Introduction to Animation & Research Techniques

Bouncing Ball

What is Animation?

Animation refers to the technique of creating the illusion of movement by displaying a series of individual drawings, paintings, or illustrations in rapid succession. The key concept behind animation is that when these images are shown in quick succession, they create the perception of motion due to the persistence of vision.

There are several types of animation, including:

1. Traditional Animation: This involves hand-drawing each frame. Classic examples include Disney films like "Snow White" and "Cinderella."

2. 2D Animation: This is similar to traditional animation but often uses software tools to create the images. Examples include shows like "The Simpsons."

3. 3D Animation: This involves creating characters and scenes in a three-dimensional space using computer software. Movies like "Toy Story" and "Shrek" are well-known examples.

4. Stop Motion Animation: This technique involves photographing physical objects, such as clay figures or puppets, one frame at a time to create the illusion of movement. A famous example is "The Nightmare Before Christmas."

FRAME PER SECONDS

Frames per second is a measurement that indicates how many individual frames or images are displayed in one second of video or animation. It's a crucial factor in determining the smoothness and quality of motion in animated content.

Here are some

TV-25

CINEMA-24 or 48

VIDEOGAMES- 30 or 60

I created this practice on Adobe Animate . First thig was to put 24 frames, this depends on how smooth you want the motion. I chose the oval tool and I created an oval shape. After that I inserted a new blank key frame and I turned on the onion skin for better results. I continued making oval shapes and I added new blank key frame after each shape on the timeline. 

I enjoyed doing this practice , I can t say it was hard, but it s my first time trying this and it was ok. Something that I might add on the future it will be a good looking background and different shapes , like one shapes transforming in another like an illusion. I know this will help me with different projects and it will be useful for any things , creating an animated film or any others projects.

Principles and Facial Expression 

ANIMATION PRINCIPLES

-Squash and stretch

a sense of weight and flexibility

-Anticipation

Use motions and movement that have a wind up of some kind, prepare the audience for what the are about to see.

-Straight Ahead & Pose-to-Pose

Straight Ahead: animate frame-by-frame from beginning to end.

Pose-to-Pose: start with drawing the beginning.

-Follow Through & Overlapping Action

loosely tied parts of the bode should continue moving beyond after the character has stopped, then be pulled back.

-Slow in and Slow out

things in the real world need time to accelerate and slow down when they move.

-Arc

Most natural movements follow a trajectory, so when animating character movements you should consider angling joints and body parts slightly.

-Secondary Action

Adding a secondary action can support the main action and give the movement more life.

-Timing 

More drawings=slow

less drawings=fast

I used Adobe Animate to create this experiment by using a drawing tablet. To draw the face I used the brush tool and each time I finished my step I inserted a new blank key frame. To see my previous drawing I use onion skin. 

I am not too satisfied with my drawing and how it came out because it is not completed and it s kind of ugly. If I had more time I would add more details to the eyebrows and mouth , and a different face actually. 

Understanding Cinematography

It strengthens the narrative. 

It's really important to remember the 180-degree rule. The 180-degree rule in films is a guideline that helps maintain spatial consistency in a scene. It states that two characters in a scene should maintain the same left/right relationship to one another. Imagine a straight line drawn between the two characters; the camera should stay on one side of that line. This helps the audience understand the spatial relationship and orientation of the characters, preventing confusion during a conversation or action.

The Kuleshov effect - The Kuleshov effect is the idea that two shots in a sequence are more impactful than a single shot by itself.

There are some interesting angles :

Eye level angle

Eye-level shots have the effect of pulling us directly into a character's point of view. We are in their heads, almost literally. 

High angle

High-angle shots can make the subject seem vulnerable or powerless when applied with the correct mood, setting, and effects.

Dutch angle

A Dutch angle gives viewers an uneasy feeling, like something isn't quite right, or something ominous is looming just ahead. This type of camera shot can create a feeling of disorientation and madness.

These are the examples I've done in Adobe Animate by using the drawing tablet with the pen tool.

   

Understanding and Creative Audio 

Learning Objective

Was to develop your understanding of how original audio is created.

When creating a film or video piece, sound makes up 50% of what the viewer experiences.  

Three main components

Foley - Sound effects that are made or recreated in post-production.
Music - Set the mood and tone for the audience.
ADR- Automated Dialogue Replacement. Dialogue that is not recorded in camera or set.

Cameras

1. H2 Handy Zoom Recorder 

2. Rode - NTG2 (Shotgun mic)

3.AKGD230 (Reporter mic) XLR

DIRECTIONAL AND OMNIDIRECTIONAL  

We had a group of 4 people trying to do 5 foley sounds and one dialogue. We used the shotgun microphone, and the pop filter to get rid of the noises, like people taking in the back or wind. We also used RDL cable. The foley sounds are: walking on the rocks like snowing, shaking the tree to sound like wind moving the leaves, and dropping mini rocks on a metal thing maybe to sound like thunder.  

 

Stop Motion Animation experience 30/09/2023

Stop motion is an animation technique where objects are physically moved in small increments and photographed one frame at a time. When these frames are played in sequence, it creates the illusion of movement.

To create stop motion, you set up your scene and take a picture of the object in its starting position. Then, you slightly move the object, take another picture, and repeat this process until you have enough frames. When played back at a standard frame rate (like 24 frames per second), it looks like the object is moving.

The main difference between stop motion and hand-drawn animation is in the technique. Hand-drawn animation involves creating each frame by drawing or painting images, while stop motion uses real objects and photography. Hand-drawn animation can achieve fluid motion through drawings, while stop motion has a more tactile, three-dimensional feel.

STOP MOTION EXPERIMENT

We did this in groups, like taking the shots, but we edited this individually. We took close up images and wide shot. The hard part was making everything looks smooth because we had to move the prop really carefully and the camera as well, not to disturb the position. For the editing, I cut the parts that were bad, and put the ones who were in the wrong place, in the right place.

I liked this practice, it was really helpful for me and helped me know the angles and also gave me a chance to practice editing again. 

Original Ident Project 

The lesson objective was to apply your understanding of media production to plan for a team animation project.

To apply your knowledge of idents to design and produce an original piece.

Planning

These are the sketches for the mascot.

Planning storyboarding- hand drawn. 

My group is going to animate and the duration is going to be about 15 min.

Cinematography- Wide shot.

Tone and mood - playful. 

Persuasive devices - humour and slogan. 

Sound effects list- hitting a brick wall, smashing, funny sounds.

For the slogan at the end, we’re going to do a voice recording with the Zoom recorder. 

My initial idea was a simple one. It was just the writing with Stanmore studio to rotate and zoom in and zoom out on the writing and then shake a bit. My second idea was to show the Stanmore studio as small and then getting bigger and the first letter S to break down.

But the idea that our group chose was the one with the bricks and that little mascot.

We animated the mascot on Adobe animate.

Evaluation

The first thing we did was the planning, that was the most important thing. After this we started the sketches on Adobe Animate and two of us did the recordings for the slogan at the end of the animated video. The next thing was adding color and putting the animation together., David animated the mascot and we put the sound. The hardest part was animating, it took a couple of days, but it turned out amazing.

The process was a bit complicated and took some time, but I know this will help me in the future with other projects for different animations. I really enjoyed doing this and staying in suspense to see how the product was going to look, it's just a really nice experience. 

If I will do this again in the future I will choose the part to animate.