CSC186 2D Animation

Pixilation example

2011-07-11T10:57:00.000-07:00

Hesta Prynn - Can We Go Wrong Official Video 2010
Nice example of creative use of pixilation techniques.

Puppet Animation: Phil Tippett

2011-05-16T07:23:00.000-07:00

Phil Tippett
Wikipedia here
Inspired by Ray Harryhausen, went on to work for Industrial Light and Magic on Star wars Empire Strikes Back

Imperial Walker animation here

Prehistoric animation test done bu Phil Tippett here

Phil Tippett's discussion on stop motion Animation

Young Phil Tippett animation here:

Blend Modes

2010-11-09T07:52:00.000-08:00

Blending modes apply algorithms to the color channels and this in effect changes the color values of the layers below creating new color relationships.
For a verbal description of what is actually happening with the layers see Adobe Documentation about Blending Modes here.

Animatic to Final film

2010-08-16T11:50:00.000-07:00

This is a very nice example of an animatic and the final film version.
Animatic:

FAIR TRADING ? - Making-of : Animatic from THURISTAR on Vimeo.

Final version:

FAIR TRADING ? the short film from THURISTAR on Vimeo.

Object Animation

2010-02-17T06:29:00.000-08:00

The Impossible Map, Evelyn Lambart, 1947
Object Animation
National Film Board of Canada
Educational Film about the map

Cutout Animation

2010-02-17T06:14:00.000-08:00

Mr. Frog Went a-Courtin, Evelyn Lambart, 1974
National Film Board of Canada animator
Co-Director on films by Norman McLaren,
one of the first women to work as co-directors in film in the 40's and 50's
One of the first Female animators in Canada
He style contrasts that of Mclaren, Gone are his muted colors
and constant experimentation,
She chose to tell narratives in her films
More about Evelyn Lambert here
Used reusable cutout shapes for characters

Typography Basics

2009-10-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

From the book: Basics of Design: Layout and typography for Beginners

by Lisa Graham 2002

Basic typeface combinations:

* Use sans serif type in headlines and subheads, serif in body copy ( serifs aid in readability)
* Use no more than two type combinations per page.
* Use only one decorative or novelty typeface per page
* Avoid using two sans serif or two serifs together on a page because they conflict
* Emphasize headlines, titles, and subheads more than body copy.
* start your experiments with classic typfaces first.

Classic Serif typefaces: Garamond, Goudy, Caslon, Bodini, and Baskerville

Classic Sans serif Typefaces: Gill Sans, Futura and Franklin Gothic

Lisa Lists 5 typefaces she must have on a deserted island and why:

* Garamond: classy , dignified and easy on the eyes
* Gills sans: It goes with every serif font she has seen
* Bodini: Very readable, Flexible
* Officina Sans: Modern, readable, works with Garamond, Bodini, and Officina Serif
* Officina Serif: Modern Readable serif, works with Gill Sans and Officina sans

Composition

2009-10-11T04:48:00.000-07:00

When creating visual art you need to consider the rules of composition so that your work will have maximum impact and clarity. There are some basic things you need to know first before you begin the process of creating your composition. Thinking about these things beforehand will make your efforts more streamlined and efficient because you will move forward with a clear understanding of what you need to do and not waste time on ideas that will not fulfill your objective, or meet the expectations of the client.
Before you start the process make sure you know at least these four things:

What is your message?
Who is your message intended for? ie.Who's your audience?
By what means will you display your message. What is your mode of delivery: (poster, television, webpage, buisness card, banner ad, portable device)
The basics of the design principles: Emphasis, Contrast, Balance, Alignment, Repetition, Flow.

Make sure to always keep it simple.

Saul Bass titles or titles inspried by him

2009-10-08T06:40:00.000-07:00

It's a Mad , Mad, Mad world

Charade

7 year itch

Catch me if you can

Thank you for smoking

The man with the golden arm

Psycho

Website dedicated to motion titles:http://www.artofthetitle.com/

http://motionographer.com/

Final Project Examples

2009-06-08T12:21:00.000-07:00

Final Project Examples:

IgniteLearning.com has some nice educational animation examples:
Example 1: Math equations
Example 2: Circulation
Example 3: Plant Cells vs Animal cells
Example 4: Fractions
Example 5: Volcanoes (youtube clip)

The Crisis of Credit Visualized Part 1: Jonathan Jarvis 2009

The Crisis of Credit Visualized Part 2: Jonathan Jarvis 2009

Creating ECards:
E-cards contain good design, motion graphics, text and composition plus a message. Look at some examples below:

This one uses a popular Madagascar character in a cut out animation technique. Lip sync and choreography.
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ecard|10001|10051|907297|147551;-102001;-102270;265068|ecard|P1R1S|ecards?cardType=premium&template=n&categoryId=265068

Brick House: This card contains nice use of text animation. its creative has a nice palette and has a variety of motion and design.
http://www.bluemountain.com/display.pd?prodnum=3152178&path=106922

This one has old B/W movie with neon contemporary animation added http://www.bluemountain.com/display.pd?prodnum=3152183&path=106922

