FAMST 107
Animation (Norman McLaren)
"Not the art of drawings that move, but the art of movement which is drawn"
Animation (studio Zagreb)
"To give life and soul to design, not through copying but through the transformation of reality"
Animation (webster definition)
"To give life or motion to"
"The Golden Era"
-1930s -a LOT of emphasis on sound and color -interfacing animated fantasy world with music
Gulliver's Travels
-1939 -Fleischer Bros. -feature length
"Begone Dull Care"
-1949 -by Norman McLaren -Jazz music with images drawn on film
"Neighbors"
-1952 -Norman McLaren -pixellation and variable speed shooting -sound is synthetically photographed directly onto soundtrack area of the film -allusions to Korean war
"The Hole"
-1962 -Faith Elliot & John Hubley -an animated film at the time of the Cuban Missile crisis -improvised dialogue - would let people talk and then they animated it (raised it to another form) -about construction workers -not meant to be realistic - a lot of watercolors -implied motion -NOT a normal animated piece -piece of art and a social commentary
"Walking"
-1968 -Ryan Larkin -National Film Board of Canada -chose to work in lots and lots of different styles all in the same piece -different characters walking -lots of holds and camera movement on still frames
"Frank Mouris"
-1973 -starts off relatively easily in the visual side then gets increasingly chaotic - sound is consistently chaotic -kinestasis
"Hunger"
-1974 -2D computer generated piece -Peter Folds -done in the early 1970s -first time that CGI tried to tell a story -National Film Board of Canada -used the computer to make in-betweens
Cycles
-indirect method economy -where a group of drawings get reused - makes action go on for longer without having to draw more
Full Animation
-is considering every frame! -drew the background every time if every thing is in motion (including the background)
Limited Animation
-limiting work! -if it is going to hold still, separate it! -limiting movement -separating out backgrounds AND separating out parts of the body that don't move -stacking a sandwich of cels
Porter's The Teddy Bears (1907)
-live action w/ 3D object animation - pixilation -teddy bears dance -Edwin Porter -one of the first frame by frame animated films -there is some characterization of the bears - gives them personality
Economies
-makes animation possible with least amount of drawings
Direct Method
-making creative choices at the point of attack -when you're capturing the image is when you make a choice with what is happening with your animation -typically 3D animation
UPA (United Productions of America)
-many of these artists came out of Disney -basis of UPA was we'll make films and cartoons to compete with Disney and Warner Bros. -someone would come up with an idea and they would unite to work on a production, then when it was done they would shift gears to work on someone else's production -UPA does not have one particular look
Implied Motion
-no motion at all, just implying that there is motion -dollie shots - where the character is on a cycle (induced motion) and you're dragging the background frame by frame (implying motion)
3D animation
-object animation -stop motion -puppet stop motion -claymation -Computer Animation (3D) -cutout animation
Willis O'Brian
-one of the deans of stop motion animation -did the animation in King Kong
Windsor McCay
-one of the preeminent beginners of animation -American -"Gertie the Dinosaur" (1910) -started to understand how to use a drawing over and over again - cycles -characterization -figured out the division of labor - had an intern (intern does the backgrounds; McCay draws Gertie) -1920s McCay saw animated cartoon as an art, but the it had to transform so that it could be popular and mass produced ("Not an art, but a trade...bad luck")
3D shadow puppets from Java
-poles to move arms & legs - agreement to ignore them -creating a character that can tell you a story -pre-cinema animation
Zoetrope / Praxinoscope
-praxinoscope would project a series of images onto the screen (multiple images slightly altered to create movement) -theater optique (optical theater) -pre-cinema animation
George Pal Puppetoons
-pre-created characters in different poses -allows for division of labor controlled from above for 3D puppet animation
"Tin Toy"
-1988 -3D animated short -won the Academy Award for short -coming out party for computer generated 3D imagery -implied motion -computer can do image distortions - integrated into the story -commentary on people being so excited about the computer and not the story
Classical 2D animation
-2D Drawn / 2D Line -drawing ability and design are both important -characters that read fast and read well -2D computer animation
