The Impact of Computers on Animation
The animation process has become significantly ‘easier’ since the advent of animation software which has been designed specifically for home or studio use. In days gone by the process of cel animation was notoriously laborious, requiring hundreds of man hours hand drawing individual frames and animating them using expensive films and lighting equipment. This style of animation will forever be synonymous with classic Walt Disney films of the 1930s onwards. As this style of animation progressed, it gave rise to more sophisticated forms of both 2D and eventually 3D animation, resulting in the spectacular films we see today such as the Pixar films and indeed any big budget Hollywood action film. The improvements in film making both behind and in front of the camera over the past couple of decades are testament to the impact computers have had on the animation industry.
When the first moving image camera was patented in the late 1800s no-one could have foreseen the creativity which would have been unleashed thanks to this technological breakthrough. The simple process of a camera tricking the eye into thinking that it is seeing a moving image via a series of static images would eventually lead to the first animated cartoon: a short film called ‘Steamboat Willie’ starring a then unknown mouse called ‘Mickey’. The cartoon was of course created by the fledgling Walt Disney company back in 1928.
80 years later, this process has evolved to the point where still images are captured using a DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera and shots are composed and animated using sophisticated stop motion software. These improvements in technology and software have lead to the point where sophisticated animation is available to the bedroom animator and not just the big studios. The effects and techniques which previously relied on large studio equipment are now achievable using small, compact and affordable equipment.
When the first moving image camera was patented in the late 1800s no-one could have foreseen the creativity which would have been unleashed thanks to this technological breakthrough. The simple process of a camera tricking the eye into thinking that it is seeing a moving image via a series of static images would eventually lead to the first animated cartoon: a short film called ‘Steamboat Willie’ starring a then unknown mouse called ‘Mickey’. The cartoon was of course created by the fledgling Walt Disney Company back in 1928.
80 years later, this process has evolved to the point where still images are captured using a DSLR (digital single lens reflex camera and shots are composed and animated using sophisticated stop motion software. These improvements in technology and software have lead to the point where sophisticated animation is available to the bedroom animator and not just the big studios. The effects and techniques which previously relied on large studio equipment are now achievable using small, compact and affordable equipment.
You only have to compare the films of days gone by to the films of today to see how far we have come. Some of Disney’s best known cel animated films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves” and “Fantasia” showcase the labour of love and passion that went into developing these early cartoons. We are now at the point where entire films are generated with computers, the first full length film being the 1995 release of “Toy Story” by Pixar.
The technology developed by Pixar is hugely sophisticated to the point where individuals and small animation companies couldn’t afford to replicate it. However, from what we have seen it is surely only a matter of time before technology improves enough so that this style of animation is achievable by everyone.
Michael Richards writes about motion graphics on behalf of Fluid Creativity, a UK animation company | #FL0001ACJMC
