Animation Techniques

Alex Robinson

Animation TechniquesOne of the earliest forms of animation was called the Phenakistiscope, a spinning wheel attaches vertically to a disk. When spun around, the separate images on the disk created the illusion of movement and therefore created an animation. (Left: Zoetrope. Right: Phenakistiscope.)

Another form of animation similar to the the Phenakistiscope called the Zoetrope works in the same manner. However the Zoetrope if constructed in a cylinder shape. Still with individual images, the user looks through slots on the outer layer of the structure to view the ‘animation’.

Animation Techniques cont.

As animation progressed, new techniques were created to provide smoother animation. Flip book animation is one example of this. Flip book animation is similar to frame –by-frame animation, where the image changes slightly each page/frame to create an animation.

Cel-Animation (or classical animation) was being more frequently used from the 1930’s through to 2009/10. An example of Cel-Animation can be seen in one of Walt Disney’s early animations: Steamboat Willie.

In the late 1930’s, a new technique of animation was created to add depth and more realism to the look of the animation called Multiplane Animation. Examples of this being used in animations are Disney’s Snow White and Bambi.

Animation Techniques cont. 2Digital Animation is the latest form of animation and is all produced on a computer. Another form of Digital Animation would be Anime. Being drawn out on paper first and then imported to a computer to add CGI effects, colour and possible animations tweaks. Examples of Digital Animation would be Toy Story, produced in the late 1990’s, being the first computer animated feature-film.

Clay animation was apparently being made as early as 1908 in the US. Popular examples of Clay Animation are Wallace and Gromit along with the Gumby series.

Animation Techniques cont. 3Rotoscoping is a form of animation that has the animator trace over images that were projected on to frosted glass. These images would be traces frame-by-frame. Rotoscoping was introduced in 1915 by a man named Max Fleischer. This technique was recently replaced by computers.

Founded in 1957, Hanna Barbera was an animation studio that produced shows such as The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo. Purchased in 1991 by Time Warner and becoming part of Warner Bros. Animation. The company went on to air their shows on Cartoon Network throughout the 1990’s.

Animation Techniques cont. 4Kinetiscopes were introduced in 1895. It works by inserting a coin and looking through a hole at the top of the device. The viewer will then see a film strip lit up by lights inside. As the roll of film moves, images on the film will create the illusion of motion, much like the Phenakistiscope or Zoetrope.

Aardman Animations was founded in 1972 and are creators of the famous Claymation series: Wallace and Gromit. They were a low-budget company while starting off. After making Greeblies, they found the inspiration needed to create Morph. In recent years they have gone onto make many successful films such as Chicken Run and Flushed Away.