The history of animation.
Nicole Fettin.
This is a short timeline showing how and who created animation and how it’s developed over the
years into something phenomenal.
1887: The start of animation. H.W Goodwin invented a celluloid film which could hold images. This
was made from gum cotton and gum camphor.
1982: an early moving picture-picture production. There was a man in France named Emil Reynaud
opened a theatre using an invention called Praxinoscope. This invention used turning mirrors to
reflect images to produce a 10 to 15 minute moving image.
1983: Thomas Edison’s Kitnetoscope; He used the celluloid film created by H.W Goodwin; this allows
Thomas Edison to produce moving film picture on the wall. The film over a series of wheels to
produce these pictures.
1899: Using a magnetic recording device sound was recorded for the first time ever. Animation
experts would latch onto the newly invented technology.
1900: A man called James Stuart Blackton effectively consumed animation techniques to produce a
short film. This recorded the drawing process of characters without showing the artist; this made it
seem that the drawings magically appeared.
1908: The first ever official animated film to be created. A French man named Emile Cohl produced a
film called “Fantasmagorie” this became a hit and is known today as one of the first true animated
films.
1914: There was a short film which was created known as “Gertie the Dinosaur” this film was
created by Windsor McCay.
1915: A man named John Bray developed a streamlined process for creating animated films. He tried
to convince other companies to use his designs.
1920: Otto Messmer who had been working on a animation for a couple of years created a character
who was known as Felix The Cat. Felix was very successful and ended up including dolls and watches.
1922: Twenty year old Walt Disney began his first animation film studio named Laugh-O-Grams. It
failed after a short time.
1928: Just because Walt-Disney failed on their first ever animated film didn’t mean they would
instantly give up in 1928 he released a short film named Steamboat Willie which featured Mickey
Mouse and incorporated sound for the first time. This became an instant success.
1930: Warner Brothers was born. Loony Tunes was produced by Disney. It soon became a life of its
own and became increasingly popular and successful.
1930: Other popular characters was introduced in 1930, several new iconic characters known as
Betty Boop, Popeye the sailor and Daffy Duck.
1932: Walt Disney developed a use of the 3-strip Technicolor animation. In 1935 Len Lye created a
method known as painting directly on film strips. He used this technique in his animated film known
as “color box”.
1937: The first full length animated Disney film was created. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was
a huge success.
1940: This was the year where the iconic characters grew. This decade brought out several new
popular characters. This included Woody the Woodpecker, Mighty Mouse and Tom And Jerry.
1972: In 1972 the first ever computer generated image was introduced. This was created by a man
named Ed Catmull. He developed a method which allowed him to create computer generated
movies. This used scripting language.
1993: 3-D. Apple Computer Company created/produced a method which allowed them to create 3-D
films. In 1995 Toy Story was released as the first ever full length 3D film. The animation industry
was never the same again.
Hand drawn animation is where all the frames are drawn and designed by hand. Usually 24 frames
per second so it makes the visuals look like they’re all linked together, this makes it look like the
drawings have been filmed. Sometimes the frames are not so close together so it makes it look like
a comic book strip. The drawings are all drawn on one layer and are continuously repeated. Hand
drawn images could be used to create a comic book strip or can be turned into an animation
movie. An example of a hand drawn animation is called ‘Noah’s ark’ by Walt Disney. Each frame was
hand drawn then played back in a sequence to make the animation look like a movie. Animation is a
quick display of a sequence of images which are 2D models in order to create an illusion of
movement. This could be anything ranging from a flipbook to a motion picture film.
A man named Winsor McCay created detailed animations which required a team of artist’s attention
working for detail. Each of his frames was drawn on paper; these required backgrounds to be
redrew, as well as characters which needed to be animated. He created films such as Gertie the
Dinosaur which was released in 1914.
Another technique of animation could be ‘cel
animation.’ The drawings which are used are traced
or copied onto transparent sheets known as cels.