You Smell Good: Fun Characters, Energetic Music, humorous, good text work.
http://www.hallmark.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ECardPersonalizeView?eo=true&topNav=false&personalizePage=true&categoryId=182069&URL=ECardPersonalizeView&partNumber=hyg1042_DK&s=hyg1042&r=&p=&ssd=You+Smell+Really+Good&n=DEFAULT&st=%2Fproducts%2Fecards%2Fhyg1042_120.gif&productId=876304&tabOn=ecards&catalogId=10051&sn=You+Smell+Really+Good&cardType=free&e=DEFAULT&storeId=10001&date=DEFAULT&mid=7000000000000000051&nv=true&template=o&CatIDsList=147551%3B-102001%3B11443%3B-102034%3B182069

10 Finger Multi Touch User Interface:

Download:

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StoryBoards

2009-04-02T10:06:00.000-07:00

Pre-production of animation is a critical stage in developing story. It will allow you to organize shots, Plan the camera moves, and put your story in logical sequences.
Here are some nice examples of some storyboards.
http://www.brianlemay.com/storyboards/storyboard1.html
http://www.storyboards-east.com/sb_mm.htm
http://www.storyboards-east.com/sb_jeep.htm
http://www.storyboards-east.com/animat.htm
http://accad.osu.edu/womenandtech/Storyboard%20Resource/
http://www.thegremlin.com/balto.html
http://motiongraphicslab.com/website/pencil-storyboards.html

When you create storyboards make sure one shot is on one individual piece of paper, 8.5 x11 minimum that way it can be seen from a slight distance.
*Always ink your work with dark lines so that it can be seen from a distance
*Always mount the page on a rigid back so it does not curl and could be placed in the chalk tray and leaned against the white board.
*Always have something with you to jot notes or new ideas you get during the pitch session. Sticky notes work well for this!!

Be enthusiastic when you present your boards so that the audience can get into your story and become connected with your ideas. Allow folks to give you feedback as one idea may spur others and can help develop your story.
Each panel does not have to be a work of art but you do have to make your images clear so we can identify your main concepts.
Take time to think about what you want to say and the best way to say that.
Think about your camera moves, and illustrate those with arrows
It's OK to write notes on your boards to help sync up your work with dialogue, or sound or to help you remember details of the scene.
After viewing the storyboards anyone should understand your story and what you are communicating. If they can not you need to keep refining your boards so that the message is clear.

Review Videos

2009-02-17T14:19:00.000-08:00

StarWars Title After Effects Demo
A basic introduction to using After Effects

Puppet Animation: Puppet makers

2009-02-12T10:33:00.000-08:00

Premier Puppet makers
http://www.mackinnonandsaunders.com/
check out their Gallery and movie credits.

Puppet Animation

2009-02-10T09:36:00.000-08:00

Madame Tutli-Putli Chris Lavis, Macick Szczebowski, 2008 part 1
National Film Board of Canada animators
OSCAR 2008 NOMINATED FILM A timid woman boards a mysterious night train and has a series of frightening experiences

Madame Tutli-Putli part 2

Coraline, Directed by Henry Selik, 2009
Henry Selik newest creation
http://www.coraline.com/?__source=ggl|coraline|MovieTitle|Coraline_Brand&sky=ggl|coraline|MovieTitle|Coraline_Brand

Trailer for Coraline, 2009
http://www.laika.com/entertainment/

Camera-Less Animation

2009-01-22T10:13:00.000-08:00

Caroline Leaf
Two Sisters: 1991
National Film Board Animator created this animation using the camera-less technique. She etched directly on the 70mm film.
http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/filmmakers/Caroline-Leaf/film.php?id=9468&idfilm=26014

Animation Basic Skills

2009-01-15T10:16:00.000-08:00

Animando: Marcos Magalhaes, 1987 (National Film board of Canada site)
Very explanatory demonstration of various techniques we'll be using in class
Includes nearly all the techniques of hand crafted animation
http://www3.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/films/film.php?sort=title&id=16804

Implied Motion

2009-01-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

graphic by Minard (1781-1870)
http://www.napoleonic-literature.com/1812/1812.htm
- graphic representing Napoleon’s unsuccessful campaign to Moscow-
combines data and time-series (representing passage of time)
- different pieces of information are represented superbly in one image
- six variables are plotted (army size, location, direction, temperature, date)

Experimental Animation

2008-11-12T10:30:00.000-08:00

Abstract Experimentation
69, Robert Breer, 1969-2011

His work is in contrast to the work of Disney at the time. His films are full of disjunctive breaks, Bursts of continuous movements will suddenly stop, jerky irregular rhythms will become continuous unexpectedly.
Sound will be in sync one moment and others it will be at odds with the images on screen, time and space profoundly fragmented.
Films try to hold the audience in suspense as to what might come next.
In this animation Breer explores how one image relates to another within an animation

Article about his work here as well as links to his film and interviews

Object Conversations, Paul Glabiki, 1985
Abstract sounds, Picture and text
Plays with language, viewers memory, assumptions about familiar objects
Objects appear on screen momentarily in one state and then reappear in another state then reappear elsewhere on screen in another form.

