The History and Development of Animation

The History and Development of Animation Part 1

Persistence of Vision
     Persistence of vision and the way we see images makes up a big part of animation, how it works and what makes it possible for us to see. Without our brains functioning in this way animation would not be how we know it today and it would have had to evolve in a very different way making the way it came to be very unique, but what exactly is persistence of vision? The term Persistence of vision refers to the phenomenon where the retina retains an image for a short period of time after the image was actually seen and this is why when we view in a closely timed sequence from one another it creates the illusion of movement and motion. That is the basics of how animation is possible and upon knowing this we can look into the pioneers of animation, their techniques and those credited for it.


Source: http://animation.about.com/od/glossaryofterms/g/pervision_def.htm

Thaumatrope
     The thaumatrope, whose name means turning marvel, is "credited to the astronomer credited Sir John Herschel. However, it was a well-known London physicist, Dr. John A. Paris, who made this toy popular." The thaumatrope was the first of many optical toys, however unlike later optical illusions the thaumatrope could only really merge to images together to create one, later optical illusions would then improve on that and actually create the illusion of movement. A thaumatrope is a simple device in the shape of a disc with an image on each side with string at each side of the disc. The images would preferable compliment one another such as a bird and a cage or as in the image above Jack Skellington and a pumpkin, then whilst holding the string if you spin the discs it gives the illusion of the two images no longer being separate and looking like they have instead merged together to form one whole image. This is the only illusion it can really create however the phenakistoscope would greatly improve upon this and would become one of the first device to create an optical illusion of movement.

Source: http://courses.ncssm.edu/gallery/collections/toys/html/exhibit06.htm

Phenakistoscope
     The phenakistoscope was invented by Belgian physicist Joseph Plateau in 1832, however "It was also invented independently in the same year by Simon von Stampfer of Vienna, Austria, who called his invention a stroboscope" but Joseph Plateau is the one credited for this invention. The phenakistoscope works with two discs, the first one has slits along the edge whilst the second has images drawn in each respective frame with slight movements in each image. The device would then be spun in front of a mirror whilst looking through the slits in the first disc and it would then give the illusion of movement as you can see in the image above. The phenakistoscope eventually hit the market where it went by many different name such as the Phantasmascope, Fantoscope and phenakistiscope in Britain and many other countries. The device was very popular until the invention of the Zoetrope which also allowed multiple people to view it at the same time.

Source: http://courses.ncssm.edu/gallery/collections/toys/html/exhibit07.htm

Zoetrope
     The zoetrope was invented by William Horner who receives full credit to the zoetrope however it was originally called a Daedalum meaning wheel of the Devil and strangely the device became forgotten for nearly thirty years until it became patented in England by M. Bradley and in America by William F. Lincoln.  Lincoln renamed the Daedalum, giving it the name of "zoetrope," or "wheel of life." The Zoetrope consists of a drum with an open top mounted onto a central axis. It has slots cut into the side of the drum at an equal distance from each other and there are images on the other side which give the illusion of movement when the device is spun and the faster the spin the more fluent the movement as you can see in the image above. The zoetrope allowed more than one person to view it at a time however the praxinoscope offered a brighter and clearer image than the Zoetrope.

Source: http://courses.ncssm.edu/gallery/collections/toys/html/exhibit10.htm

                           
Praxinoscope
     The praxinoscope was invented by Charles Reynaud and was the first device to overcome the picture distortion caused by viewing through moving slots.  The image produced is more brilliant than with any previous devices. Because of this advance, it quickly replaced the zoetrope. The praxinoscope works by having a string of images in a shallow outer cylinder whilst having mirrors in the center to reflect the image and once spun it gives the illusion of movement and is viewed in the mirrors. Using this principle, Reynaud found a way to project the series of pictures onto a screen.  He called this the "Theatre Optique." It featured a standard praxinoscope only with a longer string of images so he was able to create a longer animation and show it to an audience