These are later placed over a painted background
which is then photographed one by one on a
rostrum camera. Cell animation is where all the
pictures are drawn and layered up on cells. For
example you can draw a background image and you can place it on anything you like. You can place
anything which requires animation on the top so that it’s easier to access. A great example of cell
animation is the Simpsons.
Full animation is one of the most common styles in animation and is
recognised for its realistic and detailed art. Examples for this could be any
Disney animated film.
Limited animation is known for being a cheaper way of creating animated cartoons an
example being The Flintstones.
Stop-motion animation could be any type of animation which is requires someone to physically
alter/make changes to the scene to create the finished animation.
Nick Park; An English film maker most known for his huge hit known as Wallace and Grommet, and
television show and movie Shaun the Sheep.
Nick Park Filmography
(1989) Creature Comforts- Director, writer and animator.
(1989) Wallace and Grommet: A grand day out- Director, writer and animator.
(1993) Wallace and Grommet: The wrong trousers- Director, writer and animator.
(2000) Chicken Run- Director, producer and writer.
(2005) Wallace and Grommet: The curse of the were-rabbit- Director, producer and writer.
(2008) Wallace and Grommet: A matter of loaf and death- Director, producer and writer.
Nick Park Television
(2003-2006) Creature comforts
(2007-2010) Shaun the sheep
(2009-2012) Timmy time
(2010) Wallace and Grommets world of invention
1993: Nick Park had an Oscar winning animated film known as ‘Wrong Trousers.’ This being
Aardmans first ever 30 minute film. Globally winning over thirty awards. Wrong Trousers then
became one of the most successful animated films ever created.
Wallace and Grommet is known as a type of cut-out animation. This type of stop-motion animation
is formed by moving two-dimensional pieces of material being paper or cloth. A good example of
this is The Monty Python and South Park.
Nick Park created his first ever stop-motion film at age 13. After joining Aardmans animations LTD in
1985 he then created Wallace and Grommet. He used the technique known as ‘Claymation’. The
way he created his first ever stop-motion film was using a 8-millimeter camera.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLeXZ4koPeU – This is a link for a documentary specifically
about Nick Park which includes information about his career and programmes and animated films he
has created.
Model animation; this form of animation involves model animated characters
to interact with, and they’re a part of the live action world. A good example
of someone who uses this technique is Ray Harryhausen. Ray Harryhausen
was an American visual effects editor, writer and also a producer who
created a form of stop motion model animation known as 'dynamation'. His
most memorable bits of work are 'Mighty Joe Young (1949)'which won
academy awards for his special effects. 'The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad
(1958)' his first ever colour film. Most known for: Clash of the Titans (1981),
The Sci-Fi Boys (2006), Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977)
Pre-dynamation; Before the huge outbreak of CGI (computer generated images) , dimensional
pioneers were developing fine tuning art and discovering how it could work for them as successful
film makers. The history of dimensional animation begins with one of the most famous pioneers he
was known as George Méliès (1851-1938). George Méliès discovered in 1896 by complete accident
when he was filming for a different movie that if he stopped the camera whilst vehicles and people
were passing he could replace one thing with another. The name which is known for this trick is
known as ‘stop action’ which is today known as stop-motion.
Tim Burton; who is he?
Tim Burton is an American film director, artist, writer, producer and poet.
Tim Burton has directed 16 films and produced 12 as of 2012. He is known
globally for his horror and fantasy films.
Here are some examples below.
Beetle Juice
Edward Sissorhands
The Nightmare Before Christmas
Ed Wood
Sleepy Hollow
Corpse Bride
Sweeney Todd
Tim Burton who became very interested in drawing and art and also film making from a very young
age attended The California Institute of Arts then later worked as an animator at Disney Productions.
Burton who directed his first ever feature film known as ‘Pig-wee’s big adventure’ in 1985 which
turned out to be a box office success. Burton then later described himself as an “unconventional
filmmaker.”
