a. the techniques used in the production of animated cartoons
b. a variant of animated cartoon
Comment – Animated Cartoon
Animated Cartoons where one of the earliest forms of animation, done using a pen/paper sketch drawn for each movement in the scene, each sketch was then drawn on plastic cells for each movement and photographed in a series to make the scene in the cartoon.
Comment - Digital Animation/CGI
Not mentioned in the traditional definition of Animation is Digital Animation or CGI (computer generated imagery), both being new technologies that have developed with the creation of the Computer.
The continual development of Computer hardware and software has lead to digital Animation and CGI replacing more traditional forms of animation, such as stop-motion" animation of scale-model puppets or drawings. Because of the expensive time-consuming nature of Animation, Computers are now used in every step of sophisticated animation — for example, to supply the in-between drawings for full animation. The simplification and computerization of Animation has been used as an effective cost cutting measure.
Below are some brief definitions of each of the twelve principles of animation:
1)Squash and Stretch - defines the rigidity and mass of an object by distorting its shape during an action. When an object squashes or stretches, it appears to be made of a pliable material, only totally rigid objects remain stiff in motion, but with living creatures the shape will deform in some way. Objects that are partially pliable and partially rigid should have only the pliable parts deform.
A hinged object can squash and stretch without deforming
An important rule is that the volume of the object should remain constant at rest, squashed, or stretched. If this rule is not obeyed, then the object appears to shrink when squashed and to grow when stretched.
2) Timing and Motion - gives meaning to movement, both physical and emotional. Spacing actions define the weight and size of objects and the personality of characters.
3) Anticipation - can be the anatomical preparation for action or a device to attract the viewer's attention to the proper screen area and to prepare them for the action. A well timed anticipation can enable the viewer to better understand a rapid action, e.g., preparing to jump and then leaping off-screen.
4)Staging – presents an idea so that it is unmistakably clear to the viewer, this idea can be an action, a personality, an expression, or a mood. An important objective of staging is to lead the viewer’s eye to where the action will occur so that they do not miss anything.
5) Follow Through and Overlapping Action - is the termination of an action and establishing its relationship to the next action. In the movement of a complex object different parts of the object move at different times and different rates, heavier parts lag farther and stop slower. Overlapping means to start a second action before the first action has completely finished. This keeps the interest of the viewer, since there is no dead time between actions.
Here is a quote about overlapping from Walt Disney:
"It is not necessary for an animator to take a character to one point, complete that action completely, and then turn to the following action as if he had never given it a thought until after completing the first action. When a character knows what he is going to do he doesn't have to stop before each individual action and think to do it. He has it planned in advance in his mind.
6) Straight Ahead Action - in hand drawn animation is when the animator starts at the first drawing in a scene and then draws all of the subsequent frames until he reaches the end of the scene. This creates very spontaneous and zany looking animation and is used for wild, scrambling action.
6) Pose-to-Pose Action - is when the animator carefully plans out the animation, draws a sequence of poses, i.e., the initial, some in-between, and the final poses and then draws all the in-between frames (or another artist or the computer draws the in-between frames). This is used when the scene requires more thought and the poses and timing are important.
7) Slow In and Out - refers to the spacing of the in-between frames at maximum positions. It is the second and third order continuity of motion of the object. Rather than having a uniform velocity for an object, it is more appealing, and sometimes more realistic, to have the velocity vary at the extremes. The name comes from having the object or character "slow out" of one pose and "slow in" to the next pose.
8) Arcs – are the visual path of action from one extreme to another is always described by an arc. In nature, arcs are the most economical routes by which a form can move from one position to another.
9) Exaggeration - does not mean just distorting the actions or objects arbitrarily, but the animator must carefully choose which properties to exaggerate. If only one thing is exaggerated then it may stand out too much. If everything is exaggerated, then the entire scene may appear too unrealistic.
10)Secondary Action - is an action that directly results from another action. It can be used to increase the complexity and interest in a scene. It should always be subordinate to and not compete with the primary action in the scene.
11) Appeal - means something that the audience will want to see. This is equivalent to charisma in a live actor. A scene or character should not be too simple (boring!) or too complex (can't understand it). One principle to achieve this is to avoid mirror symmetry. Asymmetry tends to be more interesting and appealing.
