2D Animation History & Principles PDF

HISTORY OF ANIMATION———————- Story begins at 19th century 2d animation is the process of making hundreds of drawings, animated by playing in rapid succession. Birth of Animation Story of aninations begins in late 90th century Pre 1900 - Pioneering Techniques e Phenakistoscope 1832 - Spinning dis...

HISTORY OF ANIMATION———————- Story begins at 19th century 2d animation is the process of making hundreds of drawings, animated by playing in rapid succession. Birth of Animation Story of aninations begins in late 90th century Pre 1900 - Pioneering Techniques e Phenakistoscope 1832 - Spinning disks by Joseph Plateau eo Zoetrope 1834 - Cylindrical Spinning design by William George Horner e Flipbook 1868 - thumb through pages John Barnes Linnett Silent film Era - 1900 > 1920 (early 20th century) Advancements of techniques in bringing their drawings to life at early 20th century - Gertie the dinosaur -the sinking of the Lusitania Golden age of animation - 1920s > 1960s Rise of iconic characters and establishments e 1920s Rise of walt disney - "steamboat willie"; disney's first synchronized sound cartoon e 1930s Birth of feature length animation e 1940s Wartime and Innovation e 1950s Television and New Horizons The Silver age of animation - 1960s > 1980s A period that saw technological advancements and the expansion of animation into new genres. e 1960s Hana-Barbera's Dominance e 1970s Experimental and Independent animation e 1980s The dawn of CGI The Digital Revolution - 1990s > 2000s Significant shift to animation, the rise of digital technology and CGI transforming the industry e 1990s Disney Renaissance and Pixar's Emergence - pixar debut; Toy Story.. Pixar's first entirely computer-animated film / Beauty and the Beast; nominated for best picture oscar. e 2000s CGI (Computer Generated Imagery) Dominance The Modern Era of Animation - 2010s and beyond Embracing of new technologies and diverse storytelling techniques e 2010s A new golden rule - Spiderman  into the spider verse, innovative film that blended CGI and comic book aesthetics eo 2020s Streaming and Diversity - embrace diverse voices and stories, reflecting a broader range if experiemces n cultures. The future of animation The potential of animation is limitless, advances of technology such as: A Emerging technologies e Virtual Reality - offers immersive experiences, stepping inyo animated worlds e Artificial Intelligence The evolution of animation is a testament to human creativity. TYPES OF ANIMATION ——————————— Traditional Animation - Used throughout 20th century, Involves drawing each frame by hand on paper Keyframe 2d animation - Computers generating in between frames for smooth animation 3d Animation - involves creating three dimensional images using 3d software; adds extra dimension to visual story telling. Stop animation - moving physical objects, capturing individual photographs. (Clay figures, puppets, etc). Clay Animation - involves shooting clay figures frame by frame. Live Action Animation - combine live action film with animation; feature hand- drawn, CGI, or stop motion techniques. Motion Graphics - "graphics w movement’, transformed graphic design from static to dynamic in mid 20tg century Rotoscape Animation - Involves tracing over live-action footage frame by frame to create lifelike sequences. Vector Animation - uses vectorized shapes instead if bit-mapped shapes to create visual images in motion. e Vector - curves and lines defined by mathematical equations. e Bitmap - grid of pixels; resolution dependent. Mixed Animation - blends multiple animation styles and techniques. 12 principles of Animation 1 - Squash and Stretch + The most important principle. * Gives the illusion of gravity, weight, mass, and flexibility » Stretch = gets thinner * Squash = gets wider 2 - Anticipation * Makes the action more realistic. e Prepares the viewer for what's about to happen. 3 - Staging Bn » Like composition in an artwork. + Use motion to guide the viewer's eye and draw attention to what's important within the scene. » Keep the focus of what's important within the scene, and keep the motion of everything else of non-important to a minimum. 4 - Straight ahead action and pose to pose » Straight ahead = drawing frame-by-frame from start to finish; best for fluid, realistic movements. * Pose to pose = draw the beginning frame, end frame, and a few key frames in-between. Then you go back and complete the rest ; gives you more control within the scene and allows you to increase the dramatic effect of the motion. 5 - Follow through and overlapping action + When objects come to a standstill after being in motion, different parts of the object will stop at different rates. « Similarly, not everything on an object will move at the same rate. » Overlapping action = character is running across the scene, their arms and legs may be moving at a different rate from their head. » Follow through = when a character stop running, their hair will likely continue to move for a few frames before coming to rest. 6 - Slow in and slow out « Think about how a car starts up and stops. It will start moving slowly, before gaining momentum and speeding up. The reverse will happen when the car brakes. * In animation, this effect is achieved by adding more frames at the beginning and end of an action sequence. 