Introduction to Animation TGJ 2 OI Communications Technology

Introduction to Animation TGJ 2 OI Communications Technology Bluevale Collegiate

Introduction to Animation There are 2 main categories of animation: CLASSICAL ANIMATION & COMPUTER ANIMATION (CGI)

Introduction to Animation CLASSICAL ANIMATION: • Created using a series of hand-produced drawings or paintings, called FRAMES or CELLS • Sound is usually recorded first, and then animations are produced to fit voices • Background artwork is created separately from foreground drawings (background does not move) • Tends to be very costly to produce and is extremely timeconsuming • Disney films, such as The Lion King and Snow White, feature some of the finest examples of classical animation

Introduction to Animation CLASSICAL ANIMATION: • To produce smooth movement, an animator must produce between 18 and 24 frames (drawings) for every second of film (Disney uses 24 FPS) • The more frames per second (FPS), the smoother the movement. • Our eyes can perceive separate drawings at less than 18 FPS – animation looks choppy • An average feature length animated movie will feature millions of separate drawings

Introduction to Animation CLASSICAL ANIMATION: • When creating drawings, animators will use KEY FRAMES to indicate important points in movement • Artists then produce In-Betweens (or tweening) – drawings between key frames to give appearance of smooth movement • After cells are produced, they are photographed or filmed in sequence (with background) to create final film.

Introduction to Animation CLASSICAL ANIMATION: • Begin with sketches of your characters, etc. from a variety of angles • Produce a storyboard and/or script that describes the action • To animate, begin with 1 drawing and then trace features, making subtle changes in each new drawing to simulate movement • The subtler the changes, the smoother or slower the movement

Introduction to Animation COMPUTER ANIMATION: • Much quicker and cheaper than classical animation • Still requires a great amount of skill and work • Create objects on computer and then manipulate them to produce illusion of movement • Enables artists to create 2 D or 3 D animation • Computer creates “in-between” images between key frames (saves plenty of time) – called TWEENING! • Featured in Shrek, Over the Hedge, Toy Story, etc. • Also used in movies – The Matrix, Jurassic Park, etc.

Introduction to Animation COMPUTER ANIMATION: Production Process • • • Object creation - “ Building your geometry” Adding Materials - “ Adding colour” Animation - “ Controlling movement” Adding lighting - “ Making it look 3 d” Camera work - “Photographing the scenes” Rendering - “Printing a final copy”. Often as an AVI or MOV file.

Introduction to Animation And now… Some Cool Samples