OffOn, Scott Bartlett
He is the first to merge video with film, the goal was to "marry the technologies"

Mixed media: Different Styles
Tell Tale Heart, 1953, UPA Studios
Experimental use of kinestasis

Catalog, John Whitney Sr., 1961
Early experimentation with electronically created images by his own invention, The Mechanical Analog Computer.
IBM awarded Whitney with it's first "artist in residence" Status to explore the aesthetic potentials of computer graphics.
Catalog is a collection of his analog effects.

Tron, Disney, 1982
Most extensive use of computer animation to date
20 mins of CG (from magi), large undertaking at the time
Although successful CG, Film unsuccessful and set back CG due to wary investors

Tron Lightcycle scene

Where the wild things are: test, John Lasseter, Disney studios, 1982
After tron John Lasseter began experimenting with more use of 3D graphics and 2D animation. In this test the background environment was created by computer and the characters were drawn to maintain the squash and stretch elasticity needed for cartoon motion.

***Where the Wild things are, Directed by Spike Jonze, 2009
A new take on this story in which Jonze decided to use a different approach to facial animation. In his film the characters are live actors in costume, created by Jim Hensons Creature shop, and the character's static faces are then replaced using Computers by the London based studio Framestore. The technique used is called projection mapping.
To learn more about this ... http://www.awn.com/articles/article/getting-wild-about-facial-animation/page/1%2C1

Where the Wild Things Are website: http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/

Lady and the Lamp, John Lasseter, 1979
Done as a student at Cal Arts
The first of two student academy awards
Hand drawn pencil test experimental animation
Show his ability to breath life into inanimate objects early on
No Video found

Das rad ( The Rocks), Chris Stenner, 2001
Oscar nominee
combined puppet animation composited with CG
Portions of landscape created in Maya,

Procedural Animation:
Animation defined and controlled with computer program
Scientific visualization is related in that it is about representing values computed
from programs (computational science)

Evolved Virtual Creatures: Karl Sims, 1994

Ryan, Chris Landreth, 2004
National film Board of Canada animator.
2004 academy award winner
3D computer animation,

Chris Landreth, 2009 Spine, National Film Board of Canada
Director Chris Landreth offers a synopsis of his new animated short, The Spine, and discusses his signature visual style: altering the bodies of his characters in order to make their psychological states visible.

http://www.nfb.ca/film/spine_making_of_trailer/

http://www.nfb.ca/film/spine_making_of_story_genesis/

Beowulf, Robert Zemeckis, 2007
Motion Capture Technology, "Performance Animation"
3D computer generated animation using live action actors to calculate movements of computer generated puppets.
Controversy, Redefine "what is animation" is motion capture "Performance animation" true animation? Some animators disagree but the Academy considers it, at least at this point, as animation.
The controversy continues...
http://www.imdb.com/video/imdb/vi3232825625/

Cal Arts 20 years of experimental Animation link
http://film.calarts.edu/main/streaming/expanim20.html

Warner Brothers

2008-11-11T14:26:00.000-08:00

Warner Brothers
Hugh Harmon and Rudy Isling (from kansas City w/ Laugh-o-grams)
Developed first character Bosko
Bosko the Talk-ink Kid 1929, Harman-Ising
Rudolph Ising, Bosko: voiced by animator "max" Maxwell

Set the standard for the "funny" cartoon
Created more beloved characters than any other studio
Concentrated more on dialogue ( in contrast to Steam Boat Willie)
Dynamic animators, allowed for the personality of the director to shine
through the character

Example-Porky Pig ( 2 color process since at that time Disney had the rights to the three color (Techinicolor) process.
I Haven't Got a Hat, Friz Freleng, 1935

Tex Avery, Chuck Jones, Bob Clampett, Mel Blanc, Carl Stalling
Avery directed Chuck Jones and Bob Clamplett ( who were both not enjoying the studio)
All three were placed in a room far away from the main studio ( where Freleng was), Named it termite terrace
They were allowed to challenge the conventional wisdom of cartoons
They were creative, energetic, worked nights, excited to try something new
Tex Avery believed in giving the audience what it would not expect
Mel Blanc provided the voice talent and Carl Stalling provided the music.
The result is to many considered the Golden age of Cartoons (Looney Tunes, Merry Melodies)
Some of the cast of characters created by these men:
Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Sylvester the cat, Tweety, Road runner,
Wile E. Coyote,..., Grinch(MGM)
Bugs Bunny being the most popular character

Gold Diggers of '49, 1936,
Warner Brothers, Directed by Tex Avery
This film marks the bridge of the old Warner Brothers with the new style.
This is the first film using the new team of Tex Avery, Bob Clampett, Chuck Jones
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=gold+diggers+of+49&hl=en&emb=0&aq=f#

Wild Hare, 1940
The first WB cartoon that has the fully developed bugs personality
The first time the immortal phrase " What's up Doc?" is uttered.

