2D Animation – Activity 18 – Principles in practice

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5mFbgmVgB4

My short animation featuring some of the 12 principles, I’ve used:

• Arc of motion for the movements of the ball.           
• Stretch and Squash when the ball lands on the final platform
• Exaggeration in that the ball is moving independently and has a face
• Follow through can be seen as the face is directed in whatever direction the body is moving
• Staging. I’ve stuck to basic primary colours so that it comes together better as a whole scene as each “area” is clearly independent. Ball, background and platforms.

2D Animation – Activity 1 – Screen Movement

The property of screen movement is extremely important in film. It allows us to follow the narrative of the images, captures our imagination and to be absorbed into the world we are shown on screen as though a part of it. The same property is also important in the development of animation. Without movement, a lot of us would simply get bored (unless the dialogue is of sufficient quality). I beleive this to be a great example of the importance of movement in animation (link).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ2lWyTi0oY

2D Animation – Activity 6 – Flipbook

A flip book  is a series of pictures that vary gradually from one page to the next, so that when the pages are turned rapidly, the pictures appear to animate by simulating motion or some other change.

I created this short animation using the same principles as creating a traditional flipbook. This time using an online application called flippy.

http://www.flipppy.com/ctbzmr

2D Animation – Activity 7 – Metamorphosis

Metamorphosis in animation is when one object turns into another.

This is a recent telivision advertisement for Muller. It starts with a van morphing into a big robot and eating a parking attendant who then morphs into a cartoon character It cuts to fruit being thrown into crowds of people who then morph into more cartoon characters. The whole add is full of morphing!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wBujoJpDxo0

The pink floyd music video Another brick in the wall features an animated school teacher morphing into a hammer.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ub1j5UGl-1s

Another Gigi D’Agostino music video. This one particularly relevant when looking at metamorphosis. There are examples all throughout this video, in particular from 1min30sec. Two characters continuously morphing into a different character.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DXMDzqA-UI&feature=related

2D Animation – Activity 8 – Condensation

Condensation in animation is when a long period of time is condensed into a shorter sequence.

Condensation can be found in most animation. In family guy and american dad, instead of cutting from day to night or vice versa, it will show a shot of the family home and a 2 second shot of the sun rapidly falling and the moon rising to suggest a lapsed period of time.

In the Disney animation Wall-e there’s a scene where wall-e and eve are caught in a storm and instead of tracking their journey through it back to the hut, it cuts straight to them arriving. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cnv-iFhdlqE

2D Animation – Activity 9 – Metaphor

There are many metaphors to be found in The big Snit by Richard Conde. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90SIuISIVB8

• The wife always shaking her eyes = frustration at her husband taking his time with his turn at scrabble and his “sawing” distraction.
• The husbands obsession with sawing = a distraction from the mundane game of scrabble/or even from the mundane relationship
• News reader represented as a skeleton = conveys the severity of the bulletin (nuclear bomb)
• Hearts in the eyes = Love for each other
• Everyone has angel wings = Everyone is dead and in heaven

I think the film has an overall metaphor that can be construed in various ways.

• Love will prevail
• There is life after death
• Get out while you still can
• Enjoy life while you can

2D Animation – Activity 10 – Synecdoche

Synecdoche is closely related to metonymy (the figure of speech in which a term denoting one thing is used to refer to a related thing); indeed, synecdoche is sometimes considered a subclass of metonymy. It is more distantly related to other figures of speech, such as metaphor. (wiki)

I’m pretty sure Roadrunner from the wile coyote cartoons would be classed as an example of synecdoche. Its an animal that does nothing but run around on roads and is called…Roadrunner. An accurate representation of the character.

Assuming the above is a correct example of synecdoche. Speedy Gonzales could be another similar example. Again a name that is an accurate representation of the character. A very fast (speedy) mexican (Gonzales) mouse.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDZBzvTDhGU

2D Animation – Activity 11 – Believability

The magic carpet in Aladdin although a completely unrealistic concept achieved through animation does have a realistic believable quality in its movements. It folds and reacts to speed and wind like a real carpet would..if thrown from a very high place. Apologies for the tacky song.. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kl4hJ4j48s

Another Disney animation, Up features a man who ties thousands of balloons to his house in order to make it fly away. Another concept believable only in animation. However the actual movements of the house as it takes off, creaking groaning and bits falling from it lends a believable aspect to it. Also when the balloons start to burst and the house starts falling slowly is also pretty realistic.

2D Animation – Activity 12 – The Loop

In the opening sequence of The Jetsons animation. There is a shot of all of The Jetsons inside the hovercar this is used repeatedly with only the background changing suggesting movement through the air. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rGFTOoU62BA

In the very start of this spongebob squarepants cartoon you see spongebob walking along singing a song. It is a loop of walking with only the background changing to make it look as though he is moving forward. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlkprv-Upco

WaltDisneys12Principles/Anticipation

You can find examples of Anticipation in any episode of family guy. Peter is conveyed as being pretty stupid and often the audience will get the joke and then be made to wait untill Peter gets it. This anticipation only increases the comic value of the scene. In this scene from family guy http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lich59xsjik the audience will immediately “get” that Stewie is pronouncing whip wrong. It’s the anticipation of Brians reaction that makes the scene funny.