Traditional animation

An animated film is a special form of animation and consists of many, mostly made ​​by hand drawings, which are presented in chronological succession. By slightly changing the content, from image to image, the observer has the impression that it is a moving image. The technically simplest way of an animated cartoon is a flipbook.

History

The first drawn films created by the Frenchman Émile Reynaud, with the help of which he developed Praxinoskops. Towards 1877 he exhibited with this method, which was considered a precursor of cinematography, his first animated pictures before. 1906 is considered the birth year of the animated film, as the American J. Stuart Blackton Humorous Phases of Funny Faces with unveiled its first fully animated film. Two years later, the Frenchman Émile Cohl published his first cartoons he drew directly on the filmstrip.

Especially popular were the films of the cartoonist Winsor McCay, of his comic series Little Nemo transposed in 1911 in a short film and 1914 with Gertie the Dinosaur created the first popular cartoon character. As a result, emerged in the early 1920s, many studios, the most famous of Max Fleischer ( Koko the Clown, Betty Boop, Popeye ), Pat Sullivan ( Felix the Cat ), Bud Fisher ( Mutt and Jeff ) and Walt Disney ( Mickey Mouse ) were. In these studios a division of labor system of specialists has been developed which continues to this day, and until then working alone Animator replaced.

The first animated feature film length was the Argentine film " El Apóstol " from 1917, but a fire in 1926, all copies of the film were destroyed. In Europe, one of the early works of animation was created with the Swedish "Captain Grogg ". In Germany, Rudolf Leonard, Otto Dely and Lotte Reiniger chef who gained huge popularity with its fairy-tale silhouette films had. In Austria Ladislaus Tuszynski and Peter Eng were the first animators.

Technical Development

In the early days the drawings were drawn directly on the film yet. A short time later, this process has been replaced by an improved method in which the paper sheets were with the drawings identified and added directly under the camera. From about 1920, the drawings on sheets ( " cels " ) have been transferred, which made ​​it possible to combine the animation with complex backgrounds. In 1928, the sound added, in 1930 the color ( in the Revue film King of Jazz with the orchestra Paul Whiteman ). 1933 developed the inventor and artist Ub Iwerks, who had worked for Disney to 1930, the Multiplan camera that could independently be moved with the flat background elements at different levels, and thus created a more spacious impression. In the 1950s, Iwerks adapted the Xerox copier, which copied the drawings directly on film. The smooth by hand " geinkten " contour lines were replaced by a much rougher pencil line. Stephen Bosustov developed by UPA a new, graphically oriented style with less detail, which was better suited to the new medium of television. As a result, he and other studios developed the "limited animation". To not constantly having to draw complete figures new, a figure was distributed on several levels, that only the actually moving parts had to be redrawn. These critics complained of development was due to the low budget of television in particular.

The computer drew relatively late in the cartoon world. First in the camera room, where about 1970 to camera movements from the computer calculated and were executed. In the 1990s, the scanning replaced the former copying the drawings; subsequent steps, such as coloring and camera were now held in the computer. Today's production systems in major studios automate as many processes, but still is a cartoon primarily a craftsmanship that is applied with either pencil and paper or on a graphics tablet. On a feature-length animated film work about 20 to 400 people and there are tens of thousands of drawings made ​​.

Recent developments often integrate three-dimensional computer -created objects for vehicles or moving objects are mainly used during camera movement. But even with characters computer animations are partially used, for example, allow realistic falling hair, but be integrated into the classical drawings created.

Techniques

The classic workflow big studios begins with a script and the design of the trading figures. The screenplay is based on the storyboard, which says at least one drawing for each setting of the camera angle, movement of the characters and style of background can be seen. After the storyboard layouts are drawn, and indeed in size in both animators such as background artists work. For each figure, a model sheet exists including a figurine representing the binding templates for all signatories.

Usually, the dialogues of the characters are, if the script is complete, added. A track reader (nowadays often software ) it transmits sound by sound in the X - Sheets ( "exposure sheets, also dope sheet "). The X- Sheet is a single frame-accurate script for each setting ( which is called in animation " scene "), which is binding for the animator and the cameraman. Per frame, it contains a line that is entered in the one who is to hear the sound in and what drawings are intended to be placed under the camera. In addition, all camera movements are recorded.

