Understanding Animation - Paul Wells

'Animation' comes from the latin word animare which means "to give life to". Well describes this further by stating that animation is the "artificial creation of the illusion of movement". He suggests that animation should convey meaning, not just replicate real life.

Throughout the reading, Wells questions instances of "realism" within animation and whether or not it's necessary for a successful piece. The video above is from Felix Revolts which was analysed in the text. It shows Felix the Cat protesting against injustice acts and he acts as a leader for social change. Wells outlines that this theme is unusual for animation, since it's usually distanced from morality and the real world. Animation should be a freedom of expression set in an ideal, fantasy world. According to the reading, Walt Disney and his company were more concerned with commercial success than artistry. Disney wanted his characters to be realistic. I don't think this is necessarily a bad think because realistic animation is more believable. Wells defines this style as hyper-realism. The design, context and action correspond to those of live action. The characters, objects and environment are also similar to conventions of the real world. Moreover, the sounds are diegetically appropriate and fitting with the visuals. Wells compares different Disney films and how 'realistic' they are. Firstly Pocahontas was considered revolutionary for being based on real life people. In constract, Fantasia was more abstract and experimental.

Wells briefly mentioned Squash and Stretch animation which I decided to research a little further.



This is one of the 12 principles of animation and is used to emphasise the velocity of movement.

Black Lives Matter Research

'Black Lives Matter' is an activist movement that began in the US around 2013. The cause of its beginning was the murder of black teenage Trayvon Martin. Many were outraged by the fact that his murderer, George Zimmerman, was acquitted of his charges. This lead many to believe that black lives didn't matter to the justice system as they were allowed to be murdered without any consequences. The movement campaigns against police brutality and institutional racism and injustice. Further flame was added to the fire following the killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner (who were both murdered by police officers and those police officers were not charged).

This is a subject matter that I care about a lot as I find it both interesting and easy to relate to. An issue I have with this topic is that it can be quite depressing which may be difficult to represent within an animation in a softer tone. The video below is quite light-hearted but still addresses the subject matter. I like the simple style of animation. In my own work I would perhaps provide a bit more information about what has happened.

Black Lives Matter (Paper Animation) from Paris Newton on Vimeo.

Brainstorm

Brief: ‘Cause and Effect’
Select a historical political or economic event and investigate its cause and effect. Devise an animated story that tells of the 'human impact' that your chosen event has had
Guidelines:

• Whichever event you choose, you must research your subject area thoroughly, examining relevant historical and contemporary aspects relating to your chosen theme

• Try to choose an event related to something you care about – as more personal engagement may lead to a stronger project

• Avoid illustrating events that have been very extensively reported or are obvious; for example the events of 9/11

• It is very import that you take an ethical approach to representation

• You are required to follow the brief, as your ability to remain focused, planning and executing tasks in relation to the themes set will be considered as part of the assessment

I made a brainstorm to think of ideas relating to the brief:-

One of the ideas I thought of was based on the London Riots in 2011. This was a political/historical event that I found quite shocking as I am from London. It would be quite interesting to analyse it's cause and effect. From what I know, the riots began after the young, unarmed, black man, Mark Duggan, was killed by the police. I remember at the time of the event I was really angry at the situation because I don't think that anyone deserves to be killed. Needless to say, many others were angry too, thus leading to the start of the riots. 

Another idea I have is to look into the Black Lives Matter movement that is mainly based in America at the moment. I believe this started in a similar way to the London Riots, as it began after Trayvon Martin was killed. Many were outraged that his murderer was never charged for his crime. 

Both of the ideas I have are quite similar as they both involve racial injustice and apparent institutional misconduct. They both involve a human impact, since both events feature the public's reaction through protesting and rioting. I think that the subject around Black Lives Matter may be stronger to investigate as there are more cases to talk about.

History of Animation: 20th Century

Cel Animation

Transparent sheets on which animation was hand-drawn or painted on. This allowed the background layer to be repeated without being drawn again, saving time in production. This enabled films to be made more cost-effectively. The other layers are placed on top of each other.

It's interesting to see how the backgrounds are hand painted as this is a technique I could use in my own project.

Rotoscoping - 1915

This concept was developed by Max Fleischer in 1915. This technique involved animators tracing over footage of film, frame-by-frame. This lead to more fluid, life-like animation.

Fleischer's cartoons were also the first to incorporate sound, including dialogue and trumpet sound effects to synchronise with the visuals. This was then followed by Disney's Steamboat Willie (1928), which features sounds from the characters and a musical soundtrack.

Three-strip Technicolour - 1924

This was an advancement of the two-strip technicolour which only featured the red and green spectrum. This new technique used three strips of black and white film with light shining through the camera lens also adding a magenta filter. Walt Disney was the first to use this process in the cartoon Flowers and Trees (1932).

Stop-Motion

This is an animation technique that transforms an object, making it appear to move on its own. Dolls or clay figures are often used since they're usually easier to re-position. An early example of this is The New Gulliver (1935).

Anime

Anime is a term which refers to Japanese animated productions.

History of Animation: 19th Century

"Animation is arguably the most important creative form of the 21st century... it is the omnipresent pictorial form of the modern era." Paul Wells

Magic Lantern - Early 1800s:

These were used before modern day slide projectors. They used light and mirrors to project an image. This device was improved with the advancement of light technology. Early on, this device was used by magicians and entertainers to create illusions.


Thaumatrope - 1824:

This was a toy used in the Victorian era. It was made from a disk or card with a different picture on each side and attached to two pieces of string. When the strings are turned at a fast pace, the card would rotate thus displaying a combination of the two images. It was invented by John Ayrton Paris in 1824. This was known to be the first tool to create an optical illusion of synthesising images.

Phenakistoscope  - 1829-32:

A spinning disc attached to a handle. Minimal images are shown around the disc and are spun to create the illusion of movement.

Zoetrope - 1879:
A series of images  used to create the flow of motion. It is formed of a cylinder with slits cut vertically in the sides. Inside the surface a set of images are sequenced to create to show stages of movement. The user will look through the cylinder as it spins.

Praxinsocpe - 1877
This was invented in France by Charles-Emile Reynaud. This contraption was an improvement of the zoetrope as it replaces the narrow viewing slits with an inner circle of mirrors. This enabled the user to look into the mirror and see a rapid movement of images with better lighting and less distortion than the zoetrope. Reynaud then presented the Theatre Optique moving picture show to a mass audience in 1892.