Chuck Jones
One of the most recognized names among cartoon directors
Abstract backgrounds, Stylized animation, Still Frames, Clarity of timing, clever use of camera angles, gags

Dover Boys, 1942
a true classic where Chuck displays his ideas:
Limited stylized animation
Characters holding still
Drawings smear between poses

One Froggy Evening, 1955, Chuck Jones
In this film he has refined his techniques to subtle expressions (sideways glances, nose wiggles)

MGM
Began with Ub Iwerks Flip the Frog cartoons
Noted animators include Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera (Tom and Jerry, Flintstones...)
Tex Avery, after a few years at Warner brothers ( Schlesinger studios), created even better work for MGM
He left Schlesinger over a censorship issue on one of his cartoons
Tex Avery had an immediate impact on the animation industry. He created fast paced cartoons with outrageous gags. He pushed character takes and typical cartoon shenanigans beyond what had been done before.

Puss Gets the Boot, 1940: Introduced characters Tom and Jerry, and Hanna Barbera Directors

Red hot Riding Hood, Tex Avery, MGM, 1946

Northwest Hounded police, tex Avery, MGM, 1946

Max Fleisher

2008-11-03T12:58:00.000-08:00

Max Fleischer has a more free wheeling style than that of the Disney formula.
He was a man of invention: He created a sound cartoon four years before Disney did, he developed Rotoscoping, Bouncing Ball, used 3D turntable of actual 3D object in animation

Betty Boop: introduced in 1930
Considered to be the first female cartoon star, sex object
Fleischer sued by actress claiming imitation

Popeye Meets Sinbad: 1936
Fleischer used a real turntable with 3D object on it for a true 3D background
This was the longest cartoon made at the time 17 minutes
Popeye meets Sinbad part 1

Popeye meets Sinbad Part 2

Gullivers travels: 1939
Fleischer also created full length animated features, notably Gulliver's travels
Popeye was originally slated to be used as Gulliver but instead they chose to rotoscope the character

Gulliver Part 2

Gulliver's Travels part 3

Gulliver's travels part 4

Gulliver's travels part 5

Gulliver's travels part 6

Gulliver's travels part 7 Nice example of rotoscoping technique

Gulliver's travels part 8

Gulliver's travels part 9

Superman:1941 Fleischer used shadows, special effects, unique camera angles and lotsa of action in these cartoons. (Top 50 cartoons)

Fleischer extra:
Max did a version of Rudolph the Red Nosed reindeer in 1948

Principles of Animation

2008-11-03T12:37:00.001-08:00

The Principles of Animation are methods and techniques used for successful cartoon animation.
They were discovered and developed in the early days of animation ( taught in Disneys drawing classes)
They matured as principles taught to all animators
They are necessary to create, appeal, emotion, energy, personality of character
Luxo Jr: Pixar 1987 great example of principles as applied in computer animation

Some of the pronciples are:
Squash and stretch:
Objects show movement in shape during action (smiling face , bouncing ball)
Distorting shape during action
Scene mostly in bouncing ball you can add it to fast moving objects as well
the volume of the object remains constant

Overlapping action
Relationship of an action nto the next action
Actions rarely come to a sudden and complete stop
Loose part of character or object during movement move in relation to main form
Also shows mass and weight of different types of objects
maintains continual flow

Drag
Delayed action of part of an object
Different parts of the object move at different rates from same motion
Can be exaggerated to create a more dramatic style

Arcs
Things seldom move in a straight line
Arcs are often the result of some constraint ( pendulum or arm swing, elbow arc from constrained position of shoulder)
Translational movement (walks, Runs) display an alternating arc plotting the top of the object

Disney Studios

2008-10-16T14:29:00.000-07:00

Walt Disney, 1901-1966
Walt Disney has had the greatest impact on every part of animation.
He started making titles for silent movies where he met Ub Iwerks
Walt and Ub learned the animation process together

Disney and manager Charles Mintz came up with Oswald the Lucky Rabbit

Trolley Troubles, 1927 the first release of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon

Puss in Boots, Laugh-o-Gram Studios, Disney, 1922

Walt later came up with the idea of a cartoon mouse ( on a train back to California after looking for money out east) he initially named it "Mortimer" but Walt's wife liked the name "Mickey" And that began Disney's history.

Disney leveraged key technologies and methods to popularize the medium.
He was innovative in the following areas:
Sound: SteamBoat Willie was the first sound cartoon
Steam Boat Willie, 1928 The first cartoon to use sound

Skeleton Dance, Disney, 1929
The first all musical cartoon

Color:
He secured a deal with Technicolor to use their 3 strip color process for three years exclusively. The first animation to use this process was Flowers and Trees won an Oscar for animated short 1932

Speed
He experimented with depicting speed. This had not been done up to this time.
Accelerated actions and Speed lines were a new style in animation
Exaggerated character personalities
Won an oscar for
Max hare provided a good model for the later to come Warner bros. Character Bugs Bunny
Tortoise and the Hare, Walt Disney, 1935

Depth
Walt had his staff experiment with depth and they developed the Multi-plane camera
This video has Mr. Disney describing it.

