by Awesome Author | Aug 25, 2021 | Cartoons & Animation
Whenever you read or hear the term animation, Disney and Pixar Studios are the two things that strike you deep enough. Tell us if we are wrong about this? Well, the animation is much more than that. Not only is it an extended term, but it constitutes several aspects that you haven’t heard of. Like professionals say, it looks seamless on the screen when animated objects come to life, but what animators go through is something related to draining and excruciating. However, it is all fun at the end of the day.
Some of the basic concepts of animation are principles, books, vocabulary, hardware, software, courses, and some options for those who’d want to pursue and get into the animation industry. This may sound overwhelming or intimidating.
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Easy to Learn, Hard to Master
Guess what? It is much easier to get into the animation sector today than it was before. While software and tools were relatively expensive back in the day, they are much cheaper today. Moreover, some software is even free. But did you know that although you can begin animating right away, animation art still takes a significant amount of time to master?
What is Animation?
Animation is one of the art to bring life to inanimate objects. In other words, adding life to illustrated/3D generated characters. It is crafted and created through the projection of sequenced images quickly, one after the other. Such a sequence tends to create a life illusion. However, this is not the first thing you think of after hearing the word animation. This is just some technical thing. An essential part of the animation is the word life. Bringing life into an object is an animator’s job. And, there are so many methods of doing the job.
It could be drawing, moving character rigs in 3D software, or cut-out characters, puppets, or lego figures.
Animation Vocabulary
Ever heard about the animation vocabulary or felt out of bounds after hearing animation-specific terms? Well, we are here to help. It is essential to acknowledge and understand the specialized words and vocab used in filmmaking and animation. Since these may strike you hereon, go through the rundown below.
1.Timeline
If you did not know, the timeline is one of the significant parts of animation software. That is because it represents an animation’s progress over a period. Depending on the tool or software used, animators may utilize the timeline to change the animation’s timing and positions of the element.
2.Frame Rate
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An animation’s frame rate refers to the number of individual frames or images displayed within a single second. In addition, it is one of the settings that can be adjusted.
3.Working on One’s & Two’s
Working on Two’s or One’s is a terminology utilized in hand-drawn animation. Moreover, working on one means performing a new drawing for a couple of frames.
4.Shots & Scenes
Typically in action filmmaking, shot refers to pictures caught between camera edits. This occurs while a scene is all the dialogue and shots in specific locations for a continuous-time block.
5.Breakdowns, Keyframes, Inbetweens
Breakdowns and keyframes along with the in-betweens are essential terms. However, they are a bit different, depending on the form and type of animation you choose. When it comes to hand-drawn animation, keys or keyframes are the necessary poses to define the scene.
6.Onion Skinning
While animating, it can get quite challenging to observe more than a single frame. However, in paper animation, one can do it by acquiring multiple drawings under a light table. On the other hand, in modern animation, some features refer to onion skinning.
7.Compositing
Compositing is one of the methods of placing all individual scenes in a combination or together to produce a final visual product or output.
The 12 Principles of Animation
When you learn about the foundation of animation, there are twelve principles. These principles came into action in the 1930s by animators who worked at Walt Disney Studios. These are a gradual process of refinement and discovery as the animators tried to take their plan of action and work to new standards. Remember, creating the life illusion is what the animating principles are about. They help animators develop characters that resemble as if they have personality, weight and exist in fundamental physics.
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- Squash & Stretch
- Anticipation
- Staging
- Straight ahead vs. Pose-to-pose
- Follow Through & Overlapping Action
- Slow in & Slow out
- Arcs
- Secondary Action
- Timing
- Exaggeration
- Solid Drawing
- Appeal
What do you have to say?
Animation is a parallel world where animators work and bring dead characters to life. The likes of beauty and the beast, Cinderella, Shrek, and so many more are a product of sheer hard work and commitment. In the end, animating is not one method that serves all. Instead, you have to think about plenty of things to get started.
