| Animation
-the creation and use of still images in such a manner that
when viewed in rapid succession they create an illusion of
movement.
Traditional
animation is a time consuming process since each second
of footage requires the creation of 24-25 still images.
Each of these images have to be drawn by hand, painted,
composed and exposed one by one.
To
better understand the complexities of this process it is
necessary to first take a look at the structure of an animation
film.
DRAWINGS
- FRAMES - SHOTS - SEQUENCES - SCENES - STORY
As
should be evident from here the process is fairly straightforward.
However the fact that each frame of every second of film
has to be drawn and processed by hand takes it into a different
league by itself. Consider this -a 90-minute film will have
approximately 1,29,600 frames -(24x60x90)
This
however does not mean that there will be 1,29,600 individual
drawings. The number of actors per frame determines the
total number of drawings per frame. Each actor is a separate
drawing. So in the above case we are assuming a 90-minute
film with only one actor. By conservative estimates the
average number of actors is between 2-3!
There
are certain processes that have been simplified with the
use of technology but at heart animation remains a labor
intensive and time consuming exercise. Computer animation
is very often wrongly cited as a shortcut to faster production.
You must remember that the computer is a tool and not the
solution by itself. It too has to be driven and driven well
for the results to be effective.
Broadly
speaking animation can be defined into three categories:
1.
Traditional hand-drawn animation
2. Computer aided animation
3. Object animation
Traditional
hand-drawn animation requires the drawing of frames to be
completed by hand as individual sketches. These can then
be processed and colored using computers and the final output
rendered directly onto film.
Be
it setting up his own animation and sfx studio in 1995
or providing insights and project reports to help re
structure organisations and animation training schools,
independent animation producer and TASI India founding
member/spokesman Ranjit Singh's 15 yr old stint
in the animation Industry is marked with many highlights.
In 2001, Ranjit resigned from the company he founded
and has since been working as an independent animation
producer, director and consultant. He is currently writing
the first of a series of books on animation for beginners.
An animator and modeler himself, Ranjit is very passionate
about animation. He wants the new breed of animators
to avoid the struggle of his formative years and in
this endeavor he is forever available for advice to
students and animators alike. He can be reached at phanspal@vsnl.net
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Computer
animation on the other hand makes use of hand drawn sketches
only as reference frames. Computer artists use software
to make digital models based on the drawings. These models
are then animated using specialised animation software that
can either be proprietary or vendor based.
Object animation is a completely different field. In this
case physical models are made and animated by hand. Clay,
paper, sand, painting on glass, mechanical puppets etc.
fall under this category.
Some
examples of these three categories:
The
Lion King, Aladdin, Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry -traditional
hand-drawn animation.
Toy
Story, Bugs Life, Shrek, Finding Nemo -computer aided/assisted
animation.
Wallace
and Gromit, Chicken Run, Nightmare before Christmas -object
animation.
End
of Part 2
Part
3 of the series entitled 'APPLICATIONS & MARKETS' shall
appear in the next issue of Animation 'xpress.
Read
Part 1
|
