Digital Animation

Digital Animation: Types and Techniques

Types of Animation

• Stopmotion
• CGI (2D/3D - computer generated imagery)
• Flash 
• Claymation
• Cel Animation
• Frame-by-frame
• Line drawing
• Rotoscoping
• Live action

Line Drawing 

A hand-drawn sketch that moves frame by frame so that the shape evolves and moves

It is commonly used in contemporary advertising

Line drawings, today, are generally created using Adobe Illustrator, Adobe Flash and Lightbox

Scalable Vector Graphics (SVGs) are animated by code

Cel Animation

Short for ‘celluloid animation’

Many Disney films, especially the early ones, were created in this way

A cel is a celluloid sheet - a transparent sheet onto which characters and scenery are drawn or painted. This is traditionally done by hand

Snow White facts

• The film took roughly three years to produce, from 1934 to 1937
• Over 750 artists completed more that 2 million sketches. The film included 250,000 drawings

Hand Drawing

Not common practice today, because it is so time-consuming, and can be achieved more easily through computer. However Hayao Miyazaki’s film Spirited way, was entirely hand-drawn 

Spirited Away

Miyazaki wrote, directed, and drew the storyboards for the movie; essentially writing the movie with drawings. When you watch the film, you’re seeing one man’s work and vision. The filmmaker is so influential and involved in the production, the New Yorker once called him ‘the auteur of anime’

Rotoscoping

Traditional rotoscoping involved a stand called a rotoscope - the was used to project sequences of moving images against a surface so that a set of animation frames could be traced over them

The ‘roto’ prefix refers to the rotation of the image

Juno

• Impact of rotoscoping
• Draws attention ti the title sequence
• Effective using hand drawn style

Contemporary Rotoscoping 

Silhouette, Adobe Premiere of Final Cut Pro can be used to do the same work digitally

Digital rotoscope is used to create a matte or mask for an element so that is can be extracted to be placed on a different background, or masked out so that the colours can be changed

The artist will trace an object using a set of tools within the compositing software

Live Action Animation

In which non-animated characters interact with animated characters

Famously used in Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Space Jam (1996)

Can also be seen in Mary Poppins (1964)

Stop Motion and Claymation

Bringing inanimate objects to life

This is achieved meticulously, by moving the object incrementally and photographing it. In this way, it seems as if the object itself is moving when the fames are played sequentially

Morph - Hartbeat

Computer-generated Imagery (CGI)

When digital technology and software is used to generate animated images and graphics

CGI refers to static scenes and moving characters, while computer animation refers only to moving characters/scenes

3D animation is used in a lot of blockbusters to make characters seem more rounded (Pixar and Toy Story, for example)

Creating Gollum - Lord of the Rings

• They wanted to achieve as close to realistic movement as possible with the skeleton joins and muscle build
• They wanted to give off as realistic visuals as possible when it comes to fleshiness and texture of the skin - translucent skin and how it reflects light
• Wanted to get detailed and realistic transitions when it comes to facial expressions

Key Terms

Rendering

The process of generating an image from a 2D or 3D model via the use of computer programs

Tweening

When frames between two key movements are generated in digital animation to give a smooth appearance

Chroma Key

A special effects technique for layering two images or video streams together. The subject is filmed on but or green screen. During post-production, the background is removed and replaced with CGI

 

Development vs Run Time

The run time of a animated piece is often disproportionate to the length of time it takes to produce

In terms of frames, if you are producing a three-minute animation, with a standard 24fps, it would take 4,320 separate drawings or movements 

For a 90-minute feature, this would equate to around 129,600 drawings

Uses and Target Audience

Animation	Use/Target Audience
The Simpsons - Animated series	Entertainment and Comedy/18-49
South Park - Animated series	Entertainment and Comedy/18-24
Avatar the Last Airbender - Animated series	Entertainment (comedy?)/9-14
Wallace and Gromit - Claymation series	Entertainment and Comedy/All ages

Uses

Since its inception, animation has been used in many different forms of media, including:

• Television programmes
• Children’s animations
• Film, across many different genres
• Advertisements
• Anime and manga
• Online and viral 

Advertising

Animation is often used in advertising

Nick Park’s Creature Comforts, for example, were used to advertise heating, while cereal products often use animated characters, such as Tony the Tiger

Animated Films and TV

Traditionally, animated content is associated with younger audiences. Television programmes such as Tom and Jerry and Bugs Bunny, and Disney films from Snow White to Frozen, have been largely pitched at children (though as we know from Unit 1, these films also enjoy large audiences formed of older demographics).