The Old Mill is the first Silly Symphony to use the Muli-plane camera

Mickey Mouse started to decline in popularity due to the strong personality of Donald Duck. Mickey started to take a different role to the other characters Disney had created.
The Brave Little Tailor did just this.
The Brave Little Tailer

Ub Iwerks:
real talent behind Walts early success
First drew mickey Mouse ( steambOat willie, Plane crazy....)
In the 30's he was doing most if not all animation or supervising it
His solo outing is called " Fiddlesticks" stars Flip the Frog
He returned to Disney
Won Oscar for his work in special effects

Cartoon Origins

2008-10-15T14:24:00.000-07:00

Cartoon Animation
In the beginning was line on paper frame by frame animation
This evolved into Celluloid (Cel) Animation using multiple layers
Invented by Earl Hurd 1914
What separates cartoon from other types of animation is it's focus on and
use of characters

Influential People in Cartoon Animation:
Windsor McCay:
He was one of the most popular and considered by many as one of the best early cartoon animators.
Started as a famous newspaper cartoonist
His work showed a profound improvement in quality compared to other works at the time such as Humorous Phases and fantasmagorie.
His work exhibited realistic drawn figures and believable movement
He meticulously hand painted each frame of his animation. This was done before color film had been invented.

Little Nemo, Windsor McCay, 1914

Gertie the Dinosaur, Windsor McCay, 1914
Probably the most significant film of the silent era
Gertie is the first character with a fully realized personality
This animation enthralled audiences and was the top theater event from 1913-1914
and it served as inspiration to future animators
Notice how the background wiggles and shimmers. This is due to the paper. Remember,
cel animation had not been invented yet.

Sinking of the Lusitania, Windsor McCay, 1918
The sinking of the ship the Lusitania so moved McCay he created this film
using animation
This was the most advanced animated film to date. The cel had been invented and
was being used. This allowed the backgrounds to have different shades
This is an early use of animation in a serious matter.

Krazy Kat Goes a Wooing, George Herriman/ leon Searl, 1916
Animators began looking to comic strips for inspiration Comics like Krazy Kat, Mutt and Jeff, Little Nemo
Early animations resembled comic books ( dialogue was illustrated in
over head balloons)

Captain Grogg Among Strange Animals, Victor Bergdahl, Sweden, 1920
Sophisticated drawing style not seen since McCay
Did not use cels, redrew backgrounds, Moved it and even animated it in perspective
Pencil shading was used for motion blur

Compositing

2008-10-15T10:05:00.000-07:00

Compositing:
The process of seamlessly merging separate visual elements into same
picture space
Early beginnings in Collage, Photomontage, and multiple exposures

Influential designers of collage and photomontage
Herbert Matter
George Grosz
John Heartfield
Kurt Schwitters

In his article "Definition of Photomontage", Raoul Hausmann seems to pin down its power: "…its contrast of structure and dimension, rough against smooth, aerial photograph against close-up, perspective against flat surface, the utmost technical flexibility and the most lucid formal dialectics are equally possible…The ability to manage the most striking contrasts, to the achievement of perfect states of equilibrium…ensures the medium a long and richly productive span of life…"

Photomontage examples:
http://seanhillen.com/
Cut and Paste homepage to photomontage

Rotoscope:

2008-10-13T11:39:00.000-07:00

Voices, Joanna Priestly, 1985
Inspired by Norm McLaren
Film makes use of a variety of techniques one of which is rotoscoping
Joanna traced her own performance and then added dream like imagery
Shows multiple perspectives on her narrative (opinions about life)

Gulliver's Travels, Max Fleischer, 1939
Max Fleischer Developed the rotoscope technique
It was used in this animated movie for the movements of Gulliver

An Artist, Michelle Cournoyer, 1994
A beautiful example of Rotoscoping used to emphasis story. The technique allowed the artist to show deeper feelings than may have been implied by original film footage.
See film here

Working with Audio/ Foley Artists

2008-10-07T05:55:00.000-07:00

This is an informative video about foley artists

This shows an artist creating sounds for Jurassic park

Here are a few links to free sound effects websites.
http://soundbible.com/
http://simplythebest.net/sounds/
http://www.findsounds.com/
http://www.grsites.com/sounds/
http://www.pacdv.com/sounds/index.html
http://www.freesound.org/index.php

Stop Motion Animation: De la Flora Appale'

2008-09-30T06:29:00.000-07:00

This is a quick stop motion, object animation, test I did using my digital camera. I then took the image sequences and imported them into After effects and then I created my own treatment as to give the film its old vintage look. (sound track with film)

Kinestasis and Collage

2008-09-26T12:22:00.000-07:00

Kinestasis: varying camera movements over images
Commonly used in documentaries and historical narratives

Powers of Ten: Charles and Ray Eames, 1977
Wonderfully creative use of kinestasis. In this example the majority of the images are still images and just scaled larger or smaller as to create the feel of moving away or towards a subject.

Black History in 60 Seconds: Circa 1972
The first commercial to use the Kinestasis technique developed by director Chuck Braverman. The spot was conceived, co-written, art directed and produced by Allen Kay, CEO of Korey Kay & Partners advertising, NY.