Cohl's Fantasmagorie (1908)
-2D approach to animation -Emile Cohl -2D line drawing -playing with animation - briefly goes from 2D to a cutout -involved the animators hand in it -animator into the world of the animated piece
Indirect Method
-2D usually -make creative choices before you took it to the camera -all the work happens before you got to the camera -allows for division of labor! -allows you to put more people in play (assembly line)
Ub Iwerks
-Disney Animator -moved to the West Coast with the Disney's and produced work -wanted more control over his work -didn't like the concept of the assembly line -he stepped away from the Disney's and decided to produce on his own -worked with P.A. Powers -liked fantasy and fairytales -his cartoons were harder and longer to produce -lots of motion going on in one frame
"Flowers and Trees"
-Disney Technicolor film -short animated film -part of the Silly Symphonies series -1930s
"World of Tomorrow"
-Don Hertzfeldt -2D animated
Comicalamities
-Felix the Cat -argument with animator -Otto Mesmer -can use things differently than you might imagine
16:9 Aspect Ratio
-HD TV -more rectangular -1.78:1
"Bead Game"
-Ishu Patel -1977 -3D disguised as 2D -made with little glass beads -gets incredibly complicated -hand done
"In Your Arms"
-Kina Grannis -2011 - Jellybean video -computer interface used for the animatic -storyboarded it, used the 2D flash file for reference -projected it down to layout the jellybeans -audience never sees the 2D animation -computer assist
"An American Time Capsule"
-Kinestasis -Chuck Braverman -1968 -looking at other people's art compiled together and put to music -told the history of the US in three minutes -born on TV (put on by the Smothers Brothers) -compilation of famous images in the US
Snow White: Betty Boop (1933)
-Max and Dave Fleischer worked in black and white world -went to the idea of doing Snow White short with Betty Boop -involved in musical cartoons that were pop culture oriented -worked with Cab Calloway (he would perform and they would launch off of that into the cartoon; wanted to try to get more than just his music in; Rotoscoped him and incorporated him into their cartoons) -Cab Calloway as Coco the Clown
"Creature Comforts"
-Nick Park (creator of Wallace and Grommet and Chicken Run) -1989 -claymation -really good animation -about animals in the zoo
"Dots"
-Norman McLaren -1940 -drawn directly onto the film -camera-less animation -drew the soundtrack on the film as well -wouldn't have done well if it was exhibited in a theater, but was shown in film clubs instead -attracted attention of John Grierson -experimental animation
The Mascot
-Paris, 1933 -about a woman who makes toys for her sick daughter
Ladislov Starovich
-Polish animator -worked on an animated film in Paris -saw the animated world as an interesting place to tell stories -"The Mascot"
The Gallopin' Gaucho
-Rubber hose animation -legs and arms like a rubber hose -used cycles -Mickey Mouse Animated Cartoon -Roy and Walt Disney -background gets dragged by the celluloid drawing -indirect method
The Fleischer Brothers, Max & Dave
-Superman -Betty Boop -looked for ways to economize their works -created the Rotoscope in 1917
Division of labor
-The idea: producers, writers, directors -The design: characters and spaces -The process: animators and 'tweeners (in-betweeners) -three different areas where you find yourself gravitating
"Rooty Toot Toot"
-UPA production -1951 -shown by Columbia related theaters -had a completely different look and style than Disney
"The Tell Tale Heart"
-UPA production -1953 -VERY different stylistically -suggests that things are completely changing in the way animation is being looked on
December 7, 1941
-US enters WWII -the creative rights of the cartoonist doesn't have as much significance as it might have had -war changes animation -departments don't close down -Fleischer Bros. stopped doing feature film work (focused on Superman propaganda) -short animated films continue
Jack and the Beanstalk
-Ub Iwerks -musical -1933
1939
-WWII starts in Europe
Thaumatrope
-a disc on strings that gets spun -two images on either side of disc get merged -pre-cinema animation
"Gertie the Dinosaur" (1910)
-animated short created by Windsor McCay that is about a dinosaur named Gertie who interacts with Windsor as he gives her "commands" -cycles and division of labor (intern for in-betweens)
Pixilation
-animating found objects
Exposure sheets
-animation at frame level (shooting on 2s, 3s, 4s, etc.) -tells person shooting the animation how many times they shoot a certain frame -frame by frame control (specific number of drawings and what they're going to show)
