ZoeTrope
A ZoeTrope is one of the first kinds of animation devices ever made by man, originating by about 100 BC, and ever since, it's been one of the defining ways to show how animation has progressed and aged since those years.
A ZoeTrope works like this: You are given a tool with drawings on the inside of it, as well as many incisions that cut through the whole thing, they're usually cut as thin-linear lines. You then spin the device when light shines onto you and the device, then the drawings look like they are animated and the illusion of movement is achieved.
ThaumaTrope
In the 19th century, man came along the animation idea and made a device that consisted of a disk, with two pictures on it, one on either side. Then strings are fitted onto the left and right sides of the disk, then when you spin the disk between you fingers it appears to blend the two images together due to the 'Persistence of Vision'.
A few of these devices have made their way into popular culture, one instance in particular was in the film 'The Prestige', Michael Caine's character uses a thaumatrope many times to attempt to explain the 'Persistence of Vision'.
This video has an approach in that it explains and shows you how to make the thaumascope and how it works.
What is Persistence of Vision?
Persistance of Vision is an illusion that sis played on by the mind. It occurs when the mind is witnessing many images moving in a sequence and it perceives them as moving even though they are not. They are actually all still images but they are flicking by very quick, so quick that is seen as movement.
What is Persistence of Vision?
Persistance of Vision is an illusion that sis played on by the mind. It occurs when the mind is witnessing many images moving in a sequence and it perceives them as moving even though they are not. They are actually all still images but they are flicking by very quick, so quick that is seen as movement.
Phenakistoscope
Another example of an early animation device, the Phenakistoscope was invented in 1832, but was planned out three years before, in 1829. The tool itself used a spinning disc attached to a handle, around the disc are the frames and drawings that will be displayed when you use the tool.
The drawings were cut equally with incisions gaps, then the person using the tool would spin the disc and look through the moving slits at the disc's reflection in a mirror. The reflection and the speed of the drawings would make the illusion that the drawings are moving and are in fact, animated.
Unlike the zoetrope and some other similar tools, the Phenakistoscope could only be used by one individual at a time.
Kinectoscope
An early motion picture exhibition device, it was designed to be viewed by one individual at a time as you would have to view through a peephole.
The Kinectoscope was not a projector device, rather it was the norm before anything such as actual 'video' would come into play. It created the illusion of animation by having a strip of film bearing images in a sequence over a light source with a high-speed shutter.
First a concept by Thomas Edison in 1888, it was largely developed by one of his employees, by the name of William Kennedy Laurie Dickson.
Mutoscope
Invented by Winsor McCay, the Mutoscope was also an early machine for film and video, it was later patented by Herman Caster in 1894. The Mutoscope worked very similar to that of a flip book, with black and white images and placing them in a sequence to make an illusion of animation.
They were made to be manufactured in 1895, which went on to be made until the year of 1909 by the 'American Mutoscope and Biograph Company'. Soon another company came and manufactured new reels and machines from 1926 to 1949, it's no longer a trademark in the united states.
They were very frequent and common in the arcades and piers in the UK until the introduction of 'decimal coinage' in 1971.
They were very frequent and common in the arcades and piers in the UK until the introduction of 'decimal coinage' in 1971.
Georges Melies
Born on December 8th, 1861, his father moved to Paris 1843 and was a shoemaker, beginning to work at a boot factory. Years into the future, Georges ended up returning to Paris, France, aiming to study painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, without much of a support financially from his father, he ended up supervising machinery at the family factory to support an income.
This didn't stop his passion however, as he started to be intrigued by stage magic, he began to visit performances and also took magic lessons from Emile Voisin. These combined made him very adept at fooling the eyes of the common man, he soon was granted the opportunity to perform his first ever shows. His first shows were held in the Cabinet Fantastique of the Grevin Wax Museum, and soon after that, the Galerie Vivienne.
Born on December 8th, 1861, his father moved to Paris 1843 and was a shoemaker, beginning to work at a boot factory. Years into the future, Georges ended up returning to Paris, France, aiming to study painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, without much of a support financially from his father, he ended up supervising machinery at the family factory to support an income.
This didn't stop his passion however, as he started to be intrigued by stage magic, he began to visit performances and also took magic lessons from Emile Voisin. These combined made him very adept at fooling the eyes of the common man, he soon was granted the opportunity to perform his first ever shows. His first shows were held in the Cabinet Fantastique of the Grevin Wax Museum, and soon after that, the Galerie Vivienne.
Beginning of the Film Career
On December 27th, 1895, Melies attended a private demonstration of the Cinematograph, made by the Lumiere brothers. Within seconds, Melies instantly offered the Lumieres 10,000F for one of their machines they they had on offer at the time.
However, the brothers were actually hesitant to accept the offer, they then declined the offer too, they wanted to keep close eyes on their own invention, they also refused an offer of 20,000F from someone else for the same reason.
Melies had an intention to find a film projector for the Theatre Robin-Houdin, many other inventors in America and Europe were trying to experiment with machines very similar to Lumiere's one.
Melies ended up in London at one point, he bought an Animatograph from someone, as well as several short films sold by the seller and by the 'Edison Manufacturing Company'.
