Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
The first major technical developments in the animation process can be traced to the efforts of John
Bray, one of the first to recognize that patenting aspects of the animation process would result in a
competitive advantage [ 26 ] . Starting in 1910, his work laid the foundation for conventional animation
as it exists today. Earl Hurd, who joined forces with Bray in 1914, patented the use of translucent cels
5
in the compositing of multiple layers of drawings into a final image and also patented gray scale draw-
ings as opposed to black and white. Later developments by Bray and others enhanced the overlay idea
to include a peg system for registration and the drawing of the background on long sheets of paper so
that panning (translating the background relative to the camera, perpendicular to the view direction)
could be performed more easily. Out of Bray's studio came Max Fleischer (Betty Boop), Paul Terry
(Terrytoons), George Stallings (Tom and Jerry), and Walter Lantz (Woody Woodpecker). In 1915,
Fleischer patented rotoscoping (drawing images on cells by tracing over previously recorded live
action). Several years later, in 1920, Bray experimented with color in the short The Debut of
Thomas Cat .
While the technology was advancing, animation as an art form was still struggling. The first
animated character with an identifiable personality was Felix the Cat, drawn by Otto Messmer of
Pat Sullivan's studio [ 26 ] . Felix was the most popular and most financially successful cartoon of
the mid-1920s. In the late 1920s, however, new forces had to be reckoned with: sound andWalt Disney.
1.2.3 Disney
Walt Disney was, of course, the overpowering force in the history of conventional animation. Not only
did his studio contribute several technical innovations, but Disney, more than anyone else, advanced
animation as an art form [ 45 ] . Disney's innovations in animation technology included the use of a sto-
ryboard to review the story and pencil sketches to review motion. In addition, he pioneered the use of
sound and color in animation (although he was not the first to use color). Disney also studied live-action
sequences to create more realistic motion in his films. When he used sound for the first time in Steam-
boat Willie (1928), he gained an advantage over his competitors.
One of the most significant technical innovations of the Disney studio was the development of the
multiplane camera [ 26 ] [ 44 ]. The multiplane camera consists of a camera mounted above multiple
planes, each of which holds an animation cell. Each of the planes can move in six directions (right,
left, up, down, in, out), and the camera can move closer and farther away (see Figure 1.3 ) .
Multiplane camera animation is more powerful than one might think. By moving the camera closer
to the planes while the planes are used to move foreground images out to the sides, a more effective
zoom can be performed. Moving multiple planes at different rates can produce the parallax effect ,
which is the visual effect of closer objects apparently moving faster across the field of view than objects
farther away, as an observer's view pans across an environment. This is very effective in creating the
illusion of depth and an enhanced sensation of three dimensions. Keeping the camera lens open during
movement can produce several additional effects: figures can be extruded into shapes of higher dimen-
sion, depth cues can be incorporated into an image by blurring the figures on more distant cels, and a
blurred image of a moving object can be produced.
5 Cel is short for celluloid , which was the original material used in making the translucent layers. Currently, cels are made
from acetate.
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search