The animation sees two different coloured plasticine balls interact with each other in an aggressive manner which represents war. As the two colours begin fighting, the balls begin to merge into one big ball, which eventually becomes earth, suggesting that, despite our differences , we are all together.
Friday 30 January 2015
Evaluating others
As the final part of our assessment for this module, we were required to evaluate an animations created by someone else in the class. I have chosen to evaluate Sam White and Sam Gardner`s animation as I believe that their animation is a good example of the "less is more" concept.
The animation sees two different coloured plasticine balls interact with each other in an aggressive manner which represents war. As the two colours begin fighting, the balls begin to merge into one big ball, which eventually becomes earth, suggesting that, despite our differences , we are all together.
The song "Better together" by Jack Johnson was played throughout the animation as a way of providing additional information to the animation which may not have been portrayed through the plasticine. I believed that the use of a table for a background added to the simplicity of the animation, allowing our focus to be drawn to the plasticine balls instead. My only criticism of the animation is that the purpose of the animation is unclear until the very end, however, I do believe that this will encourage people to continue watching until the end of the animation to discover its purpose.
The animation sees two different coloured plasticine balls interact with each other in an aggressive manner which represents war. As the two colours begin fighting, the balls begin to merge into one big ball, which eventually becomes earth, suggesting that, despite our differences , we are all together.
Our Animation
Through using our knowledge of animations that we had developed throughout the module, we were given the task of creating out own stop-motion animation as a group using Zu3D software.Our group consisted of myself, Ceri Chamberlain and Bethan Thomas. We began deciding on our roles within the animation based on our skills. Due to Ceri`s artistic skills, she was placed in charge of creating the characters within the animation. Bethan was in charge of creating the script while I was in charge of sound.
Planning our animation
Characters
We decided to create an animation based on the theme of bullying, as we believed it was a topic that most people could relate to. We designed our characters based on their role within the animation. "Little Pinky" (the main character) was designed to look small to represent his lack of self esteem due to being bullied. His character grew bigger at the end of the animation to represent his self esteem growing when he confronted 'the bullies'. "The Bullies" were designed to be of average hight to emphasise how small "Little Pinky" was. On the other hand, the "Wise Man" was designed to be larger than the other characters to represent his power and knowledge, with the aim of making his character stand out from the others to indicate his large role within the animation.
The Set
The set of the animation was created by using the mini theatre set which came with the Zu3D package, while matching paper was used for the flooring to extend the set. Cardboard was used to provide stability for the set, reducing the risk of movement while we were moving our characters. Clay props (such as a ball and a tree) were designed by Ceri to allow our characters to interact with the scenery. The Sound
A script was created by Bethan, which was then recorded using Audacity, a free recording software. Once recorded, I was able to manipulate the sound using the various tools on Audacity to create the voices of different characters. Sound effects and music such as birds tweeting, increased the animations believability. Pharrel William`s Happy was used at the end of the animation as the theme of the song is about trying to be happy during difficult times, which we believed linked well with the story of our animation.
The Plot
The story begins with Little Pinky playing with his ball in a field. The young boy (Little Pinky) begins to be bullied about his size by two bullies who are slightly bigger than him. The bullies take the ball away from Little Pinky and begin playing with the ball in front of him in an attempt to tease him. Little Pinky begins to cry which draws the attention of the "Wise Man" who advises Little Pinky to confront the "Bullies". As Little Pinky confronts the bullies, his confidence grows, which frightens the "Bullies " away.
Tips for Creating your own animation
When making your own animation, the best advice to follow is to always keep it simple. Some of the best animations have been made with the most basic of ideas. The more you put into an animation, the more you will have to control. This includes sound effects.We had many difficulties with our animation through trying to add the sound effects onto Zu3D as we had created separate files for each sound effect and voice over, making it very difficult to match the timing of the sound with the animation.
We also had difficulty with the lighting as it was a sunny day. Due to this, I recommend using the same time of day continuously throughout the filming process to avoid lighting issues.
Sound
Sound is used in the media as a way of manipulating the audience`s emotions. For example; during a love scene, happy, romantic music would be played however the same music would not have the same effect during a horror scene. Without sound, it can be difficult to understand what is happing in a scene or even maintain concentration,where as a good soundtrack can encourage people to watch a film or TV series, for example "Let It Go" from the film Frozen.
Creating our own Podcast
In an attempt to explore the importance of sound, we were provided with the task of creating our own Podcast. Myself and Bethan Thomas decided to approach the project with a humorous festive theme as it was created just before Christmas. The podcast was created using Audacity, a free sounds recording software which allowed us to add sound effects and modify the recordings. As it was our first attempt at using Audacity, there were a few issues, mainly, discovering what tool is needed to create different effects. I recommend trying the various tools that Audacity has to offer before creating a project using it as I believe that the tools can be used as inspiration, allowing you to explore your potential.Camera less Animations
What are camera-less animations?
