustrator/writer/inventor Max Fleischer,
who used it in his, 'Out of the inkwell' animated series. He was legendary animator, director and inventor. He revolutionized animation in the early 20th Century and for future generations of VFX technicians by developing this technique. Prior to computers, an animation stand called a Rotoscope was used to project a sequence of action frames against a surface so that a set of animation frames could be traced or created. The same work can now be done with digital images and special computer software. Drawn-on-film animation is: animation that's drawn directly on the film
reel, using a number of tools, techniques, and methods. Drawn-on-film
animators can use either blank (undeveloped) or black (developed) film in large
or small sizes; which they use determines their technique. The first and
best known practitioners of drawn-on-film animation include Len Lye, Norman
McLaren and Stan Brakhage.
All of these examples show all the different animations and also how much it
has improved since it was first invented.
As for the Digital
Techniques for 2D Animation, for example
there are two main graphic types, Bitmap and Vector Graphics. Bitmap
graphics are made up of pixels of different colours, Vector graphics are just
made up of objects. Bitmap images are also known as raster images, they
are made up of pixels in a grid, these are small dots of colours which together
form what is seen on the computer screen. All scanned images are bitmap
images, and also all photo's taken with a digital camera are bitmap
images. Common bitmap formats;
BMP - Bitmap File Format
GIF - Graphics Interchange Format
JPG/JPEG - Joint Photographic Experts Group
As for Vector Graphics, these are created in graphics packages and
consist of shapes. It is possible to edit each object
separately, for example, change the shape, colour and size. Vector Graphics are
used to create graphics such as interface elements (banners, buttons) text,
line art and detailed drawings (plans, maps). Both of these can be used to make
2D animation.
To make different kinds of animation they will have to use an application
software, but not everyone uses the same one.
Some animators use 'Adobe Flash', this is a multimedia and software
platform used for creating vector graphs, animation, games and internet
applications. It uses vector and raster graphics to provide animation of text,
drawings and still images. Some animators use Anime Studio, this is
a registered vector-based 2D Animation software for animators. The
software comes in two different versions, named Anime Studio Debut and Anime
Studio Pro. The software was originally developed under the name
"Moho" since 1999 by Mike Clifton. The features of this are:
-Camera Movements
-Tweening of all layer, vector shapes, and bone animation
-Supports layered Photoshop files
-Includes Timeline with key frames Another software would be Toon Boom
Animation, this is a Canadian software company that specializes in
animation production software., it was founded in 1994 and it is based in
Montreal. The software develops animation and storyboarding software for film,
television, web animation, games, mobile devices, training applications and
education. They have a few different products for different purposes, for
example 'Toon Boom Studio' is aimed at home users rather than professional
animation studios. 'Toon Boom Animate' is aimed at professional animators,
boutique studios, students and educators.
Regarding the development aspect of animation, I researched into a few pioneers such as Joseph Plateau who invented the Phenakistoscope (invented in 1836). This is an early animation device that used the resolution of vision principle to create an illusion of motion, it uses a spinning disc attached on a wooden handle. Around the centre of the disc is a series of pictures which corresponds to the frames of the animation, when you spin the disk, look through the moving slits at the disc's reflection in a mirror which makes the drawings come to life. Joseph Plateau (born in 1801) was a Belgian physicist, he was the first scientist at Ghent University to study light and was the first person to demonstrate the illusion of a moving image. In 1834, William George Horner proposed a more convenient device based on Plateau’s Phenakistoscope which got rid of the need for a mirror and allowed several people to view the device at a time. Horner’s idea was to take shape in the form of drum with an open top into which was placed on a hand drawn sequence of pictures on a strip of paper. The pictures were placed around the inside of the edge of the drum and could be viewed through slots in the outside of the drum. William George Horner was a British mathematician and headmaster born in 1786. He founded his own school located in Bath called “The Seminary” when he was 27. Because of William Horner, the animation industry was able to go on and develop the idea that images moving faster than the retina can register, which creates the illusion of movement.
