CA0932a Multimedia Development

1. CA0932a Multimedia Development Lecture 7 History of Animation

2. History of Animation - why • Background to Cartoon animation in flash • Relevant and processes and principles are in many ways the same

3. History of Animation • Animation is a series of static images used to create the illusion of movement • Animation is not the drawing or creation of the drawing • Animation is arrangement of drawings/images which convey the motion

4. History of Animation • Being artistic helps but is not the essential. • Good animators understand the importance of timing • Good animators tell a good story • Good animators make characters act well

5. History of Animation • Various accounts of the history of animation • Some names and events occur in every account • Some ‘historians’ rate certain people and events more than others • Every name and event mentioned is probably relevant

6. History of animation • Animated films new in relation to history of time • Animated films around since beginning of last century (1900) • Drawings have been around for a lot longer • Some cave dwellers still drawings show indications of movement

7. History of animation • Other significant pre-film people and events • Leonardo Da Vinci - Anatomical drawings indicated movement through muscles flexing • May indicate interest in animation

8. History of Animation • Greek Astronomer Ptolemy and Sir Isaac Newton • They theorised that the retina of the eye retains the image of an object for a fraction of a second after the object has moved

9. History of Animation 1800’s • 1824 Peter Roget – Persistence of vision with regard to moving objects • A potential use for this ‘persistence of vision’ • To fool the eye into believing that a succession of slightly different images were in fact one moving image

10. History of animation 1800’s • Devices developed for persistence of vision • John Ayrton Paris - Thaumatrope • Joseph Plateau’s – Phenakistoscope • William Horner’s – Daedatelum or Zoetrope • Louis Lumiere’s motion picture camera • Thomas Edison’s kinetoscope (projector).

11. History of animation 1900’s • James Stuart Blackton - very first animated film - Humorous Phases of Funny Faces’ • Others created similar, i.e. as a series of visual gags • Otto Messmer - Felix the Cat • Winsor McCay -Gertie the Dinosaur

12. History of animation 1920’s • Studios rather than individuals prominent • Disney Studio –Steam Boat Willie (1928)

13. History of animation 1930’s-70’s • Disney pre-dominated and advanced the stakes with animation techniques • Strict rules and standards were set • 12 principles of animation were developed by a set of Disney animators • Still used today – even web animation • Principles make animation (character) more realistic and entertaining

14. History of Animation 1930’s-70’s • Warner Brothers • Merrie Melodies and Looney Tunes • Animators and voice actors as well known as cartoon characters • E.g Chuck Jones, Tex Avery and Mel Blanc

15. History of Animation (1980’s – Present) • Claymation • Mixture of Live action and animation • Computer Technology makes processes cheaper and easier • Realistic animation merges with real life • Amateur web animators finding recognition • Computer games companies employ many animators

16. Timeline • One view of history

17. Examples of animation on the web • http://producten.hema.nl/