ANIMATION – AN ILLUSION OF MOVEMENTS

WHAT ARE ANIMATIONS ALL ABOUT?

Animations are all about simulations of movement created by displaying a series of pictures, or
frames. It is a technique of photographing successive drawings or positions of puppets or models to
create an illusion of movement when the movie is shown as a sequence.

Animation is the process of making the illusion of motion and change by means of the rapid display of a
sequence of static images that minimally differ from each other. The illusion—as in motion pictures in
general—is thought to rely on the phi phenomenon. Animators are artists who specialize in the creation
of animation.

Animation can be recorded with either analogue media, a flip book, motion picture film, video tape,
digital media, including formats with animated GIF, Flash animation and digital video. To display
animation, a digital camera, computer, or projector are used along with new technologies that are
produced.

THE ORIGIN OF ANIMATIONS

 An earthen goblet discovered at the site of the 5,200-year-old Shahr-e Sūkhté (Burnt City) in
southeastern Iran, depicts what could possibly be the world's oldest example of animation. The
artifact bears five sequential images depicting a Persian Desert Ibex jumping up to eat the leaves
of a tree.

 The phénakisticope (1832) was the first widespread animation device that created a fluent
illusion of motion. The phénakisticope is regarded as one of the first forms of moving media
entertainment that paved the way for the future motion picture and film industry. It can be
compared to a GIF animation as it has a short duration and plays as a loop until the viewer stops
it. The phenakistoscope consists of a disk with a series of images, drawn on radi evenly space
around the center of the disk.
*insert animation .gif optical*
 John Barnes Linnett patented the first flip book in 1868 as the kineograph. The common flip book
were early animation devices that produced an illusion of movement from a series of sequential
drawings, animation did not develop further until the advent of motion picture film and
cinematography in the 1890s. The pictures below are the Kineograph of Linnett (left) and an
example of kineograph (right).
*insert video flipbook*
  The cinématographe was a projector, printer, and camera in one machine that allowed moving
pictures to be shown successfully on a screen which was invented by history's earliest film makers,
Auguste and Louis Lumière, in 1894. The first animated projection (screening) was created in
France, by Charles-Émile Reynaud, who was a French science teacher. Reynaud created the
Praxinoscope in 1877 and the Théâtre Optique in December 1888. On 28 October 1892, he
projected the first animation in public, Pauvre Pierrot, at the Musée Grévin in Paris. Pauvre Pierrot
(aka Poor Pete) is an 1892 French short animated film directed by Charles-Émile Reynaud. It
consists of 500 individually painted images and lasts about 15 minutes originally.
*insert video here*
 The first film that was recorded on standard picture film and included animated sequences was
the 1900 Enchanted Drawing, which was followed by the first entirely animated film - the 1906
Humorous Phases of Funny Faces by J. Stuart Blackton, who, because of that, is considered the
father of American animation. Puppet animations, animated films and other kinds of animations
were born which were being used until now.
*insert video*

MAIN TYPES OF ANIMATIONS

 TRADITIONAL ANIMATIONS

Traditional animation (also called cel animation or hand-drawn animation) was the process used for most
animated films of the 20th century. The individual frames of a traditionally animated film are photographs
of drawings, first drawn on paper. To create the illusion of movement, each drawing differs slightly from
the one before it. The animators' drawings are traced or photocopied onto transparent acetate sheets
called cels, which are filled in with paints in assigned colors or tones on the side opposite the line drawings.
The completed character cels are photographed one-by-one against a painted background by a rostrum
camera onto motion picture film.

*insert video*

 STOP MOTION ANIMATIONS

Stop-motion animation is used to describe animation created by physically manipulating real-world

objects and photographing them one frame of film at a time to create the illusion of movement. Stop
motion is an animation technique that physically manipulates an object so that it appears to move on its
own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the
illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. There are many
different types of stop-motion animation, usually named after the medium used to create the animation.
Computer software is widely available to create this type of animation; however, traditional stop motion
animation is usually less expensive and time-consuming to produce than current computer animation.
Below is a clay animation, an example of stop motion animations.