Puppet Animation
-armatures -3D printing used to print out computer generated faces for the puppet - can swap out facial expressions -best puppet work traditionally came out of eastern Europe, where puppetry was huge -more puppet films have been manufactured over the years than clay -3D stop motion
Zero motion
-as important as a rest in music -creates its own way of manipulating what comes after -called a hold
John Grierson
-brought from Scotland to Canada to create the National Film Board of Canada in 1941 (NFBC) -Canadian gov. wanted to communicate a Canadian POV throughout the country (before the war) -wanted them to make films about Canada for Canadians -documentary filmmaker -realizes animation can tell the types of stories that documentary can't -puts Norman McLaren in charge of animation board of Canada
The Animators Strike 1941
-by 1941 a lot of Disney animators are trying to unionize -decide to go on strike -wanted more creative control -sends a signal that animation is changing and that the "Golden Era" is over
Technology
-by the end of the 1910s animation is in cinematography books -Animation downshooter - shoots down at the animation -backlit drawing board -photographed the animations frame by frame
Irregular motion
-can't predict the spacing on the next frame
Motion Capture / Performance Capture
-captures live actors performance
Stop Motion
-characters must be made / designed
Claymation
-clay can be well created and have complicated armatures - points of articulation -the more points of articulation, the more expressive a character can be -need to be a sculptor if you work with clay -allows you to make metamorphic actions happen easier (crazier perspective is easier in clay)
Comicolor
-competitive color system to Technicolor -Technicolor owned by Disney
CAPS - Computer Animation and Production System
-computer assist -computer could take the mundane out of producing a 2D animated film -assisted production method -bond paper goes in as a scan into the computer, and the director can see how the animation is working -create an electronic exposure sheet -digitized ink & paint -used for assisting with conventional 2D animation -1987
Constant Motion
-constant rate of speed -spacing would be constant
1930s
-depression before the war -escapism is anticipated -color as a technology is becoming very useful - mostly fantasy films and cartoons -SOUND has come in! -animation tied in with music -cartoon animation is taking off and widely recognized -stop motion and puppet animation
Mickey designed as a comeback from losing Oslo
-designed to compete with Felix the Cat -similar attitude to Felix, doesn't treat people or animals correctly -smart aleck attitude
Animatics
-develops idea into visual & temporal realms (like a slideshow) -gives you an idea of timing
"Sita Sings the Blues"
-done exclusively in flash -single woman made a feature -Nina Paley -2008
Felix the Cat
-essential animated character -lots of volume / cartoons -merchandising -very popular
The Illusionist
-film about an elderly magician who meets a girl and he takes care of her for a while until she meets a boy and falls in love and the magician gives up being a magician -took LOTS of people to make this movie -classical 2D animation -2010 -from a script by a french live-action filmmaker in the 1950s -used computer for computer assist but a hand drawn process -some computer generated animation lurking within the film - used practically
Pixar
-first outfit to truly understand the potential of 3D computer animation -always used a Disney model -a technical goal was always there -at the same time, reaching further for their voice talent -set up a story department which would have plenty of time to create a story
1940s (post-WWII)
-government started paying attention to the vertical integration of the studio system -monopoly as a bad thing -US vs. Paramount, et al. (said that they couldn't control everything; had to divest themselves of one of the three legs and got rid of exhibition) -constant flow of work coming out of the studios is disrupted for the animators
Magic Lantern presentation (19th century-ish)
-group of entertainers hired to present a show in the home -narrator & musician -two projectors with lenses - one for background and one for multiple slides & movement (would drag slides to create movement) -pre-cinema animation
Computer Assist
-helping with doing conventional drawn animation -can use the computer to assist with implied and induced motion - computer can take the mechanical motion of dragging the background across to induce motion (can program it to do so) -motion control - live action; exact repeatability of artwork movement, camera movement, or both (used in effects work) -motion capture - 3D equivalent of rotoscoping -lunchbox - computer and camera assist us in doing conventional / classical animation -computer is very valuable in assisting