The Praxinoscope was the result of work carried out by Frenchman Emile Reynaud. The Praxinoscope was an adaptation of Horner’s Zoetrope which at the time had become extremely popular. It uses a removable strip printed in a series of 12 drawings that makeup a cyclical movement. This strip is placed inside a drum rotating about an axis used as a base. Émile Reynaud added into the drum, on the same axis, a cylinder which are arranged on 12 facets of mirrors, each reflecting a drawing. Charles-Émile Reynaud (8 December 1844) was a French inventor, responsible for the first projected animated cartoons. Reynaud created the Praxinoscope in 1877.
The Lumière brothers, Auguste and Louis, were sons of well known Lyons based portrait painter Antoine Lumière. They were both technically minded and excelled in science subjects and were sent to Technical School. Antoine, noting the financial rewards of new photographic processes, abandoned his art and set up a business manufacturing and supplying photographic equipment. Joining him in this venture was Louis who began experimenting with the photographic equipment. During his experimentation, Louis discovered a process which assisted the development of photography. Louis developed a new 'dry plate' process in 1881 at the age of seventeen, it became known as the 'Etiquette Bleue' process and gave his father’s business a welcome boost. By 1894 the Lumières were producing around 15,000,000 plates a year. By early 1895, the brothers had invented their own device combining camera with printer and projector and called it the Cinématographe. This is a motion-picture apparatus, used as both camera and projector.
As for developers of animation I looked into Walt Disney who is the well known creator of 'Disney'. Walt Disney (December 5, 1901) was an American business magnate, filmmaker and voice actor. He is known as a cultural icon, for his influence and contributions to entertainment during the 20th century. As a Hollywood business mogul, he and his brother Roy O. Disney co-founded The Walt Disney Company which started in 1923. It was there that Walt and Roy produced a series of short live-action/animated films collectively called the Alice Comedies. During the next 14 years, many changes took place at the Disney studio: Mickey Mouse was 'born' in 1928, followed by Pluto, Goofy, Donald Duck and the rest of the Disney gang. In 1937, Disney's innovative first full length animated feature, SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS, was released to critical acclaim and worldwide success. It premiered at the Carthay circle Theatre on December 21st, 1937. It earned around $8 million which assumed the record of the highest grossing sound film at the time. The popularity of the film has led to it being re-released many times. Disney ultimately chose the fairy-tale of Snow White for his first animated feature because he recognized that the dwarfs would make great cartoon characters and that the forest setting would be a natural opportunity to animate a variety of "appealing little birds and animals. The film's production took nearly five years. It took at least 570 crew members, most of them animators or water-colour artists. As many as 2 million sketches and paintings were created, though only about 166,000 of them can be seen in the finished film. After the success of Snow White, Walt and Roy continued to make a long list of Disney animated films which became very successful. The company still produces animated films to this day and it is well known for making the best animated films in the world.
Warner Bros. Pictures was created around 1918 (incorporated 1923) by the four Warner brothers, (born Wonskolaser), Harry, Albert, Sam, and Jack who already had a thriving movie theatre business. The company has merged, transformed and changed hands many times over the years, but Warner Bros. Pictures has continued to operate as a movie and television production studio. Long-running shows that film at Warner Bros Studios include Ellen, Two and a Half Men and much more. In the early days, Warner Bros had a hard time keeping up with older studios like Paramount, MGM and First National, which led them to become innovators just to try to make a profit. But in 1927, they created the first film with music and synchronised sound, 'The Jazz Singer'. Since then, Warner Bros has gone on to make some of the most well known and hugely popular films, including, The Dark Knight, Harry Potter, The Exorcist, The Shining and more recently Sherlock Holmes.
Contemporary animation is produced at the present period in time. It covers different animation techniques. I researched into Monty Python, this was a British comedy group that created 'Monty Python's Flying Circus', this was a British television comedy sketch show that was aired on the BBC on the 5th of October 1969. Forty-five episodes were made over four series. This show developed from the series into something larger, spawning touring stage shows, films, albums and books. The Group's influence on comedy has been compared to The Beatles influence on music. A contemporary and surreal animation is shown before Monty Python. The animation which features sequences of animation merged with live action is a prime example of this. The animation has very random and flamboyant scenes, such as legs flying out of pipes and kicking things, and peoples teeth moving around. I looked into some interviews with some of the members and I found one with Terry Gilliam, he says in a article he preferred cut-out animation, which involved pushing bits of paper in front of a camera instead of photographing pre-drawn cels.
