Image Processing Reference
In-Depth Information
form. We mentioned Lotte Reiniger, whose 1926 The Adventures of Prince
Achmed was the first cutout feature animated film ever made. Countless other
cutout animated films were made in many countries around the world. This
technique was utilized because it was direct and inexpensive in approach. This
includes the 1983 film Twice upon a Time by American directors John Korty
and Charles Swenson.
Most cutouts are animated on a traditional animation stand or a custom
downshooting stand, but we will discuss some other approaches as well.
The majority of cutout films tend to be on the figurative side, with a
certain narrative involved. This is because images can be drawn or cut out
of magazines and pieced together in a collage technique. Reiniger used
cutouts with a backlit approach, creating very detailed silhouettes. But more
contemporary artists, like Terry Gilliam from Monty Python's Flying Circu s and
Evan Spiridellis, one of the founders of the successful Internet entertainment
company JibJab, use top-lighted original artwork and photographic images.
Figurative images are cut apart appendage by appendage (legs, arms, heads,
etc.) and reassembled under the camera with the ability to be manipulated
frame by frame. Finally, Yuri Norstein's Hedgehog in the Fog is an example of an
elaborate and beautifully executed use of this technique.
Fig 7.9 Cutout body parts from
“2009 Year in review” from JibJab.
Courtesy of JibJab Media Inc. © 2009.
Animating these small pieces of card, plastic, or paper can be delicate work
under the camera. There are so many free-floating parts that can be bumped
or accidentally moved. Various techniques are practiced to gain a little control
in this form of animation. The two issues are stabilization of the cutouts on
the shooting (glass) surface and the movement of appendages like arms
and legs and their consistent relationship to each other. The issue of cutout
stability on the glass shooting surface can be addressed by the weight of the
paper, plastic, or card being used. The heavier the drawn or clipped image,
the more it stays put on the glass. Tacking down the heavier paper with tape
or wax can make a huge difference. Lotte Reiniger used thin lead sheets with
her silhouette cutouts. I am not suggesting this approach, but thinner paper
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