Source: http://courses.ncssm.edu/gallery/collections/toys/html/exhibit11.htm

                           

Kinetoscope
     The kinetoscope was created William Kennedy Laurie Dickson however he was under the employment of Thomas Edison so full credit was given to him. Kinetoscope is made from the greek words Kineto which means "movement" and scopos which means "to watch", The machines operates on a film threaded roller where a series of images is continually rolled over a tiny projector to give the illusion of a kind of short film look a like once viewed. The video above gives a brief demonstration of how the Kinetoscope works and what it looks like when viewed. The kinetoscope took a big leap into the world of animation and helped shape what it is today. All of these basic animation types along with there creators and those credited for it laid the building blocks for the world of animation that we know and love today. Without these revolutionary techniques animation would not be where it is today and it is thanks to these almost ancient inventions that we can enjoy full 3D animation movies such as Toy Story and Finding Nemo. Animation really has come a long way from two separate images on a spinning disc to where it is today and hopefully it will continue to grow and shape the modern world even further with more amazing inventions.

Source: http://inventors.about.com/od/kstartinventions/a/Kinetoscope.htm

     As animation evolved from moving images in a Zoetrope or looking at them in a mirror the slowly turned into cartoons and 3D models and images but this couldn't have been possible without the help of certain individuals in the film industry.

The History and Development of Animation Part 2

George Pal


George Pal was one of the Pioneers in stop motion animation and has inspired many other top motion artist. His most famous work was that of the puppetoons or the Jasper series. He was born in Austria-Hungary and eventually moved to Berlin but did emigrate to America shortly before the Nazis came to power. Whilst in Berlin George Pal worked for Paramount Pictures and developed severally of his famous animations, the puppetoons, using handcrafted figures which were changed each frame and when played created movement. After working on puppetoons and other cartoon animations George Pal eventually went to live action films where his most famous films where of the science fiction and fantasy genre, George Pal even worked on films such as The War Of The Worlds and it was when he made these films that George Pal really became a big success and these are the one most people will remember him for today but nevertheless his work on cartoon stop motion animations was still highly influential and would go on to inspire others in the years to come.

                                                 

The Brothers Quay

The brothers Quay are identical twins born in Pennsylvania and are said to be two of the worlds most original film makers. They are both directors, screenwriters, cinematographers and animators and they first began making animated shorts together during the 70's. Most of their work is rather unique and seems to be quite surreal and dark to most people as most of their work consists of puppets and dolls coming to life. Some of their most notable works include; a street of crocodiles which I have shown below, This dream that one calls human life and The piano turner of earthquakes. Just from the titles you get the sense that their work is rather dark and sinister but nevertheless they are still regarded today to have made some of the best stop motion animations seen.

                             
    

Adam Shaheen (Cuppa Coffee)


Adam Shaheen is a British animator, television producer and screenwriter, he is also the original founder of cuppa coffee studios which is Canada's oldest privately owned animation studio. Adam is a claymation animator as he use clay and Plasticine to make his characters however some of his work seems to be very similar to the style of thunder birds and his audience seems to be more teenager appropriate due to sexual references and violence. He has made many animation shorts including celebrity death match, starveillance, Jo Jo's circus, Bruno and many others. The style of animation used (claymation) is the same to what is used in Wallace and Gromit, he creates figures out of clay and moves them a little bit each frame, it can be very hard, tiring and tedious work but if done right the final product can look outstanding and he is one of the few animators that can do it right.


                                


Nick Park and Aardman

Nick Park is a British filmmaker of stop motion animation and is best know for creating Wallace and Gromit as well as the spin off TV series Shaun the Sheep. He has been nominated for an Academy Award a grand total of 6 times and has won 4 with Creature Comforts, The Wrong Trousers, A Close Shave and Wallace & Gromit: The Curse Of The Were-Rabbit.Nick Park uses claymation and one of the distinctive features about Aardman's style of claymation is that unlike other types of claymation such as Pingu which looks very crisp and clean, Aardman leaves their finger prints on the models to give it a very personal touch to each of the models and figures. Nick Park was into animation at a very early age and by the time he was 13 he had began filming in the attic of his house using his parents recording equipment. His first big break into the industry was in 1975 when the BBC aired his short Archie's Concrete Nightmare and ever since then he has just took of and become a phenomenal inspiration in the world of stop motion animation.

