2D Animation Techniques

Introduction

Hello, My name is Marlena Stepien and on this blog I am going to talk about different techniques and development of 2D animations. I am going to make sure I will write a very detailed discussion what is 2D animations and how does it change over the years.

2D Animation

The 2D animation is a shortcut of two-demensional animation and exists since late 1800's. This means that the animation is completly flat and in yearly stages it has been everything has been draw by hand. The yearly techniques of creating 2D animation where Flick book, cel animation, rotoscoping, drawn on film, photographic stills, Flash animation. The difference between 2D and 3D animation are the 2D animation is drawing a flat object and 3D animation you can see the object from all the sides. For example imagine you have a ball in 2D and 3D animation and you want to move it araound to see how it looks from the side, to see the ball from below or from above you will have to draw everything from  another angle, as in 3D animation you will only have to move the camera.

In my oppinion both of the techniques are really good, but also I think the 2D animation is more easy to create if you have good art and ICT skills where you can draw objects on the computer. Few years ago you will be not able to draw on the computer and there were not such a thing like 3D animation, as 2D animation can be draw by hand, step by step. For me 3D animation is brilliant, as it shows what we can do to create something beautiful using a computer and a 3D software.

Flip Book

A flip book is a little note book with series of images in it. The pictures in the flip book most be very carefully drawed as when the pages are turned the drawings will create a movemnt. The flip book is very easy to create if you have good art skills, which just mean if you can draw you can create one one those. What you really need is the note book, pencil, and idea for a short story. The first flip book was created in September 1868, and it was painted by John Barnes Linnett.

Here is an examples of flip book:

Adventages of flipbook

• Cheap
• Don't need and IT skills

Disanvantages of flipbook

• Takes a lot of time to create
• Quick to destroy
• Need good ART skills

  

Cell Animation

A cell animation is one of the oldest animation that have been found.  This type of animation was used in the production of animated and cartoon movies, all of the cartoons where drew by hand. Animated movies like 'Snow White (1937), Sleeping Beauty (1959) and other old cartoons. The reason why they have called ‘cell animation’ is because cell is a very important part of producing animations like this, as the cells are like layers which we these days can make on software’s like Photoshop, or Adobe Flash, but whenever cell animation was found there were no such things like these software’s, everything has to be drew by hand. So whenever all the drawing were done, they were putting them at the top of each other like layers and move them whenever they decide their cartoon to go. The other very interesting information about cel anims the producers have use the layer. As you watch old cartoons you can discover that the background is not moving, it stays still only things whoch are moving are the characters and objects close to them. 

Here is an example of Cell Animation

 

Advantages of cell animation

• Unreal finish effect
• Learning new skills

Disadvantages

• Stressful
• Takes long time to create

Rotoscoping

Rotoscoping is another technique where the animators trace over footage, frame by frame for use in live-action and animated films. How this is done? The animators are using projectors and then put the image onto frosted glass panel and re-drawed the footage.

The technique was invented by American animator Max Fleischer, as he has used this technique around 1915 in his series 'Out of the Inkwell'. He has patented this technique around 1917 and used in in number of his latercartoons.

The Fleischer studio's most effective use of rotoscoping was in their series of action-oriented Superman cartoons .

Here is a video showing the use of Rotoscoping.

The advantages of this technique is that the whole animated movie is going to look very realistically and the time will be very accurated, which will make the movie good. The whole technique is done by dand as the cartoons are drawed, so this give also an disadvantages and the production of animated movie is going to be very consuming and also can be expensive as you have to use special tools to make something like the music video above.  

Drawn On Film

This is not very known animation technique, I have found out about it not long ago, but is very interesteing. Drawin on film is making a video/movie without camera. You are drawing directly on the film stock, and the results are wonderful. Most of you will do not know what is a film stock, I have have put picture below to show what was before memories card which we can now use in our cameras and other stuff.

This technique it's not much known by people as it does not show clear view of what is happening on the tape. You would not see people on it or animals or any objects just shapes, and very creative work which just flows through the film. Here is an example...

Photographic Stills

Photographic Stills animation also called 'photoanimation' it's a very old animation technique, as old as motion picture. The first time when this technique has been used was in The Humpty Dumpty Circus in 1897. It was a first photographic stills movie directed by a man called Albert E.Smith and J. Stuart Blackton. These movie was showing how toy animals and acrobats comes to life. This technique at first stage was seenas a magic, as in our grandparents and grand grandparents years there were no such a thing like 3D movies, or special effects. Everything was hand made and people were only coming up with ideas which has developed to this stage what we have now in movies and cinemas.

These is an example of another great and second photographic stills movie called 'The Lost World' and it was seen in first time in 1925, this movie was work of well known animator called  Willis O' Brien, but must people known him from very famous movie 'King Kong, 1933'. Most of the characters in this kind of movies were made of clay figures or dolls as the directors were able to move their hands, and twist them araound to make them look as they were moving.

'King Kong' (1933)

'King Kong' (2005)

I have put two images of King Kong. One is

from year 1993 and the other from 2005. I have put those examples to shows you how much the animation techniques have change over not even 100 years, and how much people how develope this animation techniques and they are making them BETTER and BETTER every year.

Advantages
The biggest result of using this kind of animation is that the end result is amazing, at the photographs are manipulated the movie makaer can do everything with them, and make his own moves

Disadvantages
The bifg disadvantage of using this technique is that it takes a lot of time to make this kind of animation, as the person have to take a thousands of pictures, and if the one picture is missing that means they have to took their pictures again, and also it takes alot of time and patience to make a movie like this as every move of the character has to look real.

Flash Animation

A Flash Animation is when animator is using a computer and particular software to create the animation. For example Adobe Flash or anyother software on which you can edit videos and put them into one..

The first Flash Animation format was used on 15th of October 1997 by John Kricfalusi which has create a first cartoon called 'The Goddamn George Liquor Program' cartoon series produced specifically for the Internet. Kricafalusi then create more animated cartoons for internet, t.v. commercials, and music videos.  That might be the reason why there is so many animated videos, cartoons and everything over the world wide web. Have you ever seen old cartoons? Mike Mouse, Scooby-Doo, I am talking about the darwed by hand cartoon, imigne that in few years you will never see it again on T.V. maybe on World Wide Web, but in these days all the cartoons are created by this kind of animation Ben Ten, Dexter and other cartoons which I do not know about.

The reason for this is because the big advantage of Flash Animation is that is very quick to create an animation on this specific software. You just have to know how to work it, and how to move things around. It also helps you with your work as you do not have to draw everything again with every different shot as your objects are saved in the library and the only thing you willo have to change is the layers. 

                                                                                                                          

The disadvantage of using this kind of animation might be the problem with the learining how to use the software, but if you learn it the creating a animation will be very easy to create. Anopther problem which you can find using these kind of animation might be the problem with the computer or your hard drive and you can lost or your work. So whenever you are doing any of the animation on the computer make sure you have a copy of your work.

I hope I have helped you with your research about different types of animations and also that you enjoyed resing it, I have put some more helpfull websites on which you can find some more infromation's about different technqiues.

• Flash Animation 

http://www.flashanimation.com/flash3content.html

• More on Cell animation -

http://animatedtv.about.com/od/showsaz/ss/animation101_4.htm

• Drawn on Film  -

http://animation.about.com/od/faqs/f/Reader-Question-What-Is-Drawn-On-Film-Animation.htm

• Rotoscoping -

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Rotoscoping