As you may have guessed from the title, my project is on animation. I chose it because it is something that has touched all of our lives, and will remain with us, as we grow older. Animation means more than just cartoons. The term describes a wide range of frame by frame, two or three-dimensional film making techniques. And on a more scientific side, physics played a big role in its development. It all started with a harmless physics experiment; physicists were looking to explore persistence of vision, which is the basis of the animated film, when animation caught on. What they discovered was that an image would "burn" its self on to our retina so that it would remain with us for a small fraction of time after the source of the image had been removed. It explains how a succession of projected images could be assimilated without interruption, and there by producing an illusion of continuous and natural movement. From this premises many new forms of animation have emerged. And although it is very easy to watch today's animated marvels, one often forgets how hard it was to produce such a life like cartoon. There are many different types of animation but I don't have the time nor the knowledge to cover all of them, since there are new forms of it being developed each day. But I will cover all the basics, which aren't as basic as it sounds! Follow me if you will on a guided tour through the many different animated worlds. The first and oldest form of animation is Pixilation Animation. If you have ever seen a Charlie Chaplin movie then you have seen Pixilation animation. Now I know what you must be thinking good old Charlie wasn't a cartoon character he was a live action character? Actually Charlie was one of the first animated characters. Now if you have ever seen any of his movies you would have noticed how he moved in a robotic fashion and never spoke. The robotic movement was achieved by using something similar to a Phenakisticope. The Phenakisticope was invented 1831 by Joseph Antoine Plateau. It was made from a disc of cardboard mounted on a wooden handle by means of a thumbtack. When spun and viewed through the slots on the disc, using a mirror, the separate drawings or shots, run together to form an animated sequence. (Demonstration available at my station) The reason Charlie couldn't speak like a lot of early cartoon characters was because their equipment wasn't sophisticated enough to record sound. Another out dated form of animation is Pin-Screen animation. The majority of the 80's cartoons used this form of animation. It consisted of a black background cardboard paper, which had thousands of pins in it. The animator would adjust the lengths of the pins to form an image. However the image which he would photograph would be the shadow the pins cast when a light was turned on. Imagine having to rearrange all those pins just to get one frame of an animated film. The way I see it, is that the animators were either board, or really into physics! Yes! Here again we see physics demonstrated for us! A light source, an obstacle, and the knowledge of how light bends was all used to produce these animated shows. For by knowing how light is going to bend one can calculate the size of the umbra, and the penumbra, which is going to be cast. The Umbra and Penumbra are the lighter shadow and the darker shadow. Moving on we find that the animators are finding way of saving time. Cell Animation was a real big break through in the animated world. It cut production time in half, by using one background for every scene, rather than drawing it over and over again. Once the background has been drawn for a scene the characters are placed into the scene using clear acrylic sheets. The animators draw them on the clear sheets, then place them on top of the background, and finally photograph them, to produce one frame. These steps are repeated until the animated sequence is completed. Even though it is still a time consuming process, it enabled animators to get their finished product a lot faster. My favorite example of this type of animation is Charlie Brown and Snoopy. Sesame Street makes its big daybu, and the world is memorized by Big Bird and his friends. Don't be fooled by appearances these characters were not just mere puppets! It takes 6 steps and 3 elements just to complete a movie with these guys in them! And I found this information to good to leave out! Well we all know that every cartoon starts with a story, which is then turned into a storyboard. (Like a big comic strip.) But what comes next is what really make the movie. The first step is Character and Model creation. In this step they interpret the storyboard and sketches are created from the initial concepts. Images are also sometimes produced as small, three-dimensional maquettes. (Clay figures) The end product is always the result of close collaboration with directors and creative advisors. We then move on to step 2 Modeling. All thou this step is small, without it our characters would never realize their full potential. In this step the animators working from the approved illustrations and maquettes, construct full-scale sculpts created in vastly varying sizes. Once that is completed we then go on to step 3 Molding. Molds are taken from sculptures using fiberglass, silicone or plaster, depending upon the size and shape of the sculpture. The molds are then used to generate various parts for finished products, such as foam latex skin, acrylic teeth, and fiberglass underskulls. In step 4 Casting completed molds can be "fleshed out" with silicone or foam latex, to fit the actor inside, like in Snufulupagus's case. This is also the step were prosthetics make -over, facial features like on star wars, when you see the Ferengies. For Step 5 Finishing, creations are assembled and finished, using a wide range of materials such as fabric, foam, metal and wood, and many processes include sewing, soldering and fastening. At the end off all that what is produced are working models that are convincing and realistic. Then most animators use advanced electronic skills to apply Henson Performance Control System, which I will speak of again later on in this essay. The final step, step 6, is Model and set building. Sometimes, the shoots are done on location but for others the sets are constructed. Sets can be given fuller impact through the use of an on-site motion control, facility for filming miniatures and models. Once a creature has taken shape, it must be brought to life. This requires a unique mix of artistry and technology, which includes the following three elements: #1 Performance, A select group of puppeteers and performers breath life into creatures and characters. #2 The Henson Performance Control System. The revolutionary computer-based Henson Performance Control System enables puppeteers to take remote control of animatronics worn by performers. The heads often contain miniaturized electronics systems governing a full range of facial expressions. To help puppeteers with the increasingly sophisticated puppets being produced, the system allows greater flexibility and improvisation, which means better performance and characterization. A puppet head can have unlimited individual movements, all controlled separately. To bring the creatures to life, the puppeteers operate a joystick consisting of four sets of controls- one for each finger- as well as the conventional joystick motion. The system can be used both in studio and on location. It can also be