19 types of animation techniques and styles

VARIOUS ANIMATION STYLES

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Animation process involves creation of motion illusion through quick displaying of a series of static pictures subtly different from each other. It is ubiquitous in present digital world.

Movies, advertisements, videos and other media constantly use stop motion animation as well as 3d modelling services. 2D or 3D figures are subjected to blend of conventional and stop motion techniques for producing seamless feel of motion.

Detailed below are prevalent various types of animation, and styles.

1) Traditional Animation In Classical 2D mode, each frame is hand drawn by animators. After a number of frames have been drawn, they are fed to plastic cells which are subsequently hand painted. The cells are projected against painted background to create semblance of motion. In famous movies like Peter Pan, Aladdin etc., this technique has been used. Mickey Mouse is the classical example. 1st 2D animated figure created in 1908, Fantasmagories was a stick man created by Emile Cohl. The 75 second long animation used 700 varied images.

2) Digital 2D Animation Digital techniques are used for animating figures in 2D space. Frames and not digital models are drawn. Hundreds of animated drawings are imparted momentum. This process has been eased through software like Adobe Flash which restricts the huge amount of drawings required earlier. Colour, frame rate and other attributes can be modified instantly by seeking assistance of experts offering digital 2d animation services.

3) Digital 3D Animation Realistic portrayal of moving characters in swift manner, for movies or commercials, can be accomplished through specialized computer software. Modern software like Autodesk 3D can create graphics that are lifelike. Using this helps in creation of 3d animated character models with pace and perfection. More realistic feel is assured. They find high-end applications and are advancing speedily.

4) Stop Motion Animation Fluidity is imparted to physical and inanimate objects through frame-wise animation in postproduction stage. Puppet animation is perfect example of this. ‘Fun in a bakery shop’ of 1902 was a short length movie that had consumed over fifty hours to be made.

5) Mechanical Animation This animatronics relieves machinists from creating actual robotic designs. Mechanical graphics offer glimpses from various angles into the actual working of proposed machines and help in understanding the functionalities. Benefits of outsourcing animation to India are countless and mechanical animatronics is an area in which most companies here specialize.

6) Autonomatronics and Audio Animatronics If you visit Disney theme parks, you would come across audio animatronics which are trademark production of Disney Imagineering. The robot Otto can detect the presence of humans in a room and start conversation. Otto can also gauge the happiness quotient of the person. Autonomatronics technologically varies from audio-animatronics. In audioanimatronics, the pre-defined voice sequence is repeated again and again after fixed interval. Complex camera and sensor architecture underlies Autonomatronics which offers Otto greater freedom to take independent decisions based on person’s activities.

7) Chuckimation ‘Action League Now’ developers are behind the creation of this popular method.

Chuckimation seamlessly blends live captured sequences with stop frae animation.

Characters are implanted on desired frame. The puppet shows you have watched since long bear resemblance to this graphics type. These days, such animation services are however not appreciated much.

8) Puppetry Life like puppets are used for developing puppetry animation. First puppet motion picture was released in 1908 with title ‘The Humpty Dumpty Circus’. The creators Albert and Blackton had eliminated use of physical objects. In cartoons and kid films, this simulation type is commonly seen. Kingkong of 1933 and U.S. fantasy horror movie ‘The Night Before Christmas’ of 1993 are famous examples of animatronics usage of this style. In the 1993 movie, 227 puppets were deployed for characterization and emotions of all thinkable types were achieved through 400 masks.

9) Claymation It uses clods of clay for moulding characters and then the animator imparts different motions based on the demands of the story. Clays can be simple, oil based and water based.

Clay occasionally is shaped in freeform. Alternately, armature or wired model is filled up with clay and the characters are placed on the shooting set, Small movements are used for filming the scene.

10) Zoetrope Zoetrope stands for animated toys which surfaced up in 1834 through efforts of William George Horner. A drum is used for drawing static images and then the drum is trundled which produces an impression of motion. Animated GIFs of present day are inspired from Zoetrope.

11) Cut-out Animation A form of stop motion animation, LotteTeinger used it for 1 st time in 1926 for filming ‘The Adventures of Prince Achmed’. Well illustrated paper silhouettes were used for projecting the story. Cut-outs of paper are motioned and camera lens film the same for depicting the story. Presently, computer generated cut-outs are used. This is one of the operative and interesting stop motion animation ideas.

12) Sand Animation Here, the canvas is a glass table sufficiently lit. Sand is moved in various directions over the table and previous shapes are erased for creating subsequent scene. The sequential process is captured and post production editing results in beautiful graphics. It is a time consuming process.

13) Typography Here, texts like letter and font faces are animated. You would come across this during movie title depiction. Software is available that easily allows manipulation of texts. However, these days based 3d animation services India based companies use more advanced techniques.

14) Paint on Glass Animation

A glass canvas with slowly drying painting is used for tweaking the art on it and the same is photographed. Turpentine is often mixed with paints to offer ease of manipulation. During post production, all photographs are blended for producing an animated version.

15) Drawn on Film Animation Here, an exposed reel of film is directly scratched and etched for producing motion effect.

An alternate method is to expose the film reel to light variations through projector in a dark room for developing shadows perennially etched on the roll. A work-board is commonly used for sticking the blackened film roll or punching holes in them.

16) Experimental Herein, a number of art with no logical connection among them are combined for creating Graphics. Introduction of impertinent paintings at odd regions allow for animation to develop. A new frame is created every time a thing is introduced and using magnification lens and multiple frames, animatronics is created.

17) Erasure

2D graphics is used for showing mobility. Charcoal erasure films are photographed and animated for each change for creating fluidity of motion.

18) Pinscreen In this, the canvas is subjected to pricking by numerous headless pins. In 1930, this method was invented by Claire and Alexandre for the movie ‘Night on Bald Mountain’. After pricking the pins, lighting of screen from one side is carried out depending on pricking depth and shadow’s profundity.

19) Flipbook This was there even before computers were there in the scene. A sequence of images drawn on flipbook is swiftly flicked through for giving impression of motion. This is one of the oldest techniques but still a really fascinating one.

There are a lot of companies capable of offering impeccable quality 2d and 3d animation services. Just associate with the best one and you can surely get amazing results.