LO1 video script

1. Stop motion animation is a successful form of moving image

entertainment where stationary objects appear to no longer
stationary. This is done by photographs constantly being taken
whilst the object moves slightly in each image, when the images are
then put into a sequence playing one after another the object
appears to move. Animation can follow various different techniques
to make the stationary object appear to move like persistence of
vision, stop-frame, frame rates and movement of models to name a
few. Persistence of vision is a theory that says the human eye retain
images for around 0.04 seconds meaning that we see a subtle blend
of what is happening and what happened a fraction of a second ago.
This is the reason we see rain as one long line when it is infact
droplets and we see Catherine wheels as a circle when it is infact
separate sparks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RhwUksYCno8 .
This is useful in terms of animation as it is the theory behind the
illusion that the objects are moving as there is roughly 25 photos
every second throughout the animation. Stop-frame is the name for
the process of animation where the movement of an object which is
captured one frame or photograph at a time and the object is
moved slightly between each frame or photograph and when the
images are put into a sequence and the stationary object then
appears to be moving (use own footage). Frame rates are just
simply the number of images, mainly referred to as frames, are used
per second in the animation. The average frame rate for a animation
is 30fps (frames per second) however the more frames per second
the more accurate and flawless the movement will appear. In this
animation there are only 15 frames per second making the
animation appear jumpy but in this animation of the same images
the frame rate is 25fps making the movement of the plasticine seem
smoother (use own footage). The movement of models in a
production is very important as the
2. These techniques have evolved as time has gone on and there are
various people who are responsible for this. Joseph Plateau invented
a device called the Phenakitoscope (fenakitascope) which was the
first device to show illustrations that move in 1832. It worked by
using a flat, disk shaped piece of card with a handle in the middle to
spin and the images will be drawn around the edge of the card and
repeated every time it made a circle. The device (use video from
pioneers powerpoint). Another person who made a big impression in
the evolution of animation was William Horner who invented the
Zoetrope in 1834. The Zoetrope was the next invention after the
Phenakistoscope and worked by having a cylinder drum where a

strip of images is inserted on the inner lining of the cylinder and

then spun by the viewer. The person will view the animation through
viewing slots which are all around cylinder and when the cylinder is
spun the images appear to be moving. This is an important
invention in regards to where animation is today as it was improving
the original, first example of stationary images looking like it is
moving and made the transitions of each image smoother (use
video from pioneers powerpoint). Another pioneer of animation who
had a big impact was Emile Reynaud who was responsible for the
invention of the praxinoscope. The praxinoscope was step forward
from the zoetrope and worked by using a strip of pictures or
illustrations on the inner circle of a cylinder drum just like the
zoetrope however it was updated by putting a mirror in the middle
of the cylinder opposite the photographs. The viewer would look at
the mirror and spin the device making an illusion that the images
were moving not the device. By using the mirror instead of the
previous viewing slots it made the illusion of movement seem
smother. (use video from pioneers powerpoint)
3. Many people then took the inventions that the pioneers of animation
invented and developed it which helped move animation from 2D
drawings to 3D models. One person who is a key developer in the
history of animation is Willis OBrien. Willis OBrien was a newspaper
cartoonist and sculptor who became involved in short films in 1914.
He is most famous for his work as a special effects artist and his
work with mini models of King Kong. Willis OBrien was the first
animator to take the animation from 2D illustrations and pictures to
3D models and made them into feature length films rather than just
a repeating sequence that that pioneers of animation made. Both of
these developments that OBrien is responsible for improved the
animation movement vastly. By making 3D models is opened up a
whole new range of movement that the characters can do in
animations making them look more realistic and professional. He
also made his animations into feature length films which helped the
animation movement progress as it opened up options for him and
other animators to do more with their animations, not just short
sequences repeating themselves. (look for a video of King Kong at
home). Ray Harryhausen was also responsible for a development in
the animation world. He was inspired to get into the animation world
after seeing Willis OBriens work with the King Kong models who
later became his mentor in the animation world. One film that both
Ray Harryhausen and Willis OBrien were responsible for was The 7th
Voyage of Sinbad (1958). This film was so successful and then went
onto having two sequels, The Golden Voyage of Sinbad (1974) and
Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger (1977). Ray Harryhausen didnt
really make a huge impact on the animation world from the

