Animation Design & Production History & Types PDF

Animation Design & Production Lesson 1.1: History & Types of Animation  ANIMATION Animation is the illusion of movement created by showing a series of still pictures in rapid succession. In the world of computers, graphics software used to create this e...

Animation Design & Production Lesson 1.1: History & Types of Animation  ANIMATION Animation is the illusion of movement created by showing a series of still pictures in rapid succession. In the world of computers, graphics software used to create this effect.. A more complex animation could be of a human or alien face in a computer software game or animation of a space battle in a movie.  HISTORY The animation industry has grown to become an absolute behemoth in the world of cinema. As of the last reliable estimates, which surfaced around 2008, the industry was reported to be worth a cool $68.4 billion alone, and that was before the world had ever heard of a little movie called Frozen.  And even though modern animated movies require massive teams working solidly for years, they’re still the most profitable of any film genre. They have been since 2004, with gross profit margins at 52% compared to the second-most profitable genre, action, at 48%. It’s appears that the industry has stumbled into a gold mine, and it’s still way too early to predict when we’ll hit the peak.  THE FIRST EVER ANIMATION "The first animated work on standard picture film was Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) by J. Stuart Blackton. It features a cartoonist drawing faces on a chalkboard, and the faces apparently coming to life." "The history of film animation began in the 1890s with the earliest days of silent films and continues through the present day. The first animated film was created by Charles-Émile Reynaud, inventor of the praxinoscope, an animation system using loops of 12 pictures PHENAKISTOSCOPE DISK  THE FIRST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM After a number of pioneers began creating animated shorts in the early 20th century (1914’s Gertie the Dinosaur being a notable example), the very first feature-length animation created using traditional methods was entitled El Apóstol. Released in 1917 to a South American theatre audience, the 70- minute long movie – running at an impressive 14 frames per second – also holds the distinction of being the first commercially profitable animated movie ever made.  THE RISE OF MOUSE HOUSE To many, the word “animation” begins and ends with Walt Disney. With more innovations and notable works over the 20th century (and beyond) than we could ever hope to list here, Disney’s studio and tumultuous history set a precedent for the entire animation industry. Interestingly, Pinto Colvig, famously known as the voice of Disney’s Goofy, was an extremely talented illustrator and is reputed to have made the very first animated feature film himself a couple of years before El Apóstol, but this is now impossible to verify.  As a result, some commenter's point to the 1937 release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as the first feature-length animated film since it was fully hand-drawn and isn’t classified as a ‘lost movie’.  THE FIRST COMPUTER ANIMATED FEATURE FILM If the founding of Disney Studios is the biggest turning point in animation history so far, Pixar’s release of Toy Story in 1995 could be deemed the second biggest. While it’s amazing that Toy Story still looks incredible two decades later, it’s undeniable that the CGI animations released since are following some kind of Moore’s Law effect: every year the rate of technological increase is growing exponentially, leading to mind- blowing results which are light-years ahead of titles released just a couple of years ago.  TYPES OF ANIMATION Traditional animation 2D animation 3D animation Typography Animation Clay animation Sand Animation Flip book Animation Stop-motion animation, etc.  TRADITIONAL ANIMATION OR CLASSICAL 2D ANIMATION Traditional animation involved animators drawing by hand for each and every frame. 2D animation involves creating numerous drawings then feeding into a plastic cells, hand painting them and create the animated sequence on a painted background image. Traditional Animation Movies : Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Peter Pan, and Sleeping Beauty, Aladdin  2D ANIMATION Creating animations in the 2 dimensional space with the help of digital technologies is known as digital 2d animation. Today, artists use computer software to create everything in a 2D animation, including environments, characters, visual effects, and more. For most of the 20th century, animation was done by taking photographs of drawings on paper and then placing them on transparent acetate sheets called cels.  Some of the biggest anime hits are: Dragonball Z Naruto One Piece Attack On Titan 2D animation was also once the dominant art form for most of video game’s history. Beloved titles like Super Mario Bros, Mega Man, Super Metroid, and The Legend of Zelda all employ 2D visuals.  3D ANIMATION 3D animation is the manipulation of three dimensional objects and virtual environments with the use of a computer program. This form, which is also called computer-generated imagery (CGI), is a fairly recent technique that only came into use during the 1990s. The reason 3D animation has become popular is because it can be used to create realistic objects and scenes.  Animators first create a 3D polygon mesh with various connected vertices to give it form. The mesh is then rigged by giving it an armature, a skeletal structure that can be manipulated to make the object appear in specific poses. After making other objects and environments, the artist then uses the software to create scenes that are much more lifelike than 2D animation.  STOP ANIMATION This technique involves setting an object or character in a specific pose against a background and taking a picture. The involved elements are then slightly modified before taking another frame. This is similar to traditional 2D animation in that having various frames gives the impression of movement.  CLAMATION Clay animation is a form of stop-motion that is popular enough to be seen as its own technique. This involves the same process but clay (plasticine) is used for almost all the characters, objects, and backdrops. Tim Burton has popularized this technique by using it in a number of his films, including Beetle juice, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride, and James and the Giant Peach.  PAINT-ON-GLASS ANIMATION This rare but attractive technique requires the manipulation of slow-drying oil paints on sheets of glass to create the illusion of motion. Even though it is uncommon and difficult to do, paint-on-glass animation is usually well-received. A Russian animator by the name of Aleksandr Petrov has used this technique to create seven films, and all of them been award winners. HOLLYWOOD’S FILMS PRODUCTION COMPANIES THANK YOU