Special Effects Animation - Digital Computer Animation

Movies would not be movies today without special effects animation. Special effects animators and multimedia artists are the ones that make the magic of the movies. They are responsible for the special effects that make movies so different from stage dramas.

Special effects animators must create whatever the director and the script call for. They can make a superhero man fly, sink ships into the sea or a make a monster bigger than a skyscraper. Now, digital computer animation is taking on a huge role in motion pictures and other media.
Getting Started in Special Effects Animation
In earlier times, people broke into the film industry by working as errand-runners or stagehands and working their way up into the job they wanted.

But today, because of the specialized computer skills necessary in special effects animation, you cannot just work your way up into the job you want. You must have training in special effects animation.

A university degree in animation is probably the best way to get into the field. Many universities offer degrees in animation, or they offer animation as a subcategory of illustration, design or even film technology.

However, if you have training in animation and would like to move into special effects animation, the best way to do that is to brush up on your computer skills and apprentice for someone working in the position you are interested in. There are courses available which can help you accelerate your career in special effects animation.

Your Future in Special Effects Animation

Special effects animation is a competitive area, and you must be at the top of your field to get the best jobs. If you have adequate education and skills, however, you will be at a great advantage as you search for a job in special effects animation.

Source: http://www.educationcenteronline.org/

Why Is Animation In Movies So Important?

The movie producers have wowed us with their creativity and imagination for years. The viewing public has craved the new and demanded that the movies they watch take them to new levels of thrills and the unimaginable. This is the exact reason why animation in movies is so important.

In the early days animation was sketchy at best. The most we could have hoped for was less than realistic images of giant lizards and insects that terrorized the country side. That all changed when computers came into being. The computer age helped to blur the line between fantasy and reality to give us the movies that we love so much. Using the newest technology allowed film makers to bring to the screen that which was deemed impossible in the early days of movies.

The forerunner of the animation movement was George Lucas. When he envisioned Star Wars he planned to make a movie like no one had before. This would require him to break new ground when it came to animation and special effects and he was able to come through in fine style. The animation of his characters in the first film gave people their first glimpse of the future and was an overnight sensation.

George Lucas laid the ground work for new movies with his advancements in movie animation technology that allowed other movies to move into the future. This was seen in many of the science fiction films of the early and middle eighties as they used the Star Wars model to bring new concepts to the screen. This also spawned many companies based on the new technology that are still sought out to make dreams and imagination come true.

The movie animation business is now a billion dollar a year industry that employs some of the best animators and computer specialists in the entire world. This is how the world was brought the hit movie Who Framed Roger Rabbit? This film was the first of its kind where animated characters or cartoon characters interacted with the human characters in the entire story line. This was a new concept that was a smash hit in its time. The world had never seen anything like it and the trickery of the camera made everyone believe that they could touch and see a cartoon character like they did in the movie.

Today the animation in movies is far more advanced. Where film makers were once limited to making only two dimensional animated characters the norm now is three dimensional, fully interactive animated characters that dominate the screen. The first real advancement in this technology was the movie Toy Story. This film was created on a computer and featured no human presence in the film itself besides the voice over. The world was treated to the future of animation and movies with this film and it became an over night success.

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Source: http://www.isnare.com/

7 STEPS IN ANIMATING A SCENE

Tips On Getting Started: there are a number of ways to start the process of learning animation. One is to buy books and teach yourself. The Bible of the industry is the ³Illusion of Life² by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston. The information and drawings in this book make it worth the fifty dollars or more that you will pay for it. My advice is to buy this book and start your library of Animation Books to refer to and use as you start your journey of understanding ³The Fascinating World Of Animation.²

The following 7 steps became the gospel according to the nine old men of animation that worked with Walt Disney in founding the industry that you see today. Don¹t just read itŠmemorize it, learn it and use it every time you draw. There is no short cut for skills and knowledge. It all starts will heart and desireŠdo you have it? Next, it takes time and dedication, can you give it?

Seven Steps in Animating A Scene Taken from the ³Illusion Of Life² by Frank Thomas & Ollie Johnson (pp.236-241) *Look these up and read the original version for a complete understanding.

1. Think About The Scene: Plan out how the scene should be animated. Don¹t start animation until you have the action planned out in your mind. Also, keep in mind the character¹s personality and how the scent fits the overall picture. Time spent here will save you time later.
2. Thumbnails: These are small sketches that work out the staging of the characters in the scene and the key poses in the scene. Each pose should tell something about the character. Also, be aware of how your scenes fit into the visual continuity of the sequence. Your thumbnails will guide you and give inspiration for changes. Work out your ideas before you start to save you a lot of time later. These small drawings can be changed easier than the enlarged drawings and solve problems before you get to the storyboard.
3. Mechanics Of Presentation: Make sure your character fits the perspective and scale of the layout. Solve your basic problems of camera angles and camera placement to avoid redoing your work and this will also giving greater interest to the overall film. Recheck the size relationship of all characters before you commit to the animation.
4. Solve Special Drawing Problems: If there are unusual angles or staging angles that are complex, work them out in the thumbnail stage or when you enlarge to full size but have them solved before you start animating. Remember that it takes 12-24 drawing to create one second of animation. Don¹t waste your time on animation if you have problems with the thumbnails or enlargements.
5. Double Check Your Ideas: Make sure you haven¹t forgotten something in the planning of your ideas for the scene. Double check your layout, staging, perspective and key poses. Also, check your animation to make sure it is drawn within the field limits. Use your base sheet to guide your drawings. Trucks and pans can be adjusted to fit the animation, but you need to be sure they are correct before shooting the pencil test.
6. Enlarge Thumbnails To Full Size: Redraw or enlarge your thumbnails with the lucyagraph to fit the layout for the scene and adjust them to work as your key rough poses for animating your scene.
7. Animation And Timing: Now that the animator has his key poses and staging planned, he can concentrate on animating the additional extremes that will control the acting, expressions, dialogue and timing. Timing charts are put on the extremes or key frames so the assistant can put in the additional drawings that are needed to have the character moving at the correct speed and timing the animator has in mind for the scene. The numbers correspond to the key frames and the hash marks are visual guides as to the spacing of the drawing in relationship to the extremes or keys.

Hopefully these tips will help you understand more about the process of animation and spark your interest in the field of "The Fine Art of Animation"

Source : http://www.animationtoolworks.com/

Animators with diplomas to contribute to tourism sector

Education Ministry has opened animation departments in vocational high schools due to rising demand for the art in the tourism sector

Rising demand for animation and animators in the tourism sector has resulted in the opening of animation departments in schools, attracting a great deal of interest from students.

Nowadays hotels are trying to attract more and more tourists via various creative methods. Among them animation activities are an almost indispensable part of hotel facilities especially in the all inclusive system as well as an effective way to keep the tourists in the hotel premises and more involved in the hotel services.

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