             


Otmar Gutmann

Otmar Gutmann was a German television producer, animator and director. Otmar founded the Pygos group in 1986. He is most memorably known for his creation Pingu. The series Pingu features families of penguins that are able to morph and live in the north pole whilst working on igloos. One of the many reasons why Pingu was so successful is because it contains no real spoken language, most of the words said are of invented penguin language with only the occasionally word of Swedish or English being said and each character would be identified by individual catchphrases making it universal and allows people of all linguistic backgrounds to follow and enjoy the story.


                                 

Phil Tippett

Phil Tippett is a Director and producer and he had a love of stop motion animation from a very early age. When he was seven he was inspired by Ray Harryhausen's special effects classic, The seventh voyage of Sinbad and ever since then has had a love for stop motion animation. A major turning point in Phil's career was when George Lucas hired him and Jon Berg to create a stop motion miniature chess scene for Star Wars: A New Hope. This opened up many doors for Phil and by 1978 he was bringing to life his sinister Imperial walkers for Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. He has also worked on many other projects such as; Jurassic Park, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, The Spiderwick Chronicles and a lot more. He has won many awards for his work including an Oscar in 1994 for the best visual effects for Jurassic Park, a Special Achievement award in 1984 for Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi and many others, all achievements of his hard work and determination.

            

Tim Burton & Henry Selick

As a child Tim Burton would often make short films in his backyard using crude stop motion animation techniques filmed without sound and it's from then on that Tim Burton began to develop his style into what it is today, he is best known for The Nightmare Before Christmas, James and The Giant peach and Corpse Bride. Henry Selick is an American stop motion director, writer and producer and is best known for directing The Nightmare Before Christmas, Jame and The Giant Peach and Coraline. Tim Burton is well known for his dark gothic style however the cartoony look probably comes from working for Disney in his early days. Several of Tim Burton's films are based on drawings he made as a kid and despite having a typical suburban upbringing in California Tim Burton would spent a lot of his time as a child crafting very twisted and imaginative drawings, some of these drawings later served as inspiration for some of his most memorable characters such as Edward Scissorhands and Jack Skellington.


          

  Willis O'Brien

Willis O'Brien was born in Oakland California and has made some of the best stop motion animation films to date. In 1915 he made his first movie The Missing Link: A Prehistoric Tragedy with a budget of just $5000, he eventually went on to secure an animation role in Harold H. Hoyts The lost world. In 1933 he made the highlight of his career with the RKO hit King Kong which mixed live action footage with stop motion creatures, nothing like this had ever been done before so it immediately became an unforgettable cinema classic. Since then King Kong has been remade twice and been a box office smash on both occasions. On set he would have a selection of animatronic puppets which he would glue animation of in time with footage of actors and actresses in real time, most of the armatures where extremely complex and would have various switches and controls to operate them. One in particular used in King Kong had so many switches that it was covered up by a water line during one of the scenes so that the controls could not be seen. His influence on the stop motion world is massive and it's said that The lost world, a film he worked on, inspired the great Ray Harryhausen to also become a stop motion animator.