Collage:Assembling various object together to convey symbolic or suggested relationships
Frank Film: Frank Mouris, 1973
made up of images from magazines that he liked or meant something to him from his life up to the present time.
Won Oscar for his work

Motion Graphics: Movie Titling and Broadcast Motion Graphics

2008-09-26T07:23:00.000-07:00

Trish and Chris Meyer are long time After Effects users and the authors of the Book Creating Motion Graphics with After Effects. There website called Crish Design here is a nice example of their work from past and present times.
Looking at their portfolio page under the Broadcast slide show you can see a nice example of the Digital Scrapbook style animation they created for the show entitled "Free Ride". Their work is very clear on how layers, masks, blend modes, and transitions play a vital role in motion graphics.

Other movie title work that is a must see include the following by designer: Source Motion Graphic design by Jon Krasner
Saul Bass

The Man with the golden Arm, 1955
Psycho,
It's a Mad, mad, mad, mad world,
Anatomy of a Murder, 1959
Carmen Jones, 1954( his first title for film)
Vertigo,

Fris Freleng

The Pink Panther, 1963

Maurice Binder

Dr. No
License to Kill

Terry Gilliam

Monty Python Opening title to T.V. show
The Life of Brian,

Richard Alan Greenberg

Superman, 1978
Family Business,, 1989
Flash Gordon, 1980
Altered States, 1980
Another You,1991
Death becomes her, 1992
Executive decision,1996
FoxFire, 1996

Pablo Ferro

DR. Strangeglove,1964
The Thomas Crowne Affair, 1968
A Clockwork Orange, 1971
To Die For, 1995

Kyle Cooper

Se7en, 1995
Spider-Man, 2002

Harry Mark: Pioneer for Television Broadcast Graphics learn more here

ABC, NBC Broadcast graphics, Movie of the week openers,

The art of the title website features great Movie title work

Saul Bass: King of the Moving Title

2008-09-26T06:51:00.000-07:00

Bass on Titles is a great education of how to think about titles and to tie in all the psychological elements that ties visual images to emotion and connecting the concepts of the movie in with the motion graphics.

Oceans Eleven Title:Saul Bass

Around the World in 80 Days: Saul Bass, 1956

It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad World Title Sequence :Saul Bass

The Doors Movie tile: Saul Bass

Here is a large list of Movies that Saul has had a hand in:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000866/filmogenre

More on Saul Bass as a Graphic designer. See the connection between a motion graphics aretist and a graphic designer?
They both, A motion graphics artist and a Graphic designer, distill ideas down to the simplest forms so that an image becomes instantly recognizable, Memorable, and emotionally connected. Look at all the symbols he created that we now consider standards and do not think twice about them being a symbolic representation of a corporation that embodies a companies products and earned the public's trust.

Motion Graphics: Motion Graphic Examples

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Psycho, Saul Bass, 1960
Early motion graphic style used in Movie title sequence.
Saul Bass is considered king of animated titles
This motion graphic is visualizing urban paranoia and broken Psyche (letters slide on the screen and fracture)

Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Yellow Submarine, George Dunning, 1968
Developed by an experimental artist
Early form of the music video
Rotoscope was used to from old movie clips of Fred Astaire dancing with Ginger Rogers
Those images were painted with out concern for continuity . This creates a magical fluid effect as the character move through color

Pencil Dance, Chris Cassidy, 1989
Experimental Animation
notice the simple color scheme:Greyscale
Creative usage of simple shapes
Nice examples of leading the eye around the screen but always leading us back to near center. Music matches the fun motion on screen, Nice use of line weight to create the illusion of depth and distance as object come towards the screen
and pass by.

Monocodes, Alexander Rutterford, 2000
Nice Motion Graphic example that utilizes sound, color, light effects in a technique similar to the paint on Film techniques of norm McLaren.
Notice the intense use of blur and glows to create a futuristic visual display that excites the senses. Designing with digital light and sound.
Notice the perfect sync with audio track.
Notice limited use of screen space but visually powerful because of color and motion.

Bleip: No, Pleix, 2001
Very modern looking Motion Graphic with sound. Notice the design and the creative use of time to move in sync with the music. Watch for the use of background colors as text colors. Its' a nice layering effect and a simplified 3-4 color palette. Also, notice how there is contrasting colors, Grey on bright green, that creates emphasis and focal point. Notice how there are simple silhouetted shapes that "orbit" around the anchor point and basically have simple motion.

Down With Love, Ron Diamond (Acme Film Works)2003
Great example of Saul Bass influenced motion graphics. Notice the color and modern styling s, and The way that all the scenes connect to each other. Lots of symbols that are related to the theme of the movie, music and color treatments within the film itself.