12) Personality - is the objective of the principles previously discussed is to give the characters in an animation a personality those appeals to the viewers. The different principles should be applied in a fashion to produce a consistent personality. This means that the animator must have a good idea of the desired personality before beginning the animation.
To demonstrate my understanding of the twelve principles of animation, I have watched the first episode of my favourite animated Manga series, Guyver the Bio boosted armour. As I watched the animation I took an analytical approach to each scene, closely watching to see how the twelve principles of animation where incorporated into the design.
As I watched the animation, I took three screen shots of each scene I thought was a perfect example of one of the twelve principles of animation, for most of the principles I used a different scene to explain, but for some principles I felt one scene was suited to both.
Squash and Stretch
In this scene several onscreen characters make a quick exit by rapidly bouncing out of frame, as they make each jump to form the bouncing motion, their bodies compress and distort to simulate the spring like motion of a real person jumping. This scene demonstrates how “squash and stretch” can simulate realistic movement on a hinged object, without the object deforming. The animator also uses an overlap between frames to create a motion blur reflecting the onscreen movement of the characters.
Arcs
In the above scene the animator uses arcs to create motion that is more expressive and less stiff than action set along a straight path. Because the animator has used “arcs” the visual paths of the characters onscreen jumping and bouncing looks natural.
Timing and Motion
This scene opens with a rock falling into a lake after just being thrown by one of the off screen characters. This scene perfectly demonstrates “timing and motion” because the spacing actions of the rock falling and the reaction of water are defined by the weight and size of the featured rock.
Anticipation
In this scene a character is ambushed by a group of soldiers, he is backed into a corner and has no where to go. In the “anticipation” before the fight, the animator clearly shows the characters anatomical preparation for the action. The animator does this by focusing in on the characters facial expressions, a nervous sweating face, followed by a clenched closing of the eyes and finished with a body shredding transformation into a zoanoid monster.
Staging
In this scene a vehicle is driving along the motorway while a colourful mountainous backdrop passes by, as the vehicle drives along, the moving background draws the viewer’s eye to the still image of the vehicle. Through the use of “staging” the animator is able to present the idea of motion and movement which is unmistakably clear to the viewer.
Follow Through and Overlapping Action
In this scene one of the characters asks the other to pass him the Soya source, this is a perfect example of how “follow through and overlapping action” can be used in animation to simulate real world material properties, in this case the movement of liquid as an object is passed from one character to another.
Pose-to-Pose Action
The animated Manga series, Guyver the Bio boosted armour is classified as a “pose-to-pose action” animation, this is because the animator has carefully planned out and drawn each frame from start to finish. The animator has used this technique to achieve a well timed, realistic and stylised form of animation.
Straight Ahead Action
In this animation the animator starts at the first drawing in a scene and then draws all of the subsequent frames until he reaches the end of the scene. By using this method of animation the animator is able to create a very unpredictable and unique looking animation.
Slow in and out
This scene shows how “slow in and out” means rather than having a uniform velocity for an object, it is more appealing, and sometimes more realistic, to have the velocity vary at the extremes. This scene works well because when the character is bouncing the ball off his knee, the ball moves fast as it bounces off his knee and slows as it falls back down.
Exaggeration
In this scene two characters lock hands in a deadly game of mercy, until one of them is overpowered and his wrists snap, spraying an over exaggerated amount of blood. This fight scene is a perfect example of how “exaggeration” can add more impact and depth to a fight scene, by exaggerating certain elements of design the animator is able to stylize the action and make the animation more enjoyable for the audience.
Appeal
In the above scene the animator uses a bright sunny back round and its diffusing light to symbolize the main characters aura of overwhelming power. The animator has used well designed characters, and a stylized presentation of action to create a visually stunning animation, that perfectly demonstrates “appeal” by creating a scene that the audience enjoys watching.
Secondary action
At the beginning of this scene the primary action focus on a police car driving along the motorway and spotting an abandoned vehicle, as a direct result of spotting the vehicle the police car stops and the officers investigate. I would consider this scene an example of good “secondary action”, the reason being is because in this scene each action is a direct result of the previous action.
Personality
Throughout the entire animation Guyver fully exploited the benefits of effectively using the twelve principles of animation, by creating characters with appealing personalities, and action scenes with well designed stylised animation. From the above images and their animation principle explanation, it is clear that the animation fulfilled this last principle.