I also looked into the 'Yellow Submarine', which is a 1968 British animated musical fantasy film inspired by the music of The Beatles. The film was used as a marketing tool to heighten the bands popularity and thus sell more albums, it took a massive team of animators to complete the final product due to the long length of the feature. The Film shows The Beatles accompanying Captain Fred in his Yellow Submarine and go to Pepper land to free it from the music hating Blue Meanies. Before Yellow Submarine, animation was a mild, goody-goody world of personality-free gloved mice and cartoon bears stealing picnic baskets. But after, it was a whole different world. It wasn't just for kids. Without Yellow Submarine there would never have been The Simpsons, no Toy Story, no Shrek. No animated anything that enables us to laugh at ourselves while being highly entertained.
For the genres and forms of animation, I found quite a few. There are a lot of animated films created for a number of genres; however most animated films are family films made to appeal to children. Animation is a great form of film for children because it easy to keep the attention of a child with an animated film. With animation there is no limits so anything is possible and this is great when making children's things because they like to watch things that capture their imagination with things. A film that really depicts this well is Shrek because it is all about fantasy. Children love fantasy and this movie has all the characters from children's fairy tales. Obviously animation is needed to create this movie because the creatures within it obviously don't exist. However it isn't only children's films that are animated. The Nightmare Before Christmas is an animated fantasy musical mainly aimed at adults. Since the movie is produced by Tim Burton it will obviously be a bit weird. The style of the animation is strange because the features of the characters are extremely exaggerated and their mannerisms are odd.
I think we've determined that animation is used when the animator wants to create something that doesn't exist. One of the most visually beautiful modern animated movies is obviously Avatar. It is part digitally recorded and part animated. Again the animation was used to create something fantasy like. Animation is sometimes used in advertising to make a product stand out; animation is usually used when advertising products that already are well known because it's a high cost and most companies can't afford it. Coca Cola obviously can. The animated adverts originally used to be saved for Christmas adverts where Santa Clause is usually delivering bottles of the drink. However Coca Cola has invested in creating very extravagant adverts for their product. Compare the Market also use animation to promote their site to make them stand out. The animation also gives them the opportunity to create their own mascots; this has become a gimmick and is probably the way the company gets a lot of business. They have even started giving away plushies of their mascots when someone gets a quote from them. Animation has really paid off for this company because everyone remembers the advert because the animation makes it memorable.
Children's TV shows have been animated for a very long time; animated shows have proved more popular with children than digitally recorded because anything is possible when animating. A very early animated kids show is Mr Benn that was aired in the early 70's; it had very simple animations and they didn't really run smoothly because the frames were so far apart. The way they animated it was by drawing different scenes then taking pictures of them and putting them together. Now in the modern era animators have the ability to create more advanced animations for kids shows. For example the creators of The Amazing World of Gumball have used a very interesting technique, rotoscoping. They have digitally recorded the world but animated the characters and some objects. I think this show is great for kids not only because it is visually interesting but it gives the illusion that these creatures actually exist in this world. What I mean is, it fuels the child's imagination which is important. Animation is used in music videos to make them more interesting and get across the songs message more. One of the most famous animated music videos is obviously Take On Me by Aha. The song is about two people who fall in love but one day the man has to leave so he promises that he will be back for her one day. Then one day he discovers she's moved on because he never came back like he said so he tries to move on. Using animation to tell this story was a great idea because it shows how he really loved her by taking her into their own world and protecting her from the bad. The video depicts what it would have been like if he had come back (came out of the newspaper). The animation style is quite basic and understated which I think is the point because he's trying to symbolise their love which is 'black and white'. Using the animation in the music video brought something new to the music industry and made Aha stand out; it was very successful and the video probably had something to do with it. In the modern era a lot of bands have started using animation for many of their music videos. A band that is famous for this is the Gorillaz; the reason why they used animation in their videos was to bring something new to the music scene and make them stand out. It is very hard to be successful in the music industry and the band thought they'd increase their chances by doing something creative. The animations in their videos are very good considering the art; it's a mixture of 2D and 3D.