Cut out animation test 1

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Here is a simple cut out animation test

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation:Black Soul, Martine Chartrand, 2000

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Black Soul
Martine Chartrand, 2000
Paint on glass

Click to view film from national Film Board of Canada website

Pinscreen Animation: Mindscape, Jaques Drouin, 1976

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Mindscape, Jaques Drouin, 1976
Unique animation technique called pinscreen. It's a screen with thousands of pins that can move in and out with shadows.
Click to view film from national Film Board of Canada website

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: The Sand Castle, Co Hoedman, 1977

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The Sand castle, Co Hoedman, 1977
Puppet with Sand Animation
Notice textured design created with sand

Click to see film from national Film board of Canada

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: The Street, Caroline Leaf 1976

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Caroline leaf, 1976
Paint on Glass

National Film Board of Canada Click to view film from website

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: The Owl that Married a Goose, Caroline Leaf 1974

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Sand Animation

National Film Board of Canada

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: Claire De Lune Espangnol, Emile Cohl, 1912

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Animated moon by using cut out animation techniques
No video link could be found

Animation Labs: Claymation

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This is the second group lab that the students completed. They were given a storyboard which gave them the task of animating a ball of clay entering the scene and then transforming into three distinct shapes and then leaving the scene.
Project completed 9/16/2008

StoryBoards used in lab:

Puppet Animation Part 2, Tim Burton: Vincent 1982

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Tim Burton
Disney studio animator
Disney did not k now what to do with him and let his contract run out ( same as John Lasseter)
Directed Pee Wee's big adventure

Puppet Animation, Jan Svankmajer, Flora, 1989

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Jan Svankmajer, 1989
Czeck surrealist puppet animator
Wildly imaginative, utilized combinations of puppets, humans, stop motion, live action
He Inspired Brothers Quay, Tim Burton

Puppet Animation, Part 2, Jan Svankmajer, Dimensions of Dialogue, 1982

2008-09-16T10:17:00.000-07:00

Jan Svankmajer, Czeck surrealist puppet animator
Wildly imaginative, utilized combinations of puppets, humans, stop motion, live action
He Inspired Brothers Quay, Tim Burton

Dimensions of Dialogue is a film about the way we communicate

Animation Labs: Object Animation

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Fall 2008 Object Animation Lab

Spring 2009 Object Animation Lab:

Stop Motion animation: Meat Love Jan Svankmajer 1992

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Jan Svankmajer uses puppets made from food
Created for MTV in the 1992

Wildly imaginative Surrealist
integrates stop motion, live action, Puppets, ...
Inspired other artists like Tim Burton

Stop motion Anmation:Picnic with Weisman Part 2; Jan Svankmajer 1969

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Part 2 of Picnic with Weismann
By jan Svankmajer 1969

Stop motion Anmation: Picnic with Weisman Part 1; Jan Svankmajer 1969

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Picnic with Weismann: Part 1
By: Jan Svankmajer 1969

Wildly imaginative Surrealist
integrates stop motion, live action, Puppets, ...
Inspired other artists like Tim Burton

Stop Motion Animation Composition 1 (Themis) Dwinell Grant 1940

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By Dwinell Grant 1940
he was frustrated by limitations of canvas
he wanted to "add the element of time and motion to abstract composition"

Stop motion Anmation: the Impossible Map 1947

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http://www.nfb.ca/animation/objanim/en/films/film.php?sort=title&id=14229

Link to national Film board of canada site to view Animation

This is an excellent example of the use of stop motion animation in an educational way.
by Evelyn Lambart ( who worked with Norm Lambert) 1947
This animation is from the natuional film Board of canada website

Thaumotrope example

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The Thaumotrope is an early form of camera-less animation. It is simply a cardboard or paper disc with holes on each end connected to string. You spin the device between your thumb and finger to create the illusion of animated images.

Timing in Animation: Theatre Optique 1892

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Theatre Optique is considered the first movie theatre.
E. Reynaud created the Praxinoscope and used this device to project animated films, that he hand painted on clear gelatine, to thousands of viewers.

Norm McLaren: Chairy Tale

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Norm McLaren used pixilation to create this animated film.

Pixilation (from pixilated) is a stop motion technique where live actors are used as a frame-by-frame subject in an animated film, by repeatedly posing while one or more frame is taken and changing pose slightly before the next frame or frames. The actor becomes a kind of living stop motion puppet. This technique is often used as a way to blend live actors with animated ones in a film, such as in The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb by the Bolex Brothers, which used the technique to compelling and eerie effect.
The first work known to use the pixilation technique was Emile Courtet's 1911 film Jobard ne peut pas voir les femmes travailler (Jobard cannot see the women working).

Norm Mclaren: Neighbors

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Norm Mclaren used the animation technique called Pixelation to create this famous animation entiltled neighbors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_McLaren

Norm McLaren: Doodle Boogie

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Norm Mclaren is an inspirational animator who worked for the National Film Board in Canada. He experimented with different animation techniques and became know for developing the animation technique known as pixellation.

McLaren is famous for his experiments with image and sound as he developed a number of groundbreaking techniques for combining and synchronizing animation with music.

