As the Christmas season approaches, it's fun to touch base with your friends and send them a Flash greeting card. And in this age of digital cameras and the Internet, it's easier than ever to make homemade Christmas e-cards for every one you care.
Due date: TBA
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Pixillation Project Final Due date:TBA
Claymation Project Marks breakdown:
Pre-Production 40%
1)Character development: Drawing your characters (10%) Due: Nov8th
2)Story for your short animation (10%) Due: Nov 10th
3) Storyboards (10%)
4)Clay model creation (10%)
Production 40%
5)Filming in pixillation mode (40%)
Post-Production 20%
6)Editing/inserting sounds and effects
7)Burning and making copy
Pre-Production 40%
1)Character development: Drawing your characters (10%) Due: Nov8th
2)Story for your short animation (10%) Due: Nov 10th
3) Storyboards (10%)
4)Clay model creation (10%)
Production 40%
5)Filming in pixillation mode (40%)
Post-Production 20%
6)Editing/inserting sounds and effects
7)Burning and making copy
Pixillation
Norman McLaren coined the term pixillation for the stop-motion animation technique that consists in shooting, one frame at a time, characters or objects whose movements are controlled entirely by the filmmaker. He used this technique in Neighbours (1952), a powerful antiwar fable, then in A Chairy Tale (1957) and Opening Speech (1961), two films in which the story turns on the refusal of an everyday object (a chair and a microphone) to behave as expected.
http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/techniques/pixillation.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XIiWOuDuxc
http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/techniques/pixillation.php
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5XIiWOuDuxc
Monday, October 25, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Types of Animation
There are many different types of animation that are used nowadays. The three main types are clay animation, computer animation, and regular animation.
Clay Animation
Clay animation is not really a new technique as many people might think. Clay animation began shortly after plasticine (a clay-like substance) was invented in 1897, and one of the first films to use it was made in 1902. This type of animation was not very popular until Gumby was invented. The invention of Gumby was a big step in the history of clay animation. Now, clay animation has become more popular and easier to do. Later on, more clay animation films were made, such as the Wallace and Gromit series of movies, the advertisements that were made for the California Raisin Advisory Board and the Celebrity Deathmatch series.
Computer Animation
Computer animation has also become common. Computer animation began about 40 years ago when the first computer drawing system was created by General Motors and IBM. It allowed the user to view a 3D model of a car and change the angles and rotation. Years later, more people helped make computer animation better. Movies that used computer animation are: The Abyss, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, and more. Also, computer animation was used differently, as in the show 'South Park', which used stop motion cutout animation; recently it uses computer animation. A well-known computer animation company is Pixar. They are responsible for making Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and more. Also, video games have used computer animation as well.
Cel-Shaded Animation
Cel-shaded animation is makes computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. This type of animation is most commonly turning up in console video games. Most of the time the cel-shading process starts with a typical 3D model. The difference occurs when a cel-shaded object is drawn on-screen. The rendering engine only selects a few shades of each color for the object, making it look flat.
In order to draw black ink lines outlining an object's contours, the back-face culling is inverted to draw back-faced triangles with black-colored vertices. The vertices must be drawn many times with a slight change in translation to make the lines thick. This produces a black-shaded silhouette. The back-face culling is then set back to normal to draw the shading and optional textures of the object. The result is that the object is drawn with a black outline.
The first 3D video game to feature true real-time cel shading was Jet Set Radio for the Sega Dreamcast. After Jet Set Radio, many other cel-shaded games were introduced during a minor fad involving cel-shaded graphics. The next games with cel-shading to capture attention in some form were 2002's Jet Set Radio Future and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Over time, more cel-shaded titles such as Dark Cloud 2, Cel Damage, Klonoa 2, and the Viewtiful Joe series were released with good results. There were also some television shows that used the cel-shading style. These shows included Family Guy, Futurama, Fairly Oddparents, Spider-Man, The Simpsons, and many more.
Regular Animation
Animation began with Winsor McCay. He did his animations all by himself, and it took him a long time (about a year for a five minute cartoon). But for some, it was ridiculous that they would have to wait so much for so little. Then the modern animation studio came to be. Years later, more people would invent more cartoon characters. Otto Messmer invented the character 'Felix the Cat'. Later on, the Walt Disney Studio created 'Steamboat Willie', which introduced the character Mickey Mouse. Other companies started to make their own cartoons; some of which we can still watch today.