*insert chicken clay*

 COMPUTER ANIMATION

Computer animation encompasses a variety of techniques, the unifying factor being that the animation is
created digitally on a computer. 2D animation techniques tend to focus on image manipulation while 3D
techniques usually build virtual worlds in which characters and objects move and interact. 3D animation
can create images that seem real to the viewer. 3D animation is different in that it can only be done with
the use of a computer. On the pictures below, 2D animation is on the left side while 3D animation is on
the right.

*insert 2d-3d*

WHY DO WE USE ANIMATIONS?

Though most people think of animation as being used primarily for entertainment in movies, TV shows,
and video games, it has many other uses. Other uses of animations are the following:

 It's commonly used in educational videos and advertisements both on TV and on the Internet.
 It can also be used in the process of research and development to create simulations of how a
machine or process would work. This can help designers troubleshoot problems without having
to actually create the physical object.
 Scientists use animation as well to create visualizations of abstract concepts or objects that are
too small or large to be seen easily, which is helpful both for research and for analysis.
 Use animations, film and media to tell the great story of salvation, to teach biblical truths, to
encourage and bless others and to make known the message of hope for eternal life.

HOW CAN ANIMATIONS HELP STUDENTS IN LEARNING?

With the spectacular popularity of the stop motion animation kits with students, animation is getting
easier and easier to do in the classroom and at home. But while the process is getting easier and cheaper,
some teachers are a little torn over the use of animation in the classroom – lots love it but sometimes
people feel it can be a time-consuming waste of precious classroom hours, with students spending a long
time perfecting something that they don’t believe has huge educational value. There are 5 benefits of
using animations in learning.

1. Communication Skills - The traditional pen and paper essay-writing format isn’t for every student.
Animation is a brilliant and innovative new way to encourage children to communicate stories,
ideas and concepts in a creative and original way. It can be particularly useful as a tool to
encourage the creativity of students who find spelling and grammar a challenge, because it
liberates them from the anxiety of always worrying about technicalities and enables them just to
concentrate on the story instead. Domo is a great animation tool to encourage students to get
started, as it provides a clear, colourful cartoon environment but also introduces ready-formed
characters’ children can relate too, with their own personalities and habits, which give a helpful
springboard to possible plot ideas. *insert domo pic*
2. Building Bridges - The process on many websites now also involves sharing your creations with
your peer group, whether within the classroom or further afield by making students’ movies
visible to others using the same tool. The opportunities this provides for collaboration with
students from all over the world should not be underestimated, and it carries the additional
benefit that a language barrier can be immediately overcome through the medium of animation,
so it is a fantastic starting point for building up ties and a sense of community across borders with
your students. Kerpoof is a great animation site for this as it allows students to link back to the url
 of what they have created, and also has options for different types of animation, including a letter
which can be specifically addressed – perhaps to an animated pen friend. *insert kerpoof pic*

3. Self-expression - For many students, self-expression can be a huge challenge, and traditional
methods of art such as drawing and painting, while hugely enjoyable for some, can feel difficult
and worrying for those who don’t necessarily have a huge amount of natural artistic talent. But
the beauty of animation is that ready-made characters can be placed into pre-drawn
environments, while students still retain the creative reins by choosing everything from plot to
speech bubbles. Sites like the Zimmer Twins are an excellent example of this perfect balance
between pre-prepared materials and lots of free creative choices. *insert zimmer twins pic*

4. Technical Skills - While there are a range of fantastically simple animation tools available for
younger children, it can also be a great gateway for older students to learn much more difficult
technical skills too. The Anim8or tool is the perfect example – it allows students to use algebraic
and calculus functions to create 3D animations and also teaches them a range of useful computer
skills. *insert anim8or pic*

5. Presentation Skills - The other brilliant thing about animation is that it provides an exciting and
dynamic platform to encourage students to give interesting, engaging class presentations. Gone
are the days of students falling asleep in the back of the class while their classmates stood at the
front of the room, reading from a sheet of paper! Animation is a great way to encourage students
to put greater effort into their presentations, making slide shows, visual explanations of concepts
and really visually connecting with their audience, a great skill for the future. The excellent Go
Animate 4 Schools website is specifically designed for this kind of work, and provides a safe, secure
environment specifically made for use in schools. *insert Goanimate pic*