4:3 Aspect Ratio
-horizontal shape -4 across, 3 up -1.33:1
Accelerating Motion
-if it is accelerating the spacing of the images in the frames get farther and farther apart
Decelerating Motion
-if it is decelerating the spacing of the images in the frames get closer and closer together
1950s TV comes into the home
-increased market for animated work - networks buying animated product from studios -at first the networks just wanted product - no real regulation with cartoons -another place for the studios to market their stuff -animation for advertising (animation was a great way to advertise) -a lot of little animation companies are working on commercials, titles, and credit sequences
Rotoscope
-indirect method economy -advance frame by frame and capture live action motion -motion capture influenced by this (particularly computer 3D) -realistic action
Animated cartoon panorama
-indirect method economy -dollie shots -pulling the background past the cel cycle
Shooting on multiples
-indirect method economy -need to draw less
Celluloid
-indirect method economy -used to separate background from the action back then; later on they go the opposite way -animators are able to separate action from background -characters end up on celluloid -no one has to retrace the background over and over again
Motion picture industry by the 1920s was dominated by the major studios (MGM, Paramount, Universal, Warner Bros.)
-producers, distributors, and exhibitors (the trifecta) -had opportunity to make a whole ton of money -started creating own animation departments within studio (played cartoons before feature length films)
Compositing
-putting animated characters in a live action world -Who Framed Roger Rabbit
Chuckamation
-random shit thrown in front of the camera -no design (animation for the inept) -not controlling action frame by frame (literally throwing them)
"Out of the Inkwell"
-series -recognizable characters continuing on each time -Betty Boop and Coco the Clown
1916
-silhouette animation came around in 1916 for Paramount Studios -pose-able jointed characters -"Inbad the Sailor"
Lotte Reiniger's "The Adventures of Prince Achmed" (1923-1926)
-started in 1919 -silhouette animation -backlit cardboard figures -always worked with fairytales and myth -direct method - just like stop motion (does it right there before she commits and hits the button on the camera) -2D cutouts -first feature length animated film
Computer Generated Imagery (CGI)
-starts with NASA and the Defense Department -used for visualization of things that we can't see -can use the computer in an artistic way - abstract design -storytellers had to come in and get involved with computer animation in order to make it an art form -Disney R&D led the way with computer animation and used it in supporting ways for a while -creating MORE jobs
Feature Length Animation
-took a lot of imagination and daring to get into the feature length animation market -Disney Bros. -Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) -paid off well (not the first animated feature length though)
Kinestasis
-use material (found objects) that already exist -compiling images together to create something new -using other people's designs and manipulating them to be your own
King Kong
-used animation to support features in the visual/special effects area -the stars are the stop motion characters -this film had a huge impact -serious change of game because of the effects work and the sophistication of what they did with animation supporting a live action film
Animation During WWII
-war changes animation: -animators started making war propaganda primarily used on the home front (make instructional / educational animated films) -animated material gets points across -cartoons shift in terms of content
Emile Cohl
-was a cartoonist before he started working on animation -one of the first people to actually say he made animated films -he was proud of it
Storyboards
-way of explaining where things are happening in the frame and what the compositions really look like -in an animated film every time we set up a different background, it's a different scene in a storyboard and film
Induced Motion
-where you take a series of drawings and change them over and over again
"Balance"
-won an academy award in 1989 -puppet animation -about a group of characters who need to maintain balance together - discover a box; jealousy ensues
Frames per Second
24 fps