Jan Svankmajer The Czech film maker well known for his animation work. His work
has influenced many people like Terry Gilliam.
Jan Svankmajer was influenced early on in life by a puppet he received as a present
for Christmas. Jan Svankmajer has been described as an “animator extraordinaire”.
He is most known for his creations of his intensely bizarre films since the mid-60’s.
Who is Thomas Edison?
Thomas Edison he was an inventor, scientist, and a business man who developed a
range of devices that had a huge impact on everyday life around the world.
What is Thomas Edison famous for? Thomas Edison invented the phonograph the
motion picture camera and a long lasting light bulb. To this date we all are aware the
'light bulb' is one of the most essential things in life. He also invented the 'kinescope'. This device
was used in stop motion animation.
What is the Kinescope? It’s an early motion picture device but not a movie projector. It was used
for films to be viewed individually through a window of a cabinet containing its components.
Watching created an illusion of movement by conveying a strip of film over a light source with a high
speed shutter.
Things which made the Kinescope not so great is only one person could view at a time. The moving
image only lasted from 5-10 seconds.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVL8ptff7yI – This is an overview of Thomas Edison.
Photographic Stills;
Photographic stills can be just about anything as long as it doesn't
move.
A photograph is a picture made using a device called a camera. The
image is then focused on to light sensitive materials and then can be
shown by a chemical treatment or shown digitally.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPj0IgARI2M – this YouTube video explains photographic stills
and includes examples.
A Scanner Darkly ( 2006)- interpolated rotoscoping.
A Scanner Darkly (2006) the technique which is used throughout the film is called interpolated
rotoscoping. (When an animator draws over or traces over a video that was filmed in real life. A
brief introduction to rotoscoping. Rotoscoping is where animated characters are created by tracing
an action movie with real actors frame by frame. This technique is performed by a computer.
Rotoscoping came around in the early 1900's by showing each moving frame onto a frosted glass
easel from which the animator traced and redrew the image. Rotoscoping can be used to create
cartoon like movies, the actors are recognisable and everything seems realist. The entire motion
picture has a cartoon like quality.
The animated film A Scanner Darkly has won and been nominated for many awards.
Academy of science fiction, fantasy and horror film USA. Nominated: Saturn Award for the best
animated film. Chlotrudis awards (2007) nominated for the best adapted screenplay also best
supporting actor.
Austin Film Critics award which was won.
Golden Trailer Awards (2006) Best animation/family.
Rotoscoping can be done digitally using various types of software ranging from Flash and Photoshop
and many more. This technique can also be performed using hand drawn art work.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zrbz37Y0Oe8 – This is a trailer for A Scanner Darkly.
Here is an example of the technique which was used in the film A Scanner Darkly which is called
interpolated rotoscoping. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tG_ER2Izeks
This is a clip of the technique which is used in the film A Scanner Darkly. It is showing the
interpolated rotoscoping throughout the film.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eke5VnpNcNk
Walt Disney; The process of animation.
Here is Walt Disney’s step by step guide on how they create their animated films.
Step 1) A storyboard is created then all the animators and directors come together to discuss the
entire film.
Step 2) the storyboards are shown and presented to the animators and the directors. This is shown
in pictures and text explaining what is going to happen and when.
Step 3) when the animators and directors have come to a decision on what is going to happen in the
film the dialogue is then recorded. This is performed before the animation process so the animators
have a clear understanding as to what the characters will be saying.
Step 4) after the dialogue has been recorded the animators can create sketches of just the
characters. Usually these drawings are just rough sketches and do not include colour or background.
Some Disney films have used over 50,000 individual drawings.
At Walt Disney animation studios and other studios the best animators would only sketch a few
images leaving gaps between. Later the process continues and a person named the 'inbetweener'
would finish the scenes by drawing between the areas that the animator hasn't yet completed.
Step 5) once the whole film has been sketched out on paper the animation drawings go to the inking
department. There the inkers make a copy the animation drawings onto a clear celluloid acetate
sometimes named a 'cel'.
