Introduction-
As a junior animator in a small media studio. I have been asked to prepare a report
on the purpose and characteristics of digital animation.
Animation is a method of photographing successive drawings, models or even
puppets to create an illusion of movement in sequence. Animation is used on the TV,
films, movies, web, gaming,commercials, on your phone and all over the internet.
The biggest use of animation is for entertainment. Animation is mostly used to
entertain children, as it's giving them something to laugh about and keeping them
entertained for long periods of time.
Frames per second (FPS) in animation-
FPS (frames per second) is an important setting when animating. Laggy animations
are caused by a very low frame rate. Youtube videos or web designs don't require a
very high frame rate since the difference is subtle. A very high FPS also means
animators need to draw more frames and higher demand on hardware capacity.
In order to make motion appear natural to the human eye, filmmakers typically shoot
video at a minimum frame rate of 24 frames per second.
24fps –This is the standard for movies and TV shows, and it was determined to be
the minimum speed needed to capture video while still maintaining realistic motion.
Even if a film is shot at a higher frame rate, it's often produced and displayed at
24fps
There are different types of Animation such as-
● Traditional- Draft drawings are transferred onto transparent sheets of plastic
known as cells following a planning process. An outline of a drawing appears
on one side of each cell, while the colour appears on the other. Afterward, the
'cells' are photographed in sequence over a background.
● 2D animation- A 2D animation uses motion pictures commonly used in
games, movies, and advertisements. Within 2D animation, images play in a
sequence to create the illusion that characters or objects are moving. The 2D
animation is the easiest to make since there is only one set that the director
must oversee, and the graphics can be easily rendered on a computer.
Therefore, most people are able to make 2D animations.
● 3D animation- 3D animation is likely to require more effort than 2D animation
because the creator has to take into account the different dimensions within
the image. In order to create a smooth movement, the initial objects are
implemented within an animation that has rigid bodies and snapshots of their
positions are taken on a timeline within the software. Additionally, visual
effects and audio effects can be added to those animations. It takes more
processing power to render 3D animations than 2D animations.
, ● Stop motion - To create stop motion productions, creators take pictures of still
objects in a specific sequence and string these pictures together to create the
illusion of movement. In addition to offering a unique aesthetic, stop motion is
a fairly cost-efficient animation style due to a lack of need for expensive
equipment and facilities.
● Motion graphics- Motion graphics can be 2D and 3D and are mainly used to
animate text, logos, and video clips. Motion graphics are called all digital
graphics that create the illusion of motion. Also, it is also a way to
communicate with the viewer, and add depth to the story. Together with music
and effective copy, they can give us a message. Creator use them to create
ads, title sequences for movies,
● Rotoscope Animation- Similar to traditional animation styles where
photographs are traced onto glass panels, rotoscope animation takes live-
action footage and uses a rotoscope tool to trace over it.
A rotoscope character typically interacts realistically with the environment and
is often used in commercials and films where it is necessary for characters to
interact realistically with the environment. Rotoscoped animation typically
costs less than standard 3D animation and can be extremely cost effective.
● Cut out Animation- Cut out animation is another form of stop motion
animation. cut-out animation is probably most recognizable from the popular
animated show, South Park. To create a cut-out animation production,
creators utilise paper cutouts of characters that are superimposed on
animated environments. While this animation style traditionally worked similar
to shadow puppets, modern cut-out animation involves using scanned paper
cutouts to streamline the process. Cut-out animation is ideal for cartoons,
storytelling videos, and explainer videos. It used in children's programme
12 principles of animation-
Principles of animations are-
● Squash and stretch
● Anticipation
● Staging
● Straight ahead action and pose to pose
● Follow through and overlapping action
● Slow in and slow out
● Arc
● Secondary action
● Timing
● Exaggeration
