Animation. What is animation, really?
It's a valid question because I think as animators, passionate of our craft and usually more than a little nerdy, we tend to forget that we too, at some point in the beginning, weren't really all that clear on what exactly this elusive word even means, what it encompasses.
"what the hell is it?"
We get frustrated by people who innocently ask us "but... isn't that just for kids?" or, for the german speakers among us, sufferingly roll our eyes at those who equate "being an Animator" with being one of those annoying entertainment clowns at all inclusive hotels who pester hotel guests with random activities (they're called animators in German).
yup. These guys. (no disrespect btw, that's a tough-ass job.)
image source
But we really should step off of our high horse of knowledge and experience and remember the days we ourselves started out. No master ever fell from heaven, we all had to learn these things step by step.
This post is meant equally as a celebration of how far I've come in terms of knowledge, as well as an opportunity to pass some of it on, and hopefully, introduce some of you lovely steemians who've always been a little curious a little closer to this modern art form that I love so passionately.
Now strap in, and prepare for a fantabulous ride into the mysterious world of Animation!
Ok, really now, what the hell is it?
Well, at the very basic level, if you google "what is animation?" you get this definition:
- The technique of photographing successive drawings or positions of puppets or models to create an illusion of movement when the movie is shown as a sequence.
- The manipulation of electronic images by means of a computer in order to create moving images.
okay, that's a bit dry, but essentially what it means is this:
Stuff that has the illusion of movement, though it's really just a bunch of still images displayed very fast one after the other. There are different techniques in creating something like that; Including, but definitely not limited to: Drawings (hand drawn animation), puppets or models (stop motion animation) and 3D animation (on the computer).
If you want to know more about the different animation techniques and mediums, have no fear, I have another post planned around that theme. It kinda deserves an article all on its own, because there's a lot more than you might think.
This works only because of a quirk in our brain, which makes persistence of vision possible.
Basically, it's the exploitation of the fact that our brain can't distinguish individual pictures anymore if they flash by fast enough, but instead kind of blurs it all together, which to us then looks like there's movement. This is why, when you look at old-timey analog film rolls, it basically looks like a bunch of un-develloped photographs one after the other on a long strip. That's because that's exactly what it is.
I explained what the all-important persistence of vision is a little more in depth in my post about my traditionally animated 2D student short film Mocafurbs, in case you want to read up on it. it's really quite fascinating.
All of this, if you think about it a little, already kind of hints at the fact that there's probably more things out there that are animation than we might think, doesn't it?
"Mainstream" Animation
Commonly though, when most people speak of "animation", they mean one of 2 (perhaps 3) things:
1 - What we call "Feature Animation" in the Industry, meaning every Disney, Pixar or other big animation film that made it into the cinemas ever, and what is commonly referred to as "family entertainment" (retch - I hate that term).
You know, this awesome stuff:
Disney's "The Little Mermaid"
Disney's "Zootopia"
Pixar's "Toy Story"
McGuff's "Despicable Me"
BlueSky's "IceAge"
2 - Cartoons like these, depending on the generation of viewers. You all know what I mean, but let me indulge with some gifs anyway:
Thundercats
Dragonball Z
Sylvester & Tweety from the Looney Tunes
Ducktales - awhoohoo~ ehem. sry.
I know, I know, I'm hugely dating myself with these. lol
but they're awesome.
3 - Or, if they've somehow stumbled into the subject a tiny bit more thoroughly, they know perhaps that these type of things in movies are animation too:
Michael Bay's Transformers
Disney's The Jungle Book "live action" remake. though the only thing "live action" about this movie is the boy. Literally everything else, including environments, is CG (Computer Generated)
gif source
image source - Blade Runner 2049. Yup. Rachael's Cameo appearance was completely done in CG. Hand Animated too. I highly recommend a readthrough the article if you're interested in VFX (Visual Effects) btw. This was done at my studio and I currently have the enormous good fortune of working under the Animation Supervisor who was responsible for Rachaels animation, and is now nominated for a VFX award because of it. luckyyy~~~!
Those are pretty well known examples of what is generally considered "animation" in the public's mind. (although some of the VFX animation is maybe a bit less well known)
Here comes the kicker though:
That really is only the tip of the Iceberg. Quite literally, because it's the most "visible" kind of animation, the kind that draws the most attention to itself, the only kind being advertised as animation as well. But guys, allow me to let you in on a little secret...