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: Hedgehog in the Fog, Yuri Norshteyn, 1975

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Yuriy Norshteyn, 1975
Cutout Animation
Award winning Russian animator, still using cutout animation today. Computer animated films "makes him ill"

Documentary on Yuriy Norshteyn from YouTube

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: Mr. Frog Went a Courting

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Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: Monty Pythons Flying Circus Intro 1969

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Terry Gillman, 1969
Good examples of different forms of cutout animation ( Replacement mouths, overlays, and replacement parts)

Cutout, Sand, paint on glass Animation: W.S.S. Thriftettes

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Thomas Edison Company, 1908
WW1 propoganda for war saving stamps
Cut out moving armatures

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Balance

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Balance, Christopher Lauenstein, 1989
Puppet animation, Simple scene, simple puppets, Great story told through animation

Clay/ Puppet Animation part 2: Slow Bob in the Lower Dimension

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Slow Bob in the Lower Dimensions, Henry Selick, 1990
Henry Selik a Cal Arts alumni (Tim Burton , john Lasseter)
Also directed Tim Burton's Nightmare before Christmas, James and the giant Peach, Monkeybone
He did the underwater effects in Life Aquatic

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Brothers Quay: Street of Crocodiles part 2

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Timothy and Stephen Quay 1986
(identical twins from Philidelphia)
Their work is a dark and moody passages with poetic approach

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Brothers Quay: Street of Crocodiles part 1

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Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Brothers Quay; House of Flame part 2

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Timothy and Stephen Quay 1979
(identical twins from Philidelphia)
Their work is a dark and moody passages with poetic approach

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Jiri Trnka; House of Flame part 1

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Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Jiri Trnka; The Hand Part 2

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By Jiri Trnka, 1965
Czechoslovakian naster puppet animator
Started as childrens book illustrator, set designer for live theater
His animation includes nearly all the techniques of hand crafted animation

The hand is considered his masterpiece

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 2: Jiri Trnka; The Hand Part 1

2008-07-03T10:25:00.000-07:00

By Jiri Trnka, 1965
Czechoslovakian master puppet animator
Started as children's book illustrator, set designer for live theater
His animation includes nearly all the techniques of hand crafted animation

The Hand is considered his masterpiece

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: The Lost World

2008-07-03T09:48:00.000-07:00

By Willis O'Brian. 1925
Puppets used for visual effects
he pushed for realism in puppet style and motion
Animated King Kong in 1933
Skull under clay for close ups

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: The First Circus

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by Tony Sarg, 1921
Puppeteer
Frame by frame animation of a marionette puppet in silhouette

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: The cameraman's Revenge

2008-07-03T09:42:00.000-07:00

By Ladislaw Starevich, 1912
Russian Entomologist making documentary on beetles.
Lights forced real beetles to hide so he built armatures and used them in a puppet animation
resulted in a "bedroom" farce instead of a documentary
He went on to animate and direct films for the next 50 years

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: Creature Comforts

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Creature Comforts
By Nick Parks , 1990
Plasticine Animation
Lip synced to unscripted dialogue
Oscar winner

Here is the URL..
youtube.com/watch?v=P3AAdkfiamU

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: The Great Cognito

2008-07-03T09:38:00.001-07:00

By Will Vinton, 1982
Will Vinton coined the term Claymation
Created Will Vinton Studios
Known for the singing Rasins for California Raisin Council
PJ's (1999) TV show and "Gary and Mike" 2001

California Raisins commercial, Will Vinton, Circa 1986

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: Closed Mondays

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By Will Vinton and Bob Gardiner, 1974
Clay Characters with an elaborate structure
Gave greater control of the characters and facial expressions
Oscar Winner
Skull under head used for close up shots

Clay/ Puppet Animation Part 1: How To Build a Bunny

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This is a very good example of how to build a simple clay figuure creation.
Plasticine with simple structural support.
Aardmann Studios
From Motion picture: Wallace and Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.

Time Lapse, Pixilation, Stop Motion in After Effects: A Chairy Tale

2008-07-03T07:52:00.000-07:00

Time Lapse, Pixilation, Stop Motion in After Effects: Food Fight

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Time Lapse, Pixilation, Stop Motion in After Effects: Sledgehammer

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Food: Breakfast, Jan Svankmajer, 1992
Pixilation, stop motion animation

Food: Lunch, Jan Svankmejer, 1992

Food: Dinner, Jan Svankmajer, 1992

Animating Objects: Stop Motion in After Effects; Automatic Moving Company 1912

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Create by : Romeo Bosetti 1912
There is still a debate today about if the furniture was real or miniature.

Animating Objects: Stop Motion in After Effects; Princess Nicotine 1909

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One of the earliest experiments with stop motion animation
Stop Motion Sticks
Created by: J.Stuart Blackton in 1909

Timing in Animation: Fantasmagorie

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Fantasmagorie, made in 1908 by French caricature artist Emile Cohl, is one of the earliest examples of a fully-animated film.

This imaginative film is considered the first ever fully animated cartoon.

Animated by Emile Cohl: 1908

The Hashers Delirium: Emile Cohl, 1910
Great example of the technique of constant motion. Where one object morphs into another object.

Timing in Animation: Humorous Phases of Funny Faces

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Humorous Phases of Funny faces: 1906 This is considered the first animated film.

This animation was created by J.Stuart Blackton.

J. Stuart Blackton is considered to be the father of American animation.

Implied Motion: Basic Skills; Animation Show

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Test Blog

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We are going to have a good time learning about animation and experimenting with different animation techniques..
Let's ANM8!!

Welcome to CSC 186 2D Animation Blog

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This Blog is to be used to help you view as much content as possible in one easy to find location. Please use it as frequently as possible to help you learn about animation.