Featured Image Credits: Pixabay
by Awesome Author | Aug 18, 2021 | Cartoons & Animation
Cartoons are the binge-worthy entertainment of our childhood. Continuously overlooked by adults with real and mature series such as Keeping Up With The Kardashians and specific drama series with terrific writing and profound characters like The Walking Dead, cartoons have become obsolete. They are constantly fighting a never-ending battle for ages to be acknowledged as serious works of art. This is also applied to shows like The Simpsons that have endured for decades and enabled people to understand the American sense of humor. Moreover, the world also witnessed Rick & Morty, one of the effective analyses of destructive masculinity.
Most of the shows we grew up watching helped transfer a more profound knowledge on subjects parents and creators did not know about. Some cartoons like the Batman Animated Series carry wacky sound effects and bright colors. However, only the real fans know what is underneath all these elements. Since this is a brief overview of some theories, you need to know that it indeed leads to a relatively deep rabbit hole. Here is a rundown that will unbox the pandora box and narrate tales of your favorite cartoons you didn’t know.
1.The Toy Story Life Sentence
When we talk about the Toy Story universe, what is the first thing you come across? It’s Woody and Buzz Lightyear, right? Consider their lives in a nutshell. They are alive during the entire screen time and live their lives when Andy does not turn up. Moreover, they also sleep in their comfy piles, while in the day, they enact adorable fantasies to benefit Woody’s compassion and ego. We do acknowledge that they are very much awake. Speaking of which, Woody is revealed in Toy Story 2 that he is 50 years old to which he does not even realize. However, in a nutshell, Toy Story showcases slavery: high-energy, grinning, play-based slavery.
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Notice that when Andy puts his toys back in the attic, they are aware and awake, forever in the dark.
2.The Powerpuff Girls As Good Fairies
This fact is never agreed upon but never denied too. Bubbles, Blossom, and Buttercup are superpowered young females of the Powerpuff Girls that are rooted in three good fairies. Wondering where this comes from? It comes from Sleeping Beauty. One of the cutscenes where Merryweather lands a punch against the dragon, resulting in three colors – green, red, and blue.
3.The Ninja Turtles
Yet another traditional juggernaut from the nineties is an iconic teenage mutant ninja turtle that, like Men In Black, has a hyper-violent white and black comic. That is when comic books grew up. Besides, the original ninja turtles are still named for Renaissance artists. But, guess what? They are pretty rad and less radical. They weren’t color-coded. Instead, all appeared in red in the original comic book.
4.The Flintstones
There are numerous theories supported by several crossover notions and episodes. These theories suggest that the Jetsons and Flintstones exist in the same universe and at the same time. While both these shows are Hanna-Barbera’s and from the same decade, they share a similar visual design.
5.Scooby-Doo & Abandoned Building
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No, we aren’t here to link the scooby-doo series to the apocalypse theory the way Flintstones and Jetsons were. However, there is a very cool theory. Have you ever wondered about the use of abandoned buildings in cartoons? The theory is that Scooby-Doo is set in a significant economic collapse where rich people abandoned their mansions for desperate outcomes. Maybe the people hiring this gang to solve mysteries is some sort of a real estate magnate. What do you think?
6.Wondered Who All Are Messed Up Except Eeyore?
It is essential to know that all the characters in AA Milne’s vintage classic have various mental conditions. In simple terms, Piglet suffers from a general anxiety disorder, Pooh from ADHD, Owl, is dyslexic, and Tigger has risky behavior.
7.Ripoffs Of Daredevil – The Ninja Turtles
Experts have it that the turtles were developed as parodies of several Marvel characters. Moreover, they share the same original concept and story.
8.Arnold Isn’t The Hero.
Hey, have you been wondering about Arnold’s role in his own story? Well, even though everything revolves around him in the cartoon, it could be read in the name of Helga. She constantly tries to get Arnold’s concentration. She utilizes her antagonism as a mask to get her crush.
9.Aladdin Doesn’t Happen At All.
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Don’t know where to start with Aladdin? Well, think about the start of it. A weird old man strolling through the desert, selling a magic lamp. On the other hand, the viewer walks through the same place, encountering a merchant who intends to sell useless stuff. What happens is, it creates a fantasy for you.
10.The Pixar Theory
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Did you know that there’s a reference to their next movie in the current ones? Yes, you read it right.
Featured Image Credits: Pixabay