used in conjunction with real time performance edit suit, another innovation, which enables all important creature movement and performance, such as lip syncking, to be recorded, programmed, and edited on computer. It can then be recreated whenever needed. The last element is Computer Generated Performance. Real time animation, enables program makers and performers to see how actors and computerized characters relate to each other on screen, while filming is in progress. It sets the scene for more convincing characters and performance, breaking new ground in the ability to control and edit scenes at any time. There are also considerable cost savings. The method removes much of the time consuming work associated with combining computer generated creatures and actors on film. The technique can also be used for creating characters for console and CD-ROM video games, as well as designing and manipulating prototypes and models for testing purposes. Now for a more hands on type of animation, Clay animation. This form of animation has produced many stars such as Gombi, The California Raisins, and the most recent Walace and Gromit. Each production of this nature is steered through various stages by producers. These stages are: design, storyboarding, the "Build", "Pre light and Test", set -up for each shot and finally post-production. Most steps are similar to puppet animation so I will leave them out to avoid repetition. The modeling department is stuffed with plasticine of every conceivable color and materials from wire to wood to widgets. The model making facility includes everything from a special booth for spraying, to equipment for latex molding. Whilst the figures have a detailed finish they must be robust enough to survive long hours of animation on set. Often, two or three versions of the main characters are built so that one can be refurbished while another is being used. The models are constructed with internal armatures (like skeletons) which are engineered to fine tolerance in order to give the figure support and allow them to be manipulated with great accuracy. When characters are required to speak, lip synchronization with sound is often achieved using sets of replacement mouths, one for each of the vowels and consonants. Now moving on to the studio where the critical process of animation itself takes place. All the work that has gone into the preparation must be orchestrated so that an animator can achieve a strong performance in front of the camera. The director's role is to interpret the storyboard shot by shot in a way that achieves the intention of the script. The lighting cameraperson is extremely important, creating the look and atmosphere of a scene through the lighting. Once a set is in place for a scene, the set is "hot" and "crew only" as an accidental bump to a light, model or set can ruin continuity and lose the days work. The animator process is slow but fairly intense and requires sustained concentration. Each animator has a computer which, coupled with video assist, enables them to run through frames they've already shot and to get the feel of the work as it progresses. Twenty-five frames per second of animation is equivalent to fifteen hundred frames per minute of finished film, it is definitely a slow job! Now it is off to the editing room, were the storyboard is matched to sound called an "animatic." This gives a sense of how timing will work before a great deal of work is invested in taking the shot to the next stage. Film editing and post-production work put the finishing touches to the film. The last form of Animation I will be covering is now the most widely used form of animation. We have recently seen an explosion of movies using this form of animation it can be none other than Computer Animation. As you may have noticed, computers have been present in almost every form of animation. It is a quick efficient and helpful tool in the animated world. Computer Animation or "Morphing", which is what it is more commonly called, is now the most advanced tool on the market. Computer graphics have adopted this term in at least two very distinct forms. One, of which the general public is most aware of, is the two-dimensional (2D) Morphing. Typically, in 2D morphs, control points are placed in two images at locations that correlate between the two. A 2D-morph algorithm then calculates intermediate images that when viewed in succession, smoothly changes the first image into the second. We now see this form of animation more widely used because the prices on using it have come down quite a bit. The movie Terminator 2: Judgement Day used this technology when morphing the liquid. We have also seen computer Animation used in such movies as: A Bugs Life, Antz, and Toy Story. But there are also TV Programs, which use the technology, such as Reboot, and Shadow Raiders.

Early Animation Devices The Thaumotrope The thaumotrope was invented in 1820 by Doctor John Paris. This was the simplest of the early toys illustrating the persistence of vision. The Thaumatrope consisted of a small disc of thin cardboard with one image on the face and another on the back. Two short threads were attached so that the disc could be spun, revealing each face in rapid succession. Due to the effect of persistence of vision the two images appeared as one. (Demonstration will be available at my station) The Phenakisticope The Phenakisticope was invented in 1831 by Joseph Antoine Plateau. The device was made from a disc of cardboard mounted on a wooden handle by means of a thumbtack. When spun and viewed through the slots, using a mirror, the separate images run together to form an animated sequence. (Demonstration available at my station.) The Zoetrope The Zoetrope is the device Eadweard Muybridge used to show how a horse runs. The Zoetrope consisted of a drum of metal, open at the top, and sealed with a disc at the bottom and mounted by means of a bolt to a base. A series of images are drawn on a strip of paper and inserted into the drum bellow the slots. The drum is then spun and the viewer watches a succession of images through the passing slots. Pioneers of animation Emile Cohl One of the first animators was Emile Cohl. He is regarded by some as the "father of the cartoon film." He started his work in 1908 by drawing simple matchstick figures on white paper. These were photographed in succession and the resulting negatives projected to produce on the screen the effect of white images on a black background. Earl Hurd Earl Hurd perfected a process, in 1915, called cell animation. Cell animation eliminated the need for phase animation. Now the background to the film remained independent of the foreground figures. The foreground figures were traced onto transparent sheets called cells. These cells could be superimposed on any background and a picture taken. This process freed animators from repetitive drawing. Walt Disney When someone thinks of animation one name immediately comes to mind, Walt Disney. Disney's influence dominated the animation world between World War 1 and World War 2. Walt Disney founded his studio in 1923 and later that year released Little Red Riding Hood. Disney was going to release his Mickey Mouse stories in 1928, but decided to wait and take advantage of synchronized sound. This was a good idea because Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck were the first characteristic cartoon voices. This was a new feature for cartoons and Walt Disney was the first to use it.