Basic Types of Animation and Examples

What is Animation?

• The rapid display of a sequence of images to create the illusion of movement
• 2D, 3D or stopmotion
• Each individual picture (or frame as we call them in animation) changes a little bit
• Our eye helps blend them together- known as the persistence of vision!

Persistence of Vision is what makes animation work.

• The human eye retains an image for a fraction of a second after seeing it.  

• If one image is followed by another slightly different image then movement will appear to happen. In a film you are seeing a series of still images shown in very fast succession, at 24 frames per second, which tricks your eyes into seeing fluid movement.

 Types of Animation

Stop Motion Animation:
Using a camera to photograph movement frame by frame. After every picture things move a little bit and are rephotographed. There are many types:



Claymation:
Adam Benjamin Elliot- Cousin
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M6njuCt5-U4




Object Animation:
Western Spaghetti

Michel Gondry

Adri Wichert's Salty Snacks





Paper Cutout Animation:
Lotte Reininger- Cinderella

Girl From the Sky

Fedorenko and Newlove Villiage of Idiots




Pixillation:
Sledgehammer
Her Morning Elegance- Ori Lavie
T-Shirt War
Cupcake Prince starring Adri Wichert





2D Animation:  
There are 2 Major Types of 2D Animation: Flash animation and Hand Drawn

 Flash Animation 
Pros: 

• Can work relatively quickly once you get used to it

• With experience, can create storyboards, animatics and final animation right inside Flash

• Can import sound into Flash, which makes timing animating to dialogue and sounds much easier. Allows you to adjust as you go   
• WORKS very well for bubbly, cartoony, fast moving styles of animation,  although it can be used for others too.
• Able to repeat cycles of animations using symbols

                                  
Cons: 

• Getting used to working on a tablet has a learning curve 
• Flash automatically "changes" your drawing style a little bit to smooth lines 
• Can be difficult to get away from a very graphic, flat style in Flash                      

Mika Lollipop music video

Animator versus animation
Simon's cat
 

Hand Drawn Animation
Pros: 

• You can draw freely, no tablet or computer restrictions!!!! 
• Allows very gestural, natural style 
• Appropriate for many different styles of animation

                                         
Cons: 

• Extra work (shooting pictures with camera, uploading) 
• Sometimes it can be hard to track progress to see if your results are working
• Timing takes longer (need to use stop watches and X sheets)

                     
Squetch Disney Demo Reel     as opposed to his later Flash work  here.     
BLU: Muto
Don Hertzfelt: Rejected





Composited:
Animation that combines the use of 2D, 3D and/or stop motion techniques.


Melancholy Hill