After studying the design of the Animatograph, modified the machine so that it would perform as a film camera. Raw film stock and processing labs weren't available in Paris, so Melies then purchased unperforated film in London, he then personally devloped and printed his films through trial and error.
Melies directed over 500 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. He also created the editing technique of a 'jump-cut', which he discovered by filming a bus, then his camera jammed, once sorted out he continued his filming nonetheless, and a hearse was there instead.
At the exact point where the bus had gone, the hearse was at the point where the bus disappeared at, this lead to making an iconic function in editing, this was a jump-cut.
On December 27th, 1895, Melies attended a private demonstration of the Cinematograph, made by the Lumiere brothers. Within seconds, Melies instantly offered the Lumieres 10,000F for one of their machines they they had on offer at the time.
However, the brothers were actually hesitant to accept the offer, they then declined the offer too, they wanted to keep close eyes on their own invention, they also refused an offer of 20,000F from someone else for the same reason.
Melies had an intention to find a film projector for the Theatre Robin-Houdin, many other inventors in America and Europe were trying to experiment with machines very similar to Lumiere's one.
Melies ended up in London at one point, he bought an Animatograph from someone, as well as several short films sold by the seller and by the 'Edison Manufacturing Company'.
After studying the design of the Animatograph, modified the machine so that it would perform as a film camera. Raw film stock and processing labs weren't available in Paris, so Melies then purchased unperforated film in London, he then personally devloped and printed his films through trial and error.
Melies directed over 500 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. He also created the editing technique of a 'jump-cut', which he discovered by filming a bus, then his camera jammed, once sorted out he continued his filming nonetheless, and a hearse was there instead.
At the exact point where the bus had gone, the hearse was at the point where the bus disappeared at, this lead to making an iconic function in editing, this was a jump-cut.
Cel Based, Traditional Animation
Above is a clip from the series 'Soul Eater' written by Atsushi Ōkubo. This kind of animation is based off of drawings placed together in a sequence, you draw one drawing, then another one after it with a slight adjustment and soon they are placed together and then the animation comes to life. It was first originated back in the late 1920's, when plastic began to be used. In fact, there is a debate about which is the first ever cel-based animation. Most turn to the infamous Steamboat Willie cartoon by Disney, another company known for traditional animation in America. A video to the original cartoon mentioned is located below.
It comes off very interesting as a result but is the most time consuming. At about 12-25 drawings a second, there are some moments slicker than others but it's eye-candy to those observing. An average rate of 24fps (frames per second) which are also 24 drawings per second.
Another example of traditional animation which is also of a Japanese descent is Death Note, using very similar if not the same kinds of techniques.
Animation in the 1970's had a major phase of being mainly targeted at infants and young children. For a while, this stereotyped stayed and was just the norm of the time, many people would have kids and there would be a huge range and diverse amounts of different cartoons they could watch.
Some cartoons even
contained adult themes at the time, this is something that children
wouldn't understand initially, they wouldn't get the wording. It meant
that adults could watch cartoons and enjoy them by having some subtle
themes in the show itself.
Some
examples of shows that had suggestive or hinted at themes include,
Adventure Time, The Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Captain
Pugwash and Ren & Stimpy.
Animation from the 1930's to the 1970's
1930's
An animated short made by Van Beuren studios, which at the time was not as well received as those at Walt Disney, or the Fleischer brothers. This animated short featured a short-lived duo being haunted as a punishment for killing a camel, and it is borderline insane, it is very ahead of its time and is substantially weird.
An animated short by Disney, featuring the earlier character that they used called "Oswald The Lucky Rabbit". This short is an example of very elasticated and rubber-hosed animation, characters are flexible, they are stretchy and they are also very slick when they move and fly about.
1940's
An episode of the famous cartoon from the 1940's, and lasted far and is even still made to this day, a cat and mouse duo that fight constantly, Tom & Jerry. The series involved many kinds of violence and included other kinds of subtle and racial humour (which is now edited out or cut out). The series was made by William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.
Another cartoon to come out of MGM cartoons like Tom & Jerry, but made by another man, Tex Avery. The series 'Droopy' was a show about a very down and depressed looking and sounding mutt overcoming obstacles including his rival, the wolf, this episode involves him tormenting his rival to no end in many fictional and odd ways.
1950's
An episode from The Woody Woodpecker Show, made in 1957, and ran until 1966, this episode, 'Misguided Missile', was made in 1958. The show centers around a quirky and witty woodpecker squeezing his way out of many different situations and providing laughs along the way.
The opening theme to the show 'Rocky and Bullwinkle'. An animated show about a moose and a flying squirrel finding themselves in many problems and trying to solve the issue they face along the way, made in 1959 and running until 1964.
1960's
A
show from the 1970's, Wacky Races was a show made for children, but
found a way to be memorable and humorous to both kids and adults. This
clip is an episode, which contained very limited
animation but still came through in it's writing, cartoon humour and
violence made in 1968.
