Introduction to Animation & Research Techniques

Introduction to Animation (#1)

09/09/2024

The objective of the lesson was to familiarize ourselves with the fundamental basics of animation.

What is animation?

Animation, in the broadest sense, is the graphical manipulation of hand-drawn images and then ordering the images into a sequence to depict motion. 

Animation terminology

• Keyframe - A user command alerting the program that the user wishes to execute an action.

• Juxtapose - Sequencing frames in order of the movement depicted in each frame. 

Evaluation

I have learned how to insert and manipulate objects and how to frame the movements captured to develop animation. Additionally, I have learned how to export and save animation works as a specified file extension in the drive. 

The experimentation went well because of my previous experience with Adobe Animation. I was able to recall the basics of animation such as inserting objects, keyframes, and layers. However, I was unable to recall how to resize objects; I was reminded by my partner.

Facial Expression Transition

Description

This is an animation of a facial expression transitioning from neutralism to disgust and then reversing. Initially, I was aiming for an expression of perplexity which then resulted in an expression more characteristic of dissatisfaction.  

Development

During development, we employed the basics of animation that were taught to us earlier such as object and keyframe insertion, and juxtaposing frames in order of the movement depicted in each frame. 

The face was drawn free-hand with a handheld tool that interfaces with the tablet's screen. The facial features including the mouth, the right eye, and the eyebrows, were redrawn multiple times, frame-by-frame, to depict those facial features in motion. 

In the first few keyframes, the shut mouth was shortened, and the right eye and eyebrow had been curved. The left eyebrow was raised at an angle slightly. In the final few keyframes, the mouth was redrawn to be opened with the upper and lower set of teeth visible. Skin disturbances were also drawn in proportion to the boundaries of the mouth as a final addition.         

CINEMATOGRAPHY (#2)

Importance of Cinematography in Filming

Cinematography is important in the filming industry because it addresses the effectiveness of capturing cinematic scenes from the positions where the camera shots are taken. 

Examples of Cinematographic Shots

We have learned various camera angles which all help to capture the narrative behind every scene. Some are the following:

High Angle - This is a shot taken at an elevated position higher than the subject's stature. This shot humbles the focused character to convey the character's vulnerability.

Low Angle - A shot taken at a descended position lower than the subject's stature to convey the character's dominance.

Dutch Angle - A shot captured at an angle, usually taken to suggest the character's confusion or psychological illness.   

Bird's Eye View - This is a shot taken airborne directly over the subject to suggest the character's helplessness or a loss in the character's sense of navigation. This shot is similar to the high-angle shot because it also conveys the character's vulnerability. 

American Shot - A unique shot that is taken from a proximity facing towards a subject, capturing the whole subject, from feet to head on-screen. This shot was termed an "American shot" because of its regular use in Western movies. 

  

UNDERSTANDING AND CREATING AUDIO (#3)

I have learned the mechanisms behind how audio-recording devices operate and their models. One example is the pick-up pattern system featured in microphones which determines the decibel value of the sound waves that are captured. When waves at high decibels are captured, the speaker's voice is amplified. When low-decibel waves are captured, the speaker's voice is muffled. 

Some of the microphone models that we used today were the H2 Handy ZOOM recorder and the RODE-NTG2 (shotgun mic). 

We also learned different forms of audio, some of which are the following:

Foley - Improvised sound effects recorded off-scene which are then synchronized cinematically. 

Music - Instrumental sound effects that play in the background during their intended scenes.

ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) - Substituted dialogue that is recorded and edited to enunciate the vocals of the characters. 

Audio Recording

                     Foley- Keyboard clatter

STOP-MOTION ANIMATION (#4)

Definition

Stop-motion animation is a class of animation that involves photographically capturing every adjustment to the focused subjects or setting and then ordering the photographs chronologically. The photographs, which are then classed as frames, are played in order at a frequency to depict movement.  

Lesson Review

I was assigned to a group of three and we collaborated to develop a stop-motion animation. We mounted a camera atop a tripod which we used to capture the frames. The subjects were two candy wraps and three Lego bricks. The animation we proposed was a depiction of three Lego bricks revolving around a candy wrap that gradually begins to unwrap itself.

Stop-motion Animation Video 

      

IDENTS RESEARCH (#5)

Definition

An ident is defined as an implication of the genre of the program that is due to be broadcast. For example, an indent implying a reality show will usually project a general setting. 

Purposing 

Idents have been purposed to inform viewers of the genre of the preceding content. Indents also act as a viewer warning that watershed programs (programs generally intended for mature viewers) will begin broadcasting.

Analogy: Advertisements and Idents

Advertisements are broadcast for commercial promotion while idents are broadcast to inform viewers of the upcoming program.  

Persuasive Devices       

A persuasive device is a form of categorizing or distinguishing indents by their nature or impression.   

There are many kinds of persuasive devices, some of which are the following:

Emotional Appeal/Transference - This device aims to touch the viewer's emotional state positively or negatively depending on the genre of the program.     

Humor - A persuasive device characterized by amusement in context. This device aims to attract viewers through positive emotions to incline viewers to continue watching.  

Individuality - A persuasive device expressing uniqueness and incomparability to other indents through its overall style or tagline. Because of the unique style of the ident, it may compel viewers to stand by.   

One of the devices that I find interesting is the "Emotional Appeal" or "Transference" device because of its concept of arousing certain emotions in viewers.

IDENT ANALYSIS (#6)

This is an ident for a British television network called BBC2. It captures a metal, 2-shaped cast being dropped on a two-layered powder.

The cinematography features a middle shot as evidenced by the camera's modest proximity to the surface, and a birds-eye shot as told by the camera capturing the drop from an aerial position.

When the cast impacts the surface, the power is sprayed outward and exposes the dyed power underneath. This gives off an interesting and mesmerizing effect and could help attract the audience.

I believe the cast was produced by pouring liquid metal into a 2-shaped mold and was left to harden. The dyed powder was applied first and the white powder was applied second. The colorless powder was applied superficially to allow the colorless powder to spray outwardly and expose the dyed powder underneath when the cast impacts the surface.

 STORYBOARDING PRACTICE (#7)

Reflective Review

While learning, I have discovered my understanding of how to clarify the details behind the cinematography of every scene such as the direction of the camera pan and lighting course.  

I have also learned the definition of a storyboard and its purpose in visualizing ideas for storytelling. 

A storyboard is a brief that deconstructs a point in the plotline in chronological stages and provides brief details into the context and cinematography of each stage.  

The information that should be composed is a brief description of the scene and the cinematographic details such as the audio and lighting properties. 

Below is the storyboard template that I used for deconstructing a movie clip by the camera panning direction and position, and setting of the scene.  

I divided the stages by the setting of the scene and camera shot. The first two stages both depict two samurais walking intensively through a burial ground. Though the setting was the same, they were individualized by the repositioning of the camera and the samurais. The camera shot taken in the first stage was a long shot that captured the samurais aerially from a distance; whereas the camera shot taken in the second stage was an eye-level shot that was at level with their eyes. The bearded samurai was initially walking behind the samurai wearing a Tokin. In the next stage, the samurais are seen walking side-by-side. The second stage also filtered in artificial lighting directed to the bearded samurai for exposure.  

For the third stage, it was set aside from the rest by the change in setting. The first two stages film the samurais walking through a commemorative burial ground whereas the third stage film the samurais walking through a bamboo forest.