7 - Arc * When working in animation, it's best to stick with the laws of physics. Most objects follow an arc or a path when they're moving. * When you toss a ball into the air, it follows a natural arc as the effects of the Earth's gravity act upon it. 8 - Secondary action ¥ * Used to support or emphasize the main action going on within a scene. + Example: The subtle movement of your character's hair as they walk, or perhaps a facial expression or a secondary object reacting to the first. ¢ This secondary action should not distract from the primary one. f= - & a = & 9 - Timing » For this principle of animation we need to look to the laws of physics again, and apply what we see in the natural world to our animations. If we want to slow down or speed up, we gradually get closer and closer to each other or further and further apart from each other.  10 - Exaggeration BE * Too much realism can ruin an animation, making it appear static and boring. Instead, add some exaggeration to your characters and objects to make them more dynamic. Find ways to push the limits just beyond what's possible, and your animations will pop. 11 - Solid drawing + You need to understand the basics of drawing. This includes knowing how to draw in three-dimensional space and understanding form and anatomy, weight and volume, and lights and shadows. + While you can push the limits here, too, it's important to remain consistent. If your world has wonky doors and a warped perspective, keep that perspective throughout the entire animation. 12 - Appeal * Your characters, objects, and the world in which they live need to appeal to the viewer. This includes having an easy-to-read design, solid drawing, and a personality. * There is no formula for getting this right, but it starts with strong character development and being able to tell your story through the art of animation.  Top Principles to improve your animation: 1. Timing and Motion 2. Squash and Stretch 3. Arcs 4. Anticipation Quiz no.3 questions: e The principle of 'Follow through and overlapping action’ involves different parts of an object stopping at different rates. - T eo When working in animation, it's best to stick with the laws of physics. Most objects follow an arc or a path when they're moving. e Animation is not about making things move, but giving life to characters & telling stories through motion. e Your characters, objects, and the world in which they live need to appeal to the viewer. This includes having an easy to read design, solid drawing, and a personality.  eo The principle of ‘Solid drawing’ requires understanding three-dimensional space and form. -T e Our guiding principle when it comes to animation is: how does this motion feel? eo The principle of ‘Squash and Stretch’ involves giving a sense of weight and flexibility to an object. -T e Squash and stretch is a really important principle, but it is easy to forget about. eo The principle of ‘Staging’ refers to using motion to guide the viewer's eye and draw attention to what's important within the scene. -T e When someone is jumping, before they jump up in the air, they often move down to build tension in their body. This downwards movement is the Anticipation. more frames = make an action slower and smoother. fewer frames = make an action faster and snappier. e Things in nature usually follow a perfectly straight line. - F e The principle of Timing’ states that more drawings make an action slower and smoother. -T eo Secondary action is great for adding a little bit of life to your animation and making it feel less rigid. It also helps the audience understand what the object is made of. Elements of a Story——————————— e Setting - Defines the where and when of the story e Character - Can be dynamic (changing) or static (unchanging) e Plot - rising action, events in a story, climax, falling action, resolution. e Conflict - Purpose and Trajectory e Theme - represents central idea, belief moral, lesson, or insight of the story. Advancements Elements of a story e Point of View - who is telling the story First person (I) Second person (you) Third person (he/she/it) Limited, multiple, omniscient perspectives. e Tone - Overall emotional feel of the story o Style - How things are said, word choice, sentence structure, dialogue, methapor, similes, hyperbole. Story Structures e Freytag's pyramind Uimax ° Rise, ov yd \\ Return, vising “NY ¢ o~ fall 7 Intvoduction N, Catastvophe Freytag’s Pyramid A formula for tragedy e The heros journey sie Ni — Ovdinary World Resurvection a ~, tim ACT thd © “ FACT \ Refusal of — J the call Reward Q Ng “. €) Meeting the Ordeal %, Acid * Mentor [Anermost Cave Orn u® She cats Tests, Allies, Caemics The Hero’s Journey Christopher Vogler’s take on the monomyth e Three-Act structure ACT 1 ACT 2 ACT 3 Uimax a 7 4 \ ncident | AN > Pre ® F | CUimax E /, \./ 5 ® ® Action aN Plot Point 2 Exposition 2; { Three Act Structure e The Dan Harmon Story circle e The Fichtean curve CUimax 2 Cuisis > Crisis 2 i» Crisis °Ss. Cnisis ? Fichtean Curve Begins immediately with rising action, followed by a series of fast-paced obstacles. e Save the cat Break into Catalyst Midpoint Ad ll 3 ®,