Disneyfication

The transformation (as of something real or unsettling) into carefully controlled and safe entertainment or an environment with similar qualities

The french philosopher Jean Baudrillard has called Disneyland the most real place in the US, because it is not pretending to be anything more that it actually is, a theme park. he writes:

“Disneyland is presented as imaginary in order to make us believe that the rest is real, when in fact all of Los Angeles and the America surrounding it are no longer real, but of the order of the hyper-real and of simulation”

Disneyfication - A word used by a French philosopher to suggest how the idea of Disney and Disneyland - which is imaginary, is somehow the best

Target Audience

Films like Frozen (Disney) rich a broader audience other than just a younger demographic 

Many Disney and Pixar audiences (older audiences) enjoy animated films

British Television - Puppetry and Stop Motion

Animation was popular for children in the UK during the 1960s and 1970s

A number of children’s shows featured puppetry and stop motion

Shows included Bagpuss, Clangers, Button Moon, The Magic Roundabout and Postman Pat. Bagpuss seemed to delight and terrify viewers in equal measure.

The Simpsons and Family Guy

It could be argued that The Simpsons paved the way for shows like Family Guy, due to the adult jokes embedded throughout the series

When it was first devised, Bart was the main focal point for the series, with his recognisable catchphrase (eat my shorts; don’t have a cow, man; cowabunga). The creators even went as far as releasing a single

Matt Groening and the other writers of the show soon realised, though, that Homer should be the focal point, and that the target audience for the show was not children, even though that they might have been the original aesthetic 

IN a sense - alongside manga - The Simpsons did much to change the landscape of animation inspiring a new wave of adult animation

Evaluation

1. Family Guy and The Simpsons are popular with older audiences due to the fact that there is quite mature and adult humour integrated within the animation that younger audiences wouldn’t understand
2. The creators realised that Homer should be the final point instead of bart as he target audience for the show was not children but in fact adults, despite children being the original aesthetic
3. Family Guy was meant to be for adult audiences the entire time as there are few if any children included in the show, on the other hand The Simpsons had to change the focal point of the show as they realised their target audience was not in fact children. However, similarly, both shows use mature language and themes meant for adult audiences

The Rise of Manga and Anime in the West

Ukeyo-e (Floating World)

Japan has a long history of erotic and violent art, dating back at least as far as the Edo period (1603 - 1868)

Graphic Novels and Comics

It’s common to see people (mainly men) reading graphic novels in Japan, rather than novels. These are often very violent, erotic, or contain sexualised violence. This has given rise to the term ‘hentai’, referring to overtly sexualised characters and sexually explicit themes and images

Manga vs Anime

Manga is a Japanese work that roughly translates as ‘comic’ - the term generally refers to books and comics. Films and moving image are commonly referent to as anime, though many people erroneously use these interchangeable

Confusingly, DVD and VHS covers ofter feature the word ‘manga’

Manga and Anime

The rise in popularity of manga and anime in the West has meant that the perceptions of animation as a medium have shifted. Once the exclusive domain of children’s content, animation now has a much broader appeal, depending n the technique and genre

Increasingly, animation features adult content

Oe of the first big anime hits was Akira (1988), see in post-apocalyptic Tokyo

Akira - What is the target audience

15+ - The content could be seen as disturbing and mature, but it's not got such inappropriate scenes for it to be classed as an 18+. Maybe also leaning towards the male gender. But this is not to say women wouldn’t be prompted to watch it too.