Clay Animation
Clay animation is not really a new technique as many people might think. Clay animation began shortly after plasticine (a clay-like substance) was invented in 1897, and one of the first films to use it was made in 1902. This type of animation was not very popular until Gumby was invented. The invention of Gumby was a big step in the history of clay animation. Now, clay animation has become more popular and easier to do. Later on, more clay animation films were made, such as the Wallace and Gromit series of movies, the advertisements that were made for the California Raisin Advisory Board and the Celebrity Deathmatch series.
Computer Animation
Computer animation has also become common. Computer animation began about 40 years ago when the first computer drawing system was created by General Motors and IBM. It allowed the user to view a 3D model of a car and change the angles and rotation. Years later, more people helped make computer animation better. Movies that used computer animation are: The Abyss, Jurassic Park, Forrest Gump, and more. Also, computer animation was used differently, as in the show 'South Park', which used stop motion cutout animation; recently it uses computer animation. A well-known computer animation company is Pixar. They are responsible for making Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., Finding Nemo, and more. Also, video games have used computer animation as well.
Cel-Shaded Animation
Cel-shaded animation is makes computer graphics appear to be hand-drawn. This type of animation is most commonly turning up in console video games. Most of the time the cel-shading process starts with a typical 3D model. The difference occurs when a cel-shaded object is drawn on-screen. The rendering engine only selects a few shades of each color for the object, making it look flat.
In order to draw black ink lines outlining an object's contours, the back-face culling is inverted to draw back-faced triangles with black-colored vertices. The vertices must be drawn many times with a slight change in translation to make the lines thick. This produces a black-shaded silhouette. The back-face culling is then set back to normal to draw the shading and optional textures of the object. The result is that the object is drawn with a black outline.
The first 3D video game to feature true real-time cel shading was Jet Set Radio for the Sega Dreamcast. After Jet Set Radio, many other cel-shaded games were introduced during a minor fad involving cel-shaded graphics. The next games with cel-shading to capture attention in some form were 2002's Jet Set Radio Future and Sly Cooper and the Thievius Raccoonus. Over time, more cel-shaded titles such as Dark Cloud 2, Cel Damage, Klonoa 2, and the Viewtiful Joe series were released with good results. There were also some television shows that used the cel-shading style. These shows included Family Guy, Futurama, Fairly Oddparents, Spider-Man, The Simpsons, and many more.
Regular Animation
Animation began with Winsor McCay. He did his animations all by himself, and it took him a long time (about a year for a five minute cartoon). But for some, it was ridiculous that they would have to wait so much for so little. Then the modern animation studio came to be. Years later, more people would invent more cartoon characters. Otto Messmer invented the character 'Felix the Cat'. Later on, the Walt Disney Studio created 'Steamboat Willie', which introduced the character Mickey Mouse. Other companies started to make their own cartoons; some of which we can still watch today.
History of Animation
History of Animation
(a quick synopsis)
In the Beginning...
Edweard MuyBridge "Humans in Motion" stop motion photos - studied the
dynamics of animal movement this way.
Zoetrope (series of sequential images in a revolving drum) when the drum is
revolved the slits in the drum creates the illusion of motion and becomes first
movie- similarly film creates this illusion by having one image then black then
image then black again.
Thaumatrope (disk with one image on each side) twirl it and the two images
superimpose on each other. two frame animation.
French Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere
Technology for recording of sequential images on a flexible film base. (1895)
- most of the first films were French and released in America...
Norman McLaren - Canadian - organized the National Film Board of Canada.
Cel and Paper Animation Technique
By mid-1910s animation production in US already dominated by the techniques
of cel and paper.
Cell animation was more popularized in America than in Europe because of
assembly line Taylorism that had taken America by storm. Cell Animation was
most appropriate to the assembly-line style of manufacturing because it took a
whole line of persons working on very specific and simple repetitive duties. On
the other hand, in Europe where the assembly-line style of work was not
encouraged, clay animation and other forms of animation that required only a few
individuals working on the set at a time was more popularized. Because the
actual set could only afford a limited amount of individuals working at one time
together and no more this style and other alternative forms of animation became
more widely accepted.
Disney - cell animation - draw each image one at a time using onion-skinning
technique.
Synched Sound: Steamboat Willie - released November 18, 1928 - Disney
Disney created the first cartoon synchronized with sound entitled 'Steamboat
Willie'
At first Disney tried to reach a deal with RCA or Western Electric to record the
soundtrack but were turned down. Instead Walt contracted with bootleg Powers
Cinephone process and even with a disastrous first recording finally in a session
recorded the soundtrack with a 15-piece band and his very own Mickey squeaks.