                                   

Ray Harryhausen 

Ever since he was a small child Ray Harryhausen had a passion, which never abated, for dinosaurs and anything fantasy related. Growing up his favorite things to do were go to the museums, marionette shows, the ocean, local parks and paying a trip to the movie theaters. It was whilst at grammar school that he learned how to make a model miniature set, this then took him to the next phase in which he began to make three dimensional figures and sets, growing up his parents always encouraged him to pursue what he wanted to, even if his chosen career wasn't what people would consider normal for the time. As a young child he began to recreate images from King Kong and tried to search for how Kong seemed to be alive before stumbling on information about something called stop motion animation. It was then when he found out more about it realized that this was something that he himself wanted to try. During the work of one of his early projects 'Evolution of The World' he meet Willis O'Brien, the man who was responsible for animating King Kong. It was then that he handed some of his work to Willis O'Brien who told him that he needed to study anatomy and learn where muscle connects to bone, this was a big turning point for Ray and his designs as this allowed him to make his designs look more real and natural through the study of anatomy.

After he left high school he applied for a job where he began working with George Pal on his puppetoons series as his first break into the industry. Ray then went on to make The Mother Goose series which is his most notable early work and featured a short series of nursery rhymes such as The Queen Of Hearts, Little Miss Muffet and Humpty Dumpty. After a few years Ray made many films during his career, some of his most famous being, Jason and the Argonauts, The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, It Came From Beneath The Sea, Mysterious Island, Clash Of The Titans and many many more. He had this idea called dynamtion which would allow the live action to be split so it would enable a model to be inserted directly into the action and appear to interact with the actors. To this day Ray Harryhausen's work continues to inspire others and he is still widely regarded as one of the greatest stop motion animators to have ever lived.

             
   

The History and Development of Animation Part 3

Stop motion animation has been used in a variety of different media types for different reasons. It can vary what it's included in from something as simple as movies or television programmes to something such as music videos or adverts, but what examples are out there?

TV programmes
     There are many TV shows out there that use stop motion animation and some where discussed in the previous blog post such as Pingu, Jo Jo's Circus and creature comforts but what other ones are there? There are many such as Postman Pat, Noddy and many others specifically aimed towards children but one of my personal favorites is aimed towards a slightly older audience and that is Robot Chicken.

                         

Films
     The list of films that are made out of stop motion animation is almost endless and we even watched one in class, Jason and The Argonauts, which is a bit out dated by modern standards but there are still loads of others, one of my personal favorites is a movie which evolved through the TV show, The South Park Movie.

                          

Advertisements
     Again there are many advertisements out there that use stop motion animation so there is a wide range to choose from, one of the most well known ones on modern TV at the moment would be the change for life advert.

            

Music Videos
     Again there is a wide range of music videos that use stop motion animation, from looking at some in class
I noticed that the ones we were shown weren't exactly modern, so a more modern and well known one that came out recently that uses stop motion animation is Somebody That I Used To Know by GOTYE.

            

Channel Idents 
     Another form that can use stop motion animation is channel idents. One of the popular ones that use this would be the channel E4.

            

Who Is Stop Motion Animation Made For?
     This is a rather broad question in itself as it really depends on what is being made and what genre it is but as for general Stop Motion Animation my honest opinion would be that it's made for kids. Although stop motion animation can be for anybody most of the stuff made is very family friendly and allows kids to enjoy it and laugh it it whilst not necessarily knowing what is exactly going on. As I say this is a broad question but when I think about it the only answer that comes to mind, honestly it it's made for children because if it's something that children already find interesting then surely it's going to be easier to make for them and I suppose families in general, most of them time stop motion animation will be very easy and light hearted to watching appealing to children and families alike.

What Does The Future Hold For Stop Motion Animation?
     When I think of the future of stop motion animation I can honestly say that I don't know what lies ahead for it, it's a very exciting and scary idea for stop motion animation. I think the most likely thing is for stop motion animation to become more and more computer based and eventually I think the old forms of stop motion animation will fade out and be classed as ancient techniques as they are rather tedious time consuming processes. This is what I believe to be the inevitable future for stop motion animation as people are getting lazier and won't want to spend all that time adjusting each arm, foot or head ever so slightly just to take a photo and do it all again. I really can't see it evolving in any other way which is disappointing as we have seen some marvelous works from traditional forms of stop motion animation but we will see what the future holds for it and if it does become 100% computerized we will see what wonders it can produce.