And you don't even realise it. don't believe me? weheheelll, what if I told you that this is animation as well?
source YouTube - video entitled "After Effects Template - Broadcast News Package - News Intro", uploaded to YouTube by a user named EFEKTStudio. (who is clearly a professional motion graphics artist - which is a specific form of animation usually pertaining to moving text and graphics)
And this of course:
source YouTube - "DEADLINE post-it stop motion" by user bunliu
This even has a shit-ton of different kinds of animation in it:
source YouTube - "Meet iPhone X - Apple" by user Apple
This as well of course:
source Youtube - "A New History for Humanity - The Human Era" by user Kurzgesagt - In a Nutshell
ok,ok. that one is pretty obvious. But I love these guy's work and I highly recommend you watch literally ALL of their videos. They are not only highly informative but also gorgeous and super fun. sneaky advertisement attack.
Oh, and did I mention, pretty much everything that happens when you interact with this thing:
Or any of your apps for that matter. Or any game, be it triple AAA games on a computer, a console, your gameboy, or any mobile app games, would not exist without animation.
Wait, what? How is a button click on my smartphone animation?
well, put simply: because it moves.
It follows the same rules and principles of timing and spacing, squash and stretch (and all the other good stuff that I will explain in a later post about the 12 principles of animation) and takes advantage of the persistence of vision to give you the illusion of movement.
And of course, some poor sod had to actually animate it so that it does what it does on your screen.
Cartoons, animated films like the Disney Pixar stuff, pretty much any film that has VFX in it, every kind of games you play on a monitor, advertisement not only on TV but on those screens they have near public transport stations almost everywhere now too, motion graphics, info graphics, web site banners that move, those (often horrible) safety videos on planes, the scrolling bar and text at the bottom of the screen during the news, a lot of movie title cards, every button press on your phone, every app ever made, even when you press the little heart to like something on Instagram, and that thing that happens when you swipe left or right on Tinder, all of that and more is Animation.
So, you're saying animation is...
Basically, in a nutshell:
Everything you see on a screen, really anything, that isn't "live action" footage, and moves in some way, shape or form, is considered a form of Animation.
And this is also why you should care.
Or at least, be a little more aware of it than you were, perhaps, before reading this.
Animation is everywhere.
It's in your day to day lives, not only on the cinema screen, but right there in your hand, on your computer, on your tv, at the subway station, even inside of McDonalds, and it's most definitely not "only for kids". It's a very versatile career choice and one of the most modern and exciting art forms in existence.
And I haven't even talked much about the many different kinds of animation mediums and techniques that are out there. Technological advancements in animation happen at a frighteningly fast pace, and we've barely scratched the surface of what we are capable of with this incredible craft. Just think of VR and Augmented Reality, and what might be in store for us there. Animators will have to adapt a completeley different way of thinking to work for this new exciting viewing form.
But I'm getting ahead of myself.
Another reason it would be awesome if more people knew about all the different kinds of animation (and art, really) out there is because, sadly, as with most artforms, animators and graphic artists are often underappretiated, underpaid and overworked.
We, as consumers, take all the awesome moving stuff around us for granted, never thinking about the fact that there are a ton of highly specialised and educated creatives (and techs of course) who spent years and years learning their craft and worked their butts off to bring us all the beautiful, multifacetted media that surrounds us every day, every minute of our lives.
If you take anything away from this, then I hope it is a new appreciation for the millions of artists and programmers around the world who make our lives so much more colourful, exciting and entertaining.
Maybe you'll even look at your new favourite app next time, and take a second to marvel at it's gorgeous design and all those smooth animations that make it so much mor fun to use ;)
I hope you enjoyed this beast of an article, and check back from time to time to learn even more about this awesome artform, that is my life's blood.
Lots of love, and I hope you're having a lovely day!
Until the next time lovely Steemians,
Jill
Check out some of my recent posts, if you fancy:
- Seven day B&W challenge - day#3 - desk flair
- Procreate Doodles #1 - Belle - and an interesting tidbit of History
- Seven day B&W challenge - day #2 - Buried In The Snow
- Seven day B&W challenge - day#1 - Big Apple
- Character Design - A look behind the scenes
More cool animation and drawing related stuff coming up soon. ;D
This post deserves more views! Such an in-depth explanation while also keeping it light!
Have you watched stickman animations btw? Before, they used to be simple but now animators (mostly Flash users) have taken it to the next level!
BTW, Followed!
aw thanks! well feel free to promote it in any way you choose hahaha
Yes! I love those. my favourite is probably also the most well known one "Animator vs Animation IV" so funny. and seriously well done.
yaaaay! thanks! ;D
Haha. Yep, that's a good series to get started with the world of stickman. You should check out some of the animations by RESH on YouTube (like this one).
Pretty intense!
Looking forward to your epic content! :)
That... was awesome.
Thanks for sharing!