invention side however he did work with Willis OBrien to develop

everything that Willis OBrien made e.g made better, more realist
models and made the transitions between each frame smoother, all
of which have had a direct impact to how animations look today.
(https://youtu.be/ZMFdVEQcH_0 )
4. Contemporary animators play a big part in the animation industry
and are the animators of today. These have become as successful as
they are due to combining the work from the developers and
pioneers of animation. One contemporary animator is Aardman
Animations who are responsible for films such as Wallace and
Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Creature Comforts and
Chicken Run which are very successful and well recognised
animation films. Aardman Animations are one of the most successful
contemporary animators ever and Both Chicken Run and Wallace
and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit are the highest grossing
and most successful stop motion animation films of all time.
Aardman Animations have been nominated for 10 Oscars and have
won 4. One film that won was Creature Comforts in 1991 for Best
Short Animated Film. When comparing the work of Aardman
Aminations with work from previous animators such as Willis OBrien
you can really see how animations have evolved overtime. One way
in how the animations in Wallace and Gromit use fine detail in their
models and they even show expressions and the characters lip sync
to the audio that is used. Another way they have evolved is how the
movements of the models are smoother, this is mainly due to
Aardman Animators using armatures to help structure the models
and make their movement look cleaner and more realistic. A third
way they have changed is the frame rate for Aardman Aminations
projects are much higher than those of previous animators work.
This is due to them realising that is the frame rate is higher, aswell
as the movement for of the models being smaller, the movement
will look a lot smoother and professional throughout.
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I5R5VC84gA4 )
(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUdew5gMbTg )
Another contemporary animator is Tim Burton who has made films
such as The Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride and is
one of the most successful animators of this generation. Although
Tim Burton did not invent anything he did tweak the techniques of
animation to make the end product more cinematic and made the
techniques fit the ideas that he had for the films he made. As you
can see in this clip from The Nightmare Before Christmas, the
animation and movement is much smoother than previous work that
we have seen and it also has a darker feel compared to films such
as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad. For his animated films Tim Burton has

been nominated for 2 Academy Awards, A BAFTA and 2 Producers

Guild of America Awards and won one for Best Producer in the
Producers Guild of America Awards for the film 9. The reason behind
Tim Burton not winning many awards for his animated films as
award categories for award shows are a newer concept and werent
around when his hit movies such as The Nightmare Before
Christmas were released. When comparing Tim Burtons work to
work from previous animators such as Ray Harryhausen you can see
and compare how much animation has evolved over time. One way
it has changed, like with Aardman Animations, is the frame rate
increasing and the movement between each shot being made
smaller to make the overall footage run smoother. Another way Tim
Burtons animations show the evolution of animation is the way he
started his animations using plastacine models and he has now
evolved himself and is making computer animated movies and this
is mainly due to technology evolving aswell as animation
techniques. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpvdAJYvofI )
5. Animation isnt only presented in a film form, it is also presented in
various different forms and can be used in various different genres.
One form that animation is used in is television, for example the
Shawn the Sheep television series on CBBC. Shawn the Sheep is a
very popular childrens television show which has now been turned
into a movie and was created by Aardman Animations who made
Chicken Run and Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit.
Whilst you could get videos of sheep without using animation you
wouldnt be able to make them do some of the stuff that the show
has them doing like in this clip the sheep are jumping off diving
boards and sat like humans which real sheep cant do. Animation is
also used for TV idents; take E4 for example, they use various TV
idents before the majority of their shows which adds a unique twist
to the channel and makes it easily recognisable to those who are
channel hopping. Some music videos also use animation like the
video on screen now, Sledgehammer by Peter Gabriel. Animation is
important and effective in this music video as the things that the
animation are doing cant be done by humans or anything else
without using animation. Animation is also used in adverts to make
it have a unique feel. One of the most known animated sets of
adverts are the OXO adverts where they use everyday objects to
demonstrate what the OXO cubes do when they are being used.