Pixilation - Frame-by-Frame Stop Motion: The Guide to Non-Traditional Animation Techniques - page 32

Pixilation is one of the most popular techniques for anyone who wants
to jump right into animation with little or no experience. Having a camera
is about all that is necessary to begin this process. Naturally, there are more
possibilities if you have a well thought-out idea, a computer, capture software,
and a tripod, but capturing images on a compact disc in the camera and
the ability to sequence those pictures into a movie is all it really takes to shoot
a pixilated film. Even an experienced stop-motion animator can pare down
his or her equipment to a single camera and create an interesting film. Having
some knowledge of how to take advantage of this technique makes a huge
difference in the final outcome. The early trick film artists, like Melies, knew
how to utilize the unique qualities of single-frame manipulation. We explore
some of these “tricks” and advantages of pixilation in this chapter, and it is not
just the equipment that we explore but the ideas and execution of your next
pixilated film.
What exactly is pixilation ? Remember that Grant Monroe, who worked with
Norman McLaren on Neighbours , coined this term. Monroe and McLaren
used the human body as the animated subject. Unlike model animation,
pixilation, the animation of humans, requires no intensive model building,
armature building, or even character designing. Everyday objects like kitchen
appliances, cars, books, or any premade physical form can be moved or
animated frame by frame, and this would also be considered pixilation, which
is a subdivision of stop motion. Animating humans appears to be the most
frequently used subject of pixilated films. As you can imagine, the variations
are limitless.
If you start to add the elements of design or makeup to people in a pixilated
film, then the results can be even more dramatic. This is what McLaren did in
Neighbours and what was emulated in Jan Kounen's 1989 film Gisele Kerozene .
Fig 3.1 grant Monroe in
Neighbours. © 1952 National
Film Board of Canada. all rights
reserved.
The addition of makeup or costuming enhances the dramatic effect of the
film but so can the strong expressions of the pixilated human figures. This is
not a delicate and subtle animation technique, because human subjects are
always moving. It is virtually impossible for humans to stand absolutely still
like a model or an object, so the result is an impulsive energy and vibration.