'Animation is the technique used to create an optical illusion by manipulating still objects and pictures in such a way that the viewer perceives them as continuous motion.'
This is also known as 'Persistence of Vision
An animator uses a sequence of 2-D and 3-D images to create a sense of movement. This allows the animator to explore unique ways to present a narrative, an advertisement campaign, a video game or graphics for a music video. In addition to full-length animated features, animation is also quite commonly used in fantasy and sci-fi movies.
The 4 A's of Animation
Acting
Animation
Action - movement of physical objects
Activity - The most basic form of movement/animation and the lowest form, they are often abstract and not associated with any natural form of independent movement.
Characteristics
According to Thomas, F. and Johnston, (1995) THE 12 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION are:
Advantages
Has the ability to make inanimate objects, animate and create images and scenes that would not be accessible in the real world.
Inexpensive
Does not require many materials to begin
Useful in engaging learners
Useful in increasing teamwork among learners
A very simply animation can be made in a short period of time
Can be created by children as well as adults
Can convey a process or experiment over time
According to Thomas, F. and Johnston, (1995) THE 12 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF ANIMATION are:
1. Squash and stretch -action gives the illusion of weight and volume to a character as it moves. Also squash and stretch is useful in animating dialogue and doing facial expressions.
2. Anticipation - This movement prepares the audience for a major action the character is about to perform, such as, starting to run, jump or change expression. A dancer does not just leap off the floor.
3. Staging
A pose; action; angle of shot; type of shot, should clearly communicate to the audience the attitude, mood, reaction or idea of the character as it relates to the story and should help in telling the story.
4. Straight Ahead Action and Pose to Pose -Straight ahead animation starts at the first drawing and works drawing to drawing to the end of a scene.
5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action - When the main body of the character stops all other parts continue to catch up to the main mass of the character, such as arms, long hair, clothing, coat tails or a dress, floppy ears or a long tail (these follow the path of action). Nothing stops all at once. This is follow through. Overlapping action is when the character changes direction while his clothes or hair continues forward.
6. Slow In and Slow Out - As action starts, we have more drawings near the starting pose, one or two in the middle, and more drawings near the next pose. Fewer drawings make the action faster and more drawings make the action slower. Slow-ins and slow-outs soften the action, making it more life-like.
7. Arcs All actions, with few exceptions (such as the animation of a mechanical device), follow an arc or slightly circular path. (Like a pendulum swinging)
8. Secondary Action - This action adds to and enriches the main action and adds more dimension to the character animation, supplementing and/or re-enforcing the main action. Example: A character is angrily walking toward another character. The walk is forceful, aggressive, and forward leaning. The leg action is just short of a stomping walk. The secondary action is a few strong gestures of the arms working with the walk.
9. Timing - Expertise in timing comes best with experience and personal experimentation, using the trial and error method in refining technique.
10. Exaggeration - Not extreme distortion of a drawing or extremely broad, violent action all the time. It¹s like a caricature of facial features, expressions, poses, attitudes and actions.
11. Solid Drawing - The basic principles of drawing form, weight, volume solidity and the illusion of three dimension apply to animation as it does to academic drawing. The way you draw cartoons, you draw in the classical sense, using pencil sketches and drawings for reproduction of life.
12. Appeal - A live performer has charisma. An animated character has appeal. Appealing animation does not mean just being cute and cuddly. All characters have to have appeal whether they are heroic, villainous, comic or cute. Appeal, as you will use it, includes an easy to read design, clear drawing, and personality development that will capture and involve the audience¹s interest.
Advantages
Has the ability to make inanimate objects, animate and create images and scenes that would not be accessible in the real world.
Inexpensive
Does not require many materials to begin
Useful in engaging learners
Useful in increasing teamwork among learners
A very simply animation can be made in a short period of time
Can be created by children as well as adults
Can convey a process or experiment over time
Disadvantages
Difficult to correct speed and change the speed of different sections of an animation.
Difficult to get consistent image quality
Difficult to get a fluid animation
Difficult to add multiple sounds
A suitable set must be found
Can be extremely time consuming
If creating an animation alone, it requires the creator to be a jack of all trades; an artist or sculptor, as well as a film producer.
During the creation of the new animated movie called 'Boxtrolls' , they were able to complete one to two minutes of footage per week!
Successes
Chicken Run; Wallace and Gromit; The Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas have to be some of my favourite and most renown stop motion movies ever created. I believe their success is down to their exquisite and skilfully created models that just make you feel they are real life characters and of course the story lines always capture our hearts with their great humour. The stories not just for children but for adults too.
Difficult to correct speed and change the speed of different sections of an animation.
Difficult to get consistent image quality
Difficult to get a fluid animation
Difficult to add multiple sounds
A suitable set must be found
Can be extremely time consuming
If creating an animation alone, it requires the creator to be a jack of all trades; an artist or sculptor, as well as a film producer.
During the creation of the new animated movie called 'Boxtrolls' , they were able to complete one to two minutes of footage per week!
Successes
Chicken Run; Wallace and Gromit; The Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas have to be some of my favourite and most renown stop motion movies ever created. I believe their success is down to their exquisite and skilfully created models that just make you feel they are real life characters and of course the story lines always capture our hearts with their great humour. The stories not just for children but for adults too.
Costs
Costs can vary and are dependent on the complexity of the animation in which you wish to make. Generally, the more complex, the higher the cost!
Costs can vary and are dependent on the complexity of the animation in which you wish to make. Generally, the more complex, the higher the cost!
Dissapointments
'The newly released film, 'Boxtrolls' which tells the story of a boy brought up by trolls who live in boxes under the streets of an English town, comes from Laika Entertainment, the main purveyor of stop-motion animation these days. Laika’s best-known film was Coraline which hit theaters in 2009. The $60 million movie earned $125 million at the global box office which means that the film didn’t turn a profit at the box office when you take into account advertising costs and the fact that studios only take about half of the ticket money.'
'The newly released film, 'Boxtrolls' which tells the story of a boy brought up by trolls who live in boxes under the streets of an English town, comes from Laika Entertainment, the main purveyor of stop-motion animation these days. Laika’s best-known film was Coraline which hit theaters in 2009. The $60 million movie earned $125 million at the global box office which means that the film didn’t turn a profit at the box office when you take into account advertising costs and the fact that studios only take about half of the ticket money.'
Stop Motion Animation
Stop Motion Animation is a technique used in animation to bring static objects to life on screen. This is done by moving the object in increments while filming a frame per increment. When all the frames are played in sequence it shows movement. Clay figures, puppets and miniatures are often used in stop motion animation as they can be handled and repositioned easily.
The first instance of stop animation is credited to J. Stuart Blackton and Albert E. Smith for bringing a toy circus to life in Humpty Dumpty Circus in 1897.
Below is a stop motion animation that I remember from my childhood. As you can see, this animation is made from physical models or figures, possibly clay. They are physically moved in small increments to create the illusion of motion.
Reference
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