(a quick synopsis)
In the Beginning...
Edweard MuyBridge "Humans in Motion" stop motion photos - studied the
dynamics of animal movement this way.
Zoetrope (series of sequential images in a revolving drum) when the drum is
revolved the slits in the drum creates the illusion of motion and becomes first
movie- similarly film creates this illusion by having one image then black then
image then black again.
Thaumatrope (disk with one image on each side) twirl it and the two images
superimpose on each other. two frame animation.
French Brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere
Technology for recording of sequential images on a flexible film base. (1895)
- most of the first films were French and released in America...
Norman McLaren - Canadian - organized the National Film Board of Canada.
Cel and Paper Animation Technique
By mid-1910s animation production in US already dominated by the techniques
of cel and paper.
Cell animation was more popularized in America than in Europe because of
assembly line Taylorism that had taken America by storm. Cell Animation was
most appropriate to the assembly-line style of manufacturing because it took a
whole line of persons working on very specific and simple repetitive duties. On
the other hand, in Europe where the assembly-line style of work was not
encouraged, clay animation and other forms of animation that required only a few
individuals working on the set at a time was more popularized. Because the
actual set could only afford a limited amount of individuals working at one time
together and no more this style and other alternative forms of animation became
more widely accepted.
Disney - cell animation - draw each image one at a time using onion-skinning
technique.
Synched Sound: Steamboat Willie - released November 18, 1928 - Disney
Disney created the first cartoon synchronized with sound entitled 'Steamboat
Willie'
At first Disney tried to reach a deal with RCA or Western Electric to record the
soundtrack but were turned down. Instead Walt contracted with bootleg Powers
Cinephone process and even with a disastrous first recording finally in a session
recorded the soundtrack with a 15-piece band and his very own Mickey squeaks.
Animated Flipbook Assignment--Oct 29th
This is an exercise in extremely low-tech animation that's designed to illustrate basic principles of image, sequential movement and perception.
In this assignment, you are to create your own flipbook using your own drawings or photographs. You may draw by hand or you may use computer software (e.g., Photoshop). If you use a computer, however, you are not permitted to use animation software to complete the assignment. That is, the flipbook is to be submitted in the form of an assembled and bound or stapled book of images.
(Index cards or heavy photo stock are recommended. Images glued to playing cards also work well.) Your flipbook should consist of 30-50 individual images, which translates to a "running time" of about three to five seconds.
In devising your animation, you should take into account that thee standard projection rate for film is 24 frames (images) per second. The number of images per second in animation varies, from about 12ips (or more) in "full" animation to 6ips (or fewer) in "limited" animation.
In this assignment, you should attempt to simulate a fluid, continuous movement--that is, full animation. The subject matter of your animation is up to you--people, objects, or abstract shapes are okay (please note that adolescent displays of extreme sex and/or violence generally are boring, however).
DUE Oct 29th.
Video Resources:
In this assignment, you are to create your own flipbook using your own drawings or photographs. You may draw by hand or you may use computer software (e.g., Photoshop). If you use a computer, however, you are not permitted to use animation software to complete the assignment. That is, the flipbook is to be submitted in the form of an assembled and bound or stapled book of images.
(Index cards or heavy photo stock are recommended. Images glued to playing cards also work well.) Your flipbook should consist of 30-50 individual images, which translates to a "running time" of about three to five seconds.
In devising your animation, you should take into account that thee standard projection rate for film is 24 frames (images) per second. The number of images per second in animation varies, from about 12ips (or more) in "full" animation to 6ips (or fewer) in "limited" animation.
In this assignment, you should attempt to simulate a fluid, continuous movement--that is, full animation. The subject matter of your animation is up to you--people, objects, or abstract shapes are okay (please note that adolescent displays of extreme sex and/or violence generally are boring, however).
DUE Oct 29th.
Video Resources:
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Course Outline Animation
Course Description
The expectations for this course will be taught through the exploration of animation techniques, from traditional hand-drawn animation to 3D modelling. Students will work independently and in groups, to create interesting and unique animations. Students will study from the work of others in order to inspire and further develop their own projects.
The expectations for this course will be taught through the exploration of animation techniques, from traditional hand-drawn animation to 3D modelling. Students will work independently and in groups, to create interesting and unique animations. Students will study from the work of others in order to inspire and further develop their own projects.
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