The fundamentals of animation -Paul Wells

"The art challenges the technology and the technology inspires the art." (John Lasseter:PIXAR animation) 

The fundamentals of animation is a "core text" for all animation students. The book is divided into parts: The first section discusses the key processes and principles of animation. It describes the the concepts from the point where they are still research up to the preparation and techniques used, all the way to the full completion of the piece.  The following part investigates the connection animation has to narrative styles of popular culture supporting theories by analysing previous work and by studying current student and commercial work. 

I chose to review it because I consider it one of the great theoretical books of our times. And it helped me a lot. 

Literary review- The Illusion of Life by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnsto

The illusion of life is an animation "bible" which predated "the animator's survival kit" and was written by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnsto best known as two of "Disney's Nine old men" (core animators who later became directors). 

The book contains a total of 489 colourfull plates, and hundreds of b&w illustrations, which range from storyboard sketched to animation sequences, which were all obviously used to illustrate Disney's styled animation.  There is even a little passage which expresses the philosophy of Disney animators, called "12 basic principles of animation":

1) Squash and strech

2)Anticipation

3)Staging

4)Straight ahead action and pose to pose

5)Follow through and overlapping action

6)slow in and slow out

7)arcs

8)secondary action

9)timing

10)exaggeration

11)solid drawing

12)appeal

The name "illusion of life" was created by Hamilton Luske in the 1930's, since disney cartoons had looked far more like moving drawings, but for the upcoming future films the studio felt a need to increase realism in their animations. Therefore, through a heavy study and research of movement of the human body and artistic drawing, Disney animators managed to grip a set of rules that made their figures appear more life-like. 

Unlike Tex Avery's cartoons (Warner brothers) which depended more on surreal humor, Disney aimed for a style that was rooted in reality and yet emphasized by exaggeration. 

Literary review- the animator's survival kit

" The animator's survival kit: A manual of methods, principles and formulas for classical, games, stop-motion and internet animators" is a book (or a survival kit) written by animator and director Richard WIlliams. It en-globes various aspects of animation, including tips, advice and general knowledge about animation and its history. I chose to write about it because this is what i consider an animation bible, per say. I have it at home and whenever i need to clear some doubt this is the first place I'll look.  It is consider a must-have in every animators library and it is certainly present in mine. 

The format of the book is done so that one doesn't get bored quickly, containing loads of beautiful illustrations, and nearly all the text is hand written by Williams himself. Thus, the book can be read quite fast although a thorough study is needed for those who really want to get something out of it.

Richard Williams has won two Oscars (direction and animation) for "Who framed Roger Rabbit?" and over 250 other awards. 

COOL AND USEFUL WEBSITES

1)http://minyos.its.rmit.edu.au/aim/a_notes/anim_paint.html
2)http://www.animationschoolreview.com/animation-careers-jobs.html

3)http://showcase.ucreative.ac.uk/    (nice inspirations)

4)http://allsp.deltavid.com/    (watch south park online!)

5)http://mypage.direct.ca/w/writer/FAA.html

6)www.fotolog.net/koide         (my fotolog...few pics)

7)http://www.rca.ac.uk/Default.aspx?ContentID=161680&CategoryID=36692                (inspirations from the RCA)

Edward Scissorhands

I chose to write about Edward scissorhands because it tackles two aspects of this module at once. I will be reviewing it as one of my favourite films and also because it has been greatly influenced by german expressionism, more specifically the film “The cabinet of dr. caligari”. In this imaginative and alternative observation of a recluse to suburban society, Tim burton manages to create a beautifully dark and gothic athmosphere contrasting directly to the pastel-coloured typical suburban houses and housewives (which are pastel coloured as well as their outfits).
In the film, Edward is the son/creation of a genious inventor who dies just before finishing his masterpiece, leaving Edward with scissors instead of hands. There is a strong correlation between this concept of creation and Frankenstein throughout the film, both influenced by “the cabinet of dr caligari”. The techniques represented by german expressionism such as dark shadows, unusual sets and camera angles that vary from extreme high to extreme low are used in Edward scissorhands to create the classic horror film mood.

Big Fish (2003)

Director: Tim Burton
Cast: Ewan Mcgregor, Deny Devitto, Jessica Lange
Plot: Will Bloom (Mcgregor) returns to his family home
in Alabama having spent the past three years not talking to his father Edward (Finney). Dying, Edward recounts his life story in his own unique, exaggerated way, full of fantastic events (portrayed in these flashbacks by McGregor). Will tries to get to know his father and find the truth, discovering that his father did lead an extraordinary life and that his storytelling was his finest achievement.

The film was initially planned to be directed by Steven Spilberg before Burton took on the project, following the death of his own father. The film was mostly shot in Alabama, and had a much less gothic tone than Burton's other films such as Edward Siscorhands and Sleepy hollow.

Many critics hailed the film as Burton's masterpiece, and it received four Golden Globe nominations and one Oscar nomination for Danny Elfman's original score.

I chose to right about this film because in my opinion it is a brilliant feature film, and as in animation it breaks certain cinematic conventions. Tim Burton managed to transpass his typical style by making it lively and "colourfull" but still keep his authenticity which can be perceived by the high quality of direction in the film.

I love it particularly because of its imaginative factor, its like a key that opens curiosity gates in the viewer's imagination, that for me had only been opened this way before whilst watching animation films. The viewer hungers for the next scene, in my case dying of curiosity for what Tim Burton has prepared on the next shot. The film has a fantasiotic atmosphere both in visual and metaphorical ways, where surrealism is used as simbolism, a perfect match between reality and a dream world, challenging one's imagination to decide if the facts shown are real or made up by the character of Edward (the storyteller). I also think this film relates immensely to this module because it has a very linear way of storytelling: the narrator speaks, and Ewan Mcgregor's character visualizes, therefore exemplifying how a simple but effective way of telling a story can be achieved.

Deny Devitto is in my opinion in one of the best performances he's ever done, making the hairs of my neck stand up at points.

The Adventures of prince Achmed (1926)

"The Adventures of prince Achmed" by Lotte Reiniger was the first animated feature film ever produced, predating Disney. It features silhouette animation techniques Reiniger had invented which involved manipulated cutouts made from cardboard and thin sheets of lead under a camera. "The original prints featured colour tinting. The story is based on the elements taken from the collection 1001 arabian nights, specifically The Story of Prince Achmed and the Fairy Paribanou featured in Andrew's Wang The blue fairy book."

With the help of Aladdin, the Witch of the Fiery Mountain, and a magic horse, the title character battles the evil African sorcerer to win the hand of Princess Peri Banu.

When asked how exactly she animated her film by the British magazine Sight & Sound in 1936, Reiniger had this to say:

"...The technique of this type of film is very simple. As with cartoon drawings, the silhouette films are photographed movement by movement. But instead of using drawings, silhouette marionettes are used. These marionettes are cut out of black cardboard and thin lead, every limb being cut separately and joined with wire hinges. A study of natural movement is very important, so that the little figures appear to move just as men and women and animals do. But this is not a technical problem. The backgrounds for the characters are cut out with scissors as well, and designed to give a unified style to the whole picture. They are cut from layers of transparent paper." - Lotte Reiniger, Sight & Sound (1936).