Steps 6) when the outline of the characters has been created the unfinished ‘cels’ go to the painting
department. The painters then flip the cel over and then paint the colours on the back. They paint
on the back because they want the characters to look crisp and the best that they could possibly be.
Step 7) before the animation cels get photographed a background then must be created. Because a
cel is clear and it only has the painted character on it. Meaning that the colour would show
through. Walt Disney paints their backgrounds with Tempera or some kind of water colour paint. In
some Disney productions the background was painted onto glass. Then combined with different
glass painted backgrounds to create an illusion of 'extreme movement'. This technique was used in
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Step 8) now all the elements have been combined the cel and background can now be
photographed. The final product is not filmed with a normal projector or camera. 'A special device'
with the lens mounted down on to a table top captures each frame of the animated feature.
Normally the background image is placed into a special mount then covered with the cel, covered
with a large piece of glass then finally photographed.
Step 9) after the drawings have finally been filmed the dialogue is then added. Sometimes the film is
edited at this point.
Step 10) the animated film is finally released and the general public is now allowed to view.
Rotoscoping
Rotoscoping is a process where someone manually
changes video footage one frame at a time. The
frames can be painted on to create custom animated
effects like lightning or light sabres. Rotoscoping
drastically change when software was made available
called ‘Flame, mocha, silhouette, digital fusion, nuke and after effects.’ Different rotoscoping
techniques include matte creation, digital cloning and many more.
Analogue rotoscoping for visual effects: rotoscoping became a crucial tool for visual effects. From
the 1940’s to the 1960’s. A well-known animator named U.B Iwerks took up effects work where he
pioneered the use of the rotoscope technique on films such as example of a film which uses the
technique of rotoscoping: Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds in 1963.
Rotoscoping can be used for a variety of reasons but is commonly used to stabilise a shaky film
image.
http://www.fxguide.com/featured/the-art-of-roto-2011/ say To do stabilization, each film frame was
rotoscope onto an alignment chart. A comparison of the charts allowed changes in position to be
tracked from frame to frame. Using this information, an optical copy of the film could be made, with
the printer offsetting the shifts in each frame’s movement.
Nowadays rotoscoping is all completed on the computer, on different programmes such as
flame/smoke and after effects. Completing rotoscoping on the computer began in the early 1990’s
with software named colour burst which is quite similar to Photoshop, where it gives you the ability
to edit images.
My Proposal
I am creating an ident for BBC Three to promote the changes which are going to be taking place in
early 2015. BBC Three have come to a conclusion that taking the channel off the air will be doing
them a huge favour. The changes which they are hoping to make will be saving the BBC 50 million a
year. This would mean the business would have more money to go towards making changes to the
other BBC channels such as BBC1 and BBC4.
They are not only making these changes due to money but BBC Threes target audience is at the
younger generation. Young people spend majority of their time browsing the internet. BBC Three are
reinventing themselves as a new online browsing service which allows full access to all the different
programmes any time the viewer would want it.
BBC Three’s ethos is to create “ground-breaking” programmes for the younger generations. Market
research has proved that it would be more beneficial for the business to make their programmes
available just online.
Up to the year 2008 BBC Three was creating the idents which was based upon the ‘blobs’ the little
orange entertainers who made the channel a little more interesting in between the programmes.
The idents colour scheme at this time was very simple and plain. The main colours which were used
were a pale blue colour for the background. This colour connotes and is associated with depth and
stability. www.color-wheel-pro.com state that the colour blue symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom,
confidence, intelligence, faith truth and heaven. The other colour which was the main focus of the
ident was a bright orange colour which was used for the ‘blobs’. The colour orange is associated with
joy, sunshine and the tropics. Orange also represents enthusiasm, happiness, creativity, success and
stimulation.
My idea is fresh and fun and almost celebration like. It could mean its a celebration for BBC Three’s
new launch on the internet. In my story board I have shown what I want my animation to look like
frame by frame.