G.R.A.C.E

13-19

Fans of the genre/anime

Akira and Beyond - Legend of the Overfiend

Following hot on Akira’s heels was Urotsukidoji: Legend of the Overfiend (1989), a japanese import that took animated depravity to new heights

Legend of the Overfiend - What is the target audience

18+ as there was a clip with a topless woman which would be seen as nudity which would not legally be suitable for anyone under the age of 18

Influence on Television

At the same time, Japanese and American animators started working together in the 1980s to produce some hugely popular television for children

Titles included Transformers, He-Man, Thundercats and Ulysses 31. These are fondly remembered by children of the ‘80s. The influence of Japanese artists is clearly evident

Studio Ghibli

Japanese anime isn’t all hentai sex and violence, though.

Perhaps the best-known animation studio outside of Disney is Studio Ghibli, a Japanese company known for beautifully drawn feature films with underlying messages, such as critiques of environmental pollution and the Japanese sex industry (both found in Spirited Away, a popular film amongst a wide range of audiences, including children)

Target Audience

As part of this section of the coursework, you should be considering why animation is used in these different types of media

So, for example, who is the target audience for the tortoise 

Own Animation Task

Avatar the Last Airbender

The show was made with frame by frame 2D animation.

This show is a mix of comedy, adventure, action, children show and fantasy. This is shown by a lot of the themes and content throughout the show. For example how people in the show can control the 4 elements. This would be classed as fantasy and action, however the execution of it through animation makes it more of a children’s show than for adults.

This animated series was used as a TV show as a form of entertainment for people.

Whilst the target audience was for children, many older kids and teenagers have watched it too. People may think that as it was made as a 2D animation, that it would be more catered to children rather than adults. In addition, the comedy relief and jokes wishing the show could be seen as childish, however it's been proved that people above the target audience have enjoyed the show too.

Planning and Pre-Production for Animation

Pro-Production documents to get your animation running

• Storyboard
• Gantt Chart
• Moodboard
• Mindmap 
• Client Brief/Requirements
• Health and Safety forms
• Script
• Asset table
• Setting/Location recce

Pre-Production Documentation

• Interpretation of the brief
• Purpose, Medium, Target audience, run time
• Developed storyline with focus on event/characters
• Synopsis/treatment
• Sketches
• Storyboards
• Scripts
• Personnel and crew
• Running order/Gantt chart

Narrative Theories - In your animation

You could use Propp’s character archetype theory - The theory that every story involves a certain set of character tropes

• The villain
• The hero
• The princess
• The princess’s father
• The donor 
• The helper
• The false hero
• The dispatcher

Narrative Task - Applied to Animation

Spirited Away

Valdmir Propp’s character archetypes	Todorov’s narrative structure theory
Chihiro - Hero	Equilibrium - Chihiro and her parents moving
Haku - Helper	Disruption of Equilibrium - Chihiro's parents turning into pigs, and Chihiro having to work for Yubaba
Yubaba - Villain (False Hero)	Realisation - Chihiro needs to save her parents before she forgets her name
Chihiro’s Parents - The ‘prize'	Repairing the Damage - Chihiro goes to Yubaba’s sister and helps Haku remember his name
Lin - Dispatcher	New Equilibrium - Chihiro's parents are saved and they have no relocation of what happened

SWOT Analysis

S: Strengths (eg. What makes it unique? How does it meet its purpose?)

W: Weaknesses (eg. What is it missing? What are the limitations of your plan?)

O: Opportunities  (eg. Can you expand the target audience? Can it be rolled our all year?)

T: Threats (eg. Who’s the main competitor? Are there distribution problems?)

Risk Assessment

For example; if you’re filming a stop motion think about how long it would take to film, and securing a safe place t do this. The last thing you want is completing half of the filming, leave it overnight and come back the next morning to discover it's been attacked by raccoons. What about claymation? Might this dry over night?

You could also look into the Health and Safety at Work and Computer Misuse Acts (repetitive strain injury, crick int he neck etc). Then there’s the usual stuff about burning yourself on lights, electrocuting yourself on SD cards or impaling yourself on tripods

Personnel and Crew

Additional personnel/crew to consider for an animated film would include voice artists and foley artists

Foley artists produce sound effects across a range of features, not just animated They often use real objects to mimic those seen in a film. Bashing water melons and other forms of vegetable matter is popular in the profession