Haha no problemo, that was my initial reaction too!
AAAAH it's so great to see a fellow animator telling people about the craft and how it's literally used everywhere!Keep up the great posts!
YAAAAASSS! MORE ANIMATORS ON STEEMIT! WHOOHOOO!
and thank you haha sorry I got carried away in my excitement. slowly collecting animation friends hehehehe
HAHA we animators will take over the platform! >: D
Wow very well written, and perfectly described post! :D
Thanks for sharing hun! :D Upped and resteemed!
Btw: Are you joining in the #designacharacter contest this week?
Would love to see an entry from you! :3
yaaaay~~~thankies @W0olf!
and you betcha I will
in fact, starting to draw today. :D
[edit]
OMG HOW did a week already fricking pass? geezuz time fricking flies.
well I guess today's the only day I'm drawing then! gaaawd.
I'm not too late yet! it's like 2am on Jan 23rd UTC
arrrgh. I wanted to do all threeeee damn. probably will only have time for 1.
well done Jill.
time management - sechs, setzten bitte.
siiigghh~~~
Wow!
I'd also still mention things like web based animations. From parallax scrolling techniques, js. rotating header images, animated GIFs and the like. Would you say those fall into the animation category too? We've really been treated to better/smoother UIs and Menus in the past couple of years, it's all in the smoothness of the touch and the responsiveness of the movements. Gotten very accustomed to that If I think about.
Had to chuckle here:
ah yeah, I thought it was sort of squeezed in there with the motion graphic stuff, I of course thought about that too. it was actually the first thing I wanted to put an example of, but it's weirdly hard to find a good web based anim example when you're actually looking for one. >->
heehee ♡
You did an excellent work and it is also entertaining with all these samples! Yes, there is so much work behind it and it is real art work to me. As a newby on Steemit, I have not read your articles intensively - up to know. But now I‘ll do. Especially my youngest son @yourmate was fond of making little animations years ago. I like doing them, too, but I am focused on other projects. But since we made our modest private efforts, we estimate the work of animation pros the more...
Thank you so much @martinamartini!
I will try not to disappoint with the followup posts ;) haha
That's really cool that you guys tried your hands at it! It's true you only really appreciate how much work something is, when you've tried it yourself...
I wish you all the best with your projects!
[edit] achso man kann mit dir ja eh deutsch sprechen! hahaha hab mir noch nicht alle user gemerkt aus unserer kleinen Niesch-community ♡
Bin schon gespannt auf Weiteres und stress dich nicht, ist nicht gut für die Kreativität! …}
Awesome great points ;)!
Wow, ein sehr interessanter Artikel!
Auch wenn man es eigentlich "eh" weiß, es ist spannend, nochmal bewusst gemacht zu werden, was eigentlich alles unter die Kategorie "Animation" fällt!
dankeschön!
Ja, mir geht's selber so, dabei arbeite ich in dem Bereich haha
I've had little bits of exposure to animation all of my life because my mom had these little flip books that when you held the book by the page edges and let them fly, like with a deck of cards, you could see the characters move!! My mom was very fond of illustrations and drawing.
And then of course there were shows by the Disney company that taught us all about the new industry.
Personally, I would love to understand the VR animations !!
Enjoyed your read very much.
ooohhh flipbooks are the best! ♡
so much work as well O_O
You know, those Disney videos are pretty outdated by now but they're still so much fun to watch. The most interesting thing, I find, is that technology might have evolved, but the principles of the art form have stayed the same. They were true trailblazers, inventing a totally new art form basically from scratch, discovering what works and what doesn't by trial and error.
Every animator needs to be grateful to Walt in my opinion, because we're truly standing on the shoulders of those who came before us. ♡
Unfortunately I don't know much about how VR is done myself yet! but again, the animation principles will still be the same, it's the technology around it that changes.
What I find so fascinating with VR is that the medium completely throws every standing rule of composition and audience focusing out of the window because there is no "fixed" frame anymore!
Story tellers will have to find new ways of leading the audiences eyes in a world where they can look wherever they like.
what a challenge!
I'm super happy you enjoyed it ♡
check back from time to time, if you like, I will be posting more animation related things bit by bit.
it will be spread between my art posts, because the animation related content takes so much longer to write haha
All the best, thanks for reading! ♡
To anyone who has ever been interested in the fundamentals of 2D animation, Richard Williams', Animator's Survival Guide is a must! I wish i still had my copy.
NUUUUUHHH DUDE~~! That's coming in another post! too early man, too early hahaha
Its never too early. I was experimenting with macromedia flash when i was 10 years old. Did my first really shitty walk cycle at age 12.
Nice