The animator receives the storyboard, the necessary model sheets, a copy of the layout and the X - Sheet. He has designed a number of sketchy drawings, the backbone of the animation, keyframes (English keyframes ) or main phases. The drawings are those which define the movement. To check his work, he takes her on the line tester, a software that plays recorded by video camera drawings on a computer. He can move each drawing so long in the time until the timing fits. Are the animator and the director satisfied with the scene is the "rough animation" to the wizard of the animator. The records the " cleanups ", ie final drawings of key images, true to the specifications of the model sheets, and adds any "breakdowns " added. These are drawings between the keyframes that define the motion more accurately. The growing stack of paper now reaches the inbetweener or betweener that inserts the still missing drawings between the existing ones.

For normal movements comply with 12 drawings per second of film. With extremely fast movements, or movements traversing the picture, it needs to talk 24 drawings, so that the distances between the positions are not so great, and the illusion of movement is not destroyed. With studios like Disney, the average is about 18 drawings per second. TV series come from places with six drawings per second. Specifically Anime studios have developed countless techniques over the years to save drawings, and instead of using expensive to draw Direction movements like clever cropping, clever cuts, or just still images in combination with camera movements.

Furthermore, it is common practice to divide the drawings in various levels: dialogue scenes, for example, only the motion animated mouth, the body only a little. Drawings often be reused. In such a dialogue scene, for example, the body is animated in a loop to simulate a natural movement. This division into levels is normally carried out by the Keyanimator. Therefore, the X -sheet does have a row for each exposure, but a plurality of columns for the different levels.

Are all drawings exists, the scene is repeatedly tested and approved, it can be colored. Previously, all drawings were transferred to film or copied and then painted by hand on the back. Today, the coloring takes place increasingly in the computer. The colorist working on the screen to the scanned drawings. Animation software can automate a lot by hand, only the first frame of a scene, for example, colored, colored then the computer all subsequent phases, and finally any errors by hand will only corrected.

In the meantime, the backgrounds are painted. In the past, backgrounds met with the painted films under the camera again, today they are scanned, or even painted entirely on the computer. Putting together ( compositing ) of the different parts of the animation on the background of an opportunity is to insert special effects. A All items are inserted, the scene is rendered and stored either digital or image on film.

For repetitive movements or processes infinite loops or animation cycles are created. Examples are flow movements in the aquatic environment, running or flying animals or moving vehicles that are placed in front of a changing background. In the case of border forward movement, the figure is animated a step with one foot, then make a step with the other foot and this then put in a Loopzyklus, so that the movements strung together seamlessly.

Modern Cartoons

The production of animated feature films for cinema has declined slightly since 2004. The success of Pixar and other producers of CGI animated films prompted the management of the Walt Disney Company to produce any classic cartoons more. Home on the Range (2004) should be the last time being cinema 's animated film of the Disney studios. With The Princess and the Frog Disney returned in 2009 but returned to the classic cartoon. Other studios are affected by the reorientation of their donors away from the 2 -D, towards the 3-D film, although the economic success of Pixar is rather based on its content and artistic virtuosity. After Disney took over Pixar for 7.4 billion U.S. dollars, John Lasseter decided as the new artistic director of Disney to make this management decision reversed.

Long animated films, but especially television series will continue to be produced worldwide. Disney itself operates studios in Japan and Australia, working in classical technique mainly for the growing home video market. In Japan (Studio Ghibli ), Korea ( SEK Animation Studio in North Korea ), Taiwan and China, the animated film industry, which operates either as a supplier for European and American companies or supplied with in-house productions, especially the domestic market is growing. Outstanding artistic personalities such as Hayao Miyazaki refuse in principle to the 3- D boom: " We use the technique that graphically looks best. And drawings are to still be the most appropriate method. "

In Europe, increasingly feature-length animated films are produced thanks to the EU's cartoon program in recent years, most of them for children. Advances in computer-based production, the boundaries between 2D and 3D becoming increasingly blurred, decisive for the choice of a production designs are not so much the cost, but mainly artistic and marketing reasons.

Selection of key figures, plants and people

France UPA (animation studio) Key frame The Pink Panther Show Mole (Zdeněk Miler character) Futurama List of animated television series Frank Thomas (animator) Ollie Johnston Leonard Maltin
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