Non-Traditional Animation Techniques

The Traveling Head (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

Here is an exercise that can be a lot of fun but requires some careful frame-to-frame registration. You need a computer with a program like Dragon on it to work through this exercise. You also need either a digital video camera that feeds into the computer with Dragon or a dslr still camera. The best […]

Rotating Human Subjects (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

This exercise is best when you have the availability of many people, and it can be used as a workshop or class event. You need a single-frame camera, like a digital video camera or a dslr still camera with a 35 mm lens. A tripod is absolutely essential to mount your camera on. It is […]

2-D/3-D Handball (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

Mixing techniques can result in some very interesting visuals that can be as fun to plan as they are to produce. Many artists combine approaches successfully, and it gives their work a unique art direction. One artist viewed in previous chapters is the Italian graffiti artist Blu. This stop-motion artist paints graphic two-dimensional images on […]

Animated Light Loop: The Bursting Star (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

This frame-by-frame exercise and technique is very popular in Japan. The Japanese refer to it as pika pika. They also call it lightning doodle projects. Often, large numbers of people get together to create wonderful, fresh, and vibrant images of light painting in front of the camera frame by frame. So, I would like to […]

The Dropping Heads (Cutout) (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

This exercise requires a little photography, some X-Acto knife work, and a simple downshooter setup. It is not necessary to shoot these cutouts on a downshooter or a piece of glass, but that may add another element for the more advanced animator. You are going to photograph a person (yourself) and print out that photograph […]

3, 2, 1—Countdown (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

This next exercise takes inspiration from frame-by-frame artists like PES. We use objects to visually create an opening countdown for your films and other visual mediums. Traditionally, these countdowns were used to help sync up a sound track and picture but they have become part of the filmic language that we know. Each number on […]

Love at First Sight (Non-Traditional Animation Techniques)

This final exercise combines several elements explored in the topic. It has a camera move, human pixilation, downshooting elements, and some composite work. One more challenge that I incorporate in this exercise is the requirement to shoot outside. Not only do you shoot outside, but it will be important to shoot each frame at an […]

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