‘ANIMATION OVERVIEW’
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
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 Express.