Non-Traditional Animation Techniques

Cinematography, Lighting, and Composition (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques) Part 2

Camera Controls When I first started using digital still cameras, about 10 years ago, I knew very little about the way they worked. I certainly understood film camera technology and soon discovered that digital still camera technology was based on film technology. Even though no film was involved, the principles are the same. There is […]

Objects, People, and Places (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

People, Objects, and Rigging Often with pixilation, whether you shoot the subject on a downshooter or horizontally, people and objects are treated in the same way. This can be difficult on the person, especially when everything is treated like an object. It is almost inhumane to animate a human in pixilation for long periods of […]

The Multiplane Downshooter (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques) Part 1

A Stand of Your Own Several elements define the multiplane downshooter. The most distinguishing factor is that this type of shooting requires an animation stand. Immediately, you might think that this can be a very expensive proposition. You would be right if you decided to use a more traditional animation stand like an Oxberry stand. […]

The Multiplane Downshooter (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques) Part 2

Clay, Sand, and Three-Dimensional Objects Downshooting refers only to the shooting setup. The objects or materials that can be animated are quite varied. This is limited only by the imagination of the animator or designer. Several mediums have been used successfully, and we touch on only a few. My own experience with downshooting primarily focuses […]

A Sense of Drama (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

Live Action and Single Framing We already mentioned how important it is to exaggerate images and actions with some of the alternative stop-motion techniques. Time-lapse photography usually does not include acting or contrived scenarios, but it still requires a sense of drama if you want to capture an audience’s attention. Choosing the right subject matter […]

Rhythm and Flow (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

"We really like to base our animation on music. Usually what we do is, first Merav edits the drawn animatic over the sound track, creating a general tempo for the whole piece. Then, while doing the 3D animatic, we fit the more subtle movements and gestures to the bits." Let the Music Lead When I […]

Collage (The Digital Advantage) (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques) Part 1

Planning a Collage Even in the early days of filmmaking, the idea of combining images was compelling and artists like George Melies were fast to practice this approach. Mattes were often used to block out certain areas of the exposed film frame and then the camera re-exposed the film (after it was rewound to the […]

Collage (The Digital Advantage) (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques) Part 2

Clean, Clean, Clean To composite images together requires several steps beyond match lighting and eyeline considerations. You may choose to use visible rigs that need to be cleaned out or removed for final viewing. You may have some unwanted dirt or shadows that somehow crept into your shot. The solution absolutely essential for this kind […]

Massaging Frames in the Edit (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

Working the Frames We have finally come to one of the last stages in the filmmaking process: editing. We discovered that, in animation, much of this editing is done early on in the preproduction process. The animatic, which is the moving timeline of the storyboard, should be the guide for the final edit in any […]

Exposure to the Market (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

"The resources I use to implement my plan are determined by the subject. Never vice versa. I would advise young filmmakers that they not copy or follow anyone but go their own way …" Jan Svankmajer Now What? Once your project is complete, you will mostly likely want to share it with others and let […]