The opening theme to The Road Runner Show, made in 1966, a show that centers around a creature that can blaze by at lightning speeds and a coyote that wants to, you guessed it, eat him. The coyote does this by any means necessary including using 'Acme' traps and using all sorts of other techniques that inevitably fail.
The opening theme to The Road Runner Show, made in 1966, a show that centers around a creature that can blaze by at lightning speeds and a coyote that wants to, you guessed it, eat him. The coyote does this by any means necessary including using 'Acme' traps and using all sorts of other techniques that inevitably fail.
1970's
An episode of 'Fraidy Cat', a show in which a cat, who is very frail, is constantly haunted by himself in his past nine lives, all of which have different personalities which don't ever help in his predicaments made in 1975.
A clip from 'The New Adventures of Batman'. An opening to the show which was made in 1977, revolving around the fictional orphaned vigilante, Batman. Fighting crime with his sidekick Robin, the two are an unstoppable team taking on villains like The Joker, Penguin and Two-Face.
Stop-Motion (Model Based) Animation
Above is a clip from 'Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers' by Aardman, in which Wallace & Gromit chase after the Penguin thief 'Feathers McGraw'.
This kind of animation is one of, if not the most time-consuming, it involves making and sculpting clay models and then placing them in a position. After that you take a picture, like a photograph, then you move them ever so slightly, and take another picture, after that you move on to the next frame, and the next frame and so forth. Another example of this kind of animation is placed below, known as Morph, also by Aardman.
Pixilation
Pixilation is a type of animaiton which is centered around taking many pictures of actual people, and placing them in a sequence of images which is almost like traditional cel-based animation in that it is many images all played in a sequence, a good example of this is below.
Early examples of this technique are El hotel eléctrico from 1908 and Émile Cohl's 1911 movie Jobard ne peut pas voir les femmes travailler (Jobard cannot see the women working). - Taken from Wikipedia.
Early examples of this technique are El hotel eléctrico from 1908 and Émile Cohl's 1911 movie Jobard ne peut pas voir les femmes travailler (Jobard cannot see the women working). - Taken from Wikipedia.
This is an example of a pixilation animation, made for a college project by students.
Time-Lapse Animation
Time-lapse animation is a type of animation where one records a natural process like, an ocean tide going in or out and cutting to certain shots after a while. For example, you can cross-fade the shots into each other if you shot a forest in the day, to progress to the sunset, to the evening.
This is an example of a time-lapse animation, of a tree progressively growing throughout many hours. All the equipment you would need is a cinematic camera and some good editing software to blend shots or speed up the footage. You would also need a good natural process as an example like the two mentioned before, or maybe a transition of day to night in big, broad, hustling city.
Often, photography is used, taking many photos over a long period of time and speeding it up in a sequence to give the illusion of movement, like traditional animation but with photos of scenery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT7WNbrFKOU&feature=youtu.be
Cut-Out Animation
Cut-Out Animation is a type of animation process which involves using different shapes or cut-out images, from magazines or drawings like I have once done and will link into here too. You cut-out what images you need and you then take a photo of each and every frame, adjusting the models and shapes accordingly and making sure to make subtle movements for a smoother animation.
You then take all of these photos and place them into a sequence, making sure all are in order and your animation can come to be, which can include anything, an example of a cut-out animation is below, this is an animation that I actually made myself a year ago.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iT7WNbrFKOU&feature=youtu.be
Winsor McCay
Winsor McCay was an American animator known for many things such as 'Gertie the Dinosaur' (1914 animated film) and a comic strip known at 'Little Nemo' (1905-14). He was an amazing artist back when he was young and his talents were evident, he began to make posters for many places which was the starting step for his career.
In 1914 McCay developed "Gertie The Dinosaur". Rather than just showing the film as he had with his previous attempts, McCay actually interacted with Gertie, giving her life and charm. Gertie was an instant success and is the first original character developed solely for the animated cartoon and not based on a pre-existing comic strip. This was after many failed attempts in some other areas of art but didn't let it stop him, he wanted to give an extra layer of depth to his work.
His notable works include, 'Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend series, including titles such as Bug Vaudeville, The Pet and The Flying House which were animated and comic shorts (all in 1921)'. Also 'The Centaurs' (1921 short) and 'Flip's Circus' (1921 short).
Lotte Reiniger
Born in 1899, Lotte always had a thing for Chinese art and silhouette puppetry, when she was young, she built her own puppet theatre as she was so fascinated by it all, she wanted to entertain people such as family and friends.
She began to attempt animation in 1918, with wooden rats and made an animated adaptation of 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin'. This received excellent praise and soon she was moving onto bigger projects. She also soon began directing film,she was active from 1918-1979, her notable works include: The Star of Bethlehem (1956 TV short), The Grasshopper and the Ant (1954 short), The Magic Horse (1953 short) and The Three wishes (1954 short).
She began to attempt animation in 1918, with wooden rats and made an animated adaptation of 'The Pied Piper of Hamelin'. This received excellent praise and soon she was moving onto bigger projects. She also soon began directing film,she was active from 1918-1979, her notable works include: The Star of Bethlehem (1956 TV short), The Grasshopper and the Ant (1954 short), The Magic Horse (1953 short) and The Three wishes (1954 short).
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