The rich traditions of classical animation techniques
Sunday, April 17th, 2011The rich traditions of classical animation techniques
When we hear the word “animation”, the image that is conjured up, for most of us, is a scene drawn in the classical animation technique of cel drawing. Classical animated films took not one approach or technique, but many. Let us look at some of the best classical animation techniques that artists have come by over the years, to bring you some of our most enduring animated classics. Stop motion animation is a laborious way of bringing motion picture. Animators who use this method create a model of a character they wish to use, and photograph it a frame for each step of motion in the model they wish to see. All the frames photographed in this way are strung together and run together for an illusion of movement. This is a method that is mainly used by beginners, and it can produce very impressive results. An example of a major motion picture that uses stop motion animation would be Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. While the concept of stop motion animation is simple enough, it is an especially laborious way of getting results. The cartoons seen on TV in the earliest years of TV animation, usually involve the classical animation techniques of cutouts and collages. Cutout animation involves the use of forms cut out of paper, that have their body parts connected with something flexible. These cutouts are filmed using the stop motion animation technique. Collage animation uses a similar process; the animated pieces used in collage animation though are not original models; they are pictures cut out of magazines. Collages have a special identifiable look that comes from the use of pieces from unconnected source pictures. An example of a popular modern animated piece that uses these techniques could be the South Park TV show. Rotoscoping is great classical animation technique. This technique involves capturing some footage of people or things in situations you wish to represent an animation, and then drawing and coloring over the pictures in the frames with the specific animated characters and backgrounds you need. This is a technique that can create mind blowing effects, and be very satisfying for the animators work on. The 2001 movie Waking Life made impressive use of this technique and swept the 2001 Sundance film festival audiences. But the image that the word “animation” conjures up in the mind most belongs to another classical animation technique altogether. That technique is the one of cel animation. Cel animation involves drawing detailed pictures over transparent plastic frames. It can be very laborious to create an entire film frame by frame with detail drawn and painted into each one. Cel animation begins with the creation of a storyboard, a plan for how the story will proceed. The timing of the film is worked out, and then, the artists begin work first drawing the backgrounds on each cel. When the general look of the film is ready, the artist begins drawing the main characters. Each cel photographed to make a frame in the film. Artists practice the vocal dubs, and other artists put in the other sound effects. Classical animation techniques are a field of rich artistry. Computer animation is all the rage today and has supplanted the rich tradition in people’s minds of how drawings can be brought to life. Every form of art has its place though, in today’s world and for ever.