Before technological advances, animations were made using paper. In 1826, soon after the invention of the camera, photographers were eager to explore the brain`s ability to memorise an image for a second after it was seen (WiseGeek.com). This lead to the concept of animations, particularly the Kineograph animation (also known as a flipbook animation).What is a Kineograph animation?
A Kineograph animation is one of the simplest forms of animation and is considered to be one of the most popular form of camera-less animations. It is created by placing a series of images on the edges of a notebook or Post-it notes and flicking through the pages quickly to make the images look as though they are moving. The popularity of the Kineograph animation grew at the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century, however, it remains popular among all ages today, potentially due to it`s simplicity (Flipbook.info). It has been known to have been created from as little as a few pages to more than a hundred pages, however, according to Flipbook.info, the average kineograph animation requires around 30 pages. The aim of the animation is to be a temporary amusement and not to last very long due to being made out of paper. Due to this, very few original kineograph animations can be found today.Making my own
Here is a guide on how to make your own Kineograph.You will need:
- A notebook/Post-it notes/ a pile of paper attached together
- A pen/pencil
- An idea of what animation you would like to draw
1. Decide on whether you would like your animation to move from 'back to front' or 'front to back'
2. Draw your first image
3. Turn the page and draw the same image again however alter one aspect of the image to begin moving the animation
.jpg)
4. Continue step 3 untill you have a drawing on each page
5. Flip the pages
Thursday 29 January 2015
Stop Motion Animation
What is a Stop-Motion Animation?
A stop- motion animation is the process of making inanimate objects come to life. Originating in Hollywood, the technique was first used in the film "The Humpty Dumpty Circus" (1897), a short animated film about a circus which was created using the producer, Albert.E Smith`s daughter`s toy circus (IMdB).
In more recent years, animations have been used more frequently, particularly in children`s TV. Pingu (a children`s animated comedy series which aired from 1986- 2006) is one of the most popular stop-motion animation in the UK, coming second in a poll of best programme of 1980`s by the Radio Times in 2014 (PinguWiki). According to IMDb, Pingu is a mischievous and playful penguin who lives in Antartica with his family and his friend Robby, the seal. Pingu is notorious for the "mweep mweep" sound that replaces talking in the series.How it was made
The series was made using clay animations, a form of stop-motion animation using porcelain clay. Traditional animations were created by recording each frame using a still photo on film or on digital media then playing the frames rapidly in order. A story board is created to provide a guideline of what if needed to be done in each still shot. Once the story board is created, the animators begin to build the various characters our of the clay, making a number of copies of the same character in different positions to depict movement. The video below shows how the series was created.
The Advantages:
According to Qudos Animations, the advantages of using stop-motion animation is the freedom to make objects that cannot be moved, animated using minimal tools. Stop-motion animation requires a camera,a computer and and object to be moved however, creating effective animations require a lot of experience in animations. Creating animations as a team can be beneficial for developing team building and communication skills during which individual`s can build upon their skills and talents.
The Disadvantages:
Stop motion animations has many disadvantages as well. The main disadvantage is that it is very time consuming due to the amount of still pictures required to make the object look like it is moving. While moving the object, it is important to remember the last position of the object to ensure that the object has not been moved too much or too little between shots. The other main disadvantage of using stop motion animations is to find the correct balance of items moving within the shots. If too many objects are moving at the same time, this can distract the viewer from the main purpose of the animation.
Tangled
The last animation I saw was Tangled , a comedy Disney film released in 2011.
The Plot
The story follows Rapunzel, a young girl who was kept in a tower by Mother Gothel, a witch who kidnapped Rapunzel from her parents when she was a baby and locked her in a tower, leading Rapunzel to believe that Mother Gothel is her biological mother.Once a year, on her birthday, lanterns are released which leads Rapunzel to question the purpose of the lanterns. On her 18th birthday, Flynn Rider, a thief, stumbles upon her while trying to escape from guards. While Mother Gothel is out gathering food, Rapunzel sees this as her opportunity to asks Flynn to take her to see the lanterns explore the world for the first time.
The Cast (According to IMDb)
Mandy Moore - Rapunzel
Zachary Levi - Flynn Rider
Donna Murphy - Mother Gothel
Ron Perlman - Stabbington Brother
M.C.Gainey - Captain of the Guard
Jeffrey Tambor - Big Nose Thug
Brad Garrett - Hook Hand Thug
Paul F. Tompkins - Short Thug
Richard Kiel - Vlad
Delaney Rose Stein - Young Rapunzel/ Little Girl
Nathan Greno - Guard 1/ Thug 1
Byron Howard - Guard 2 / Thug 2
Tim Mertens - Guard 3
Michael Bell - Additional Voices
Bob Bergen - Additional Voices
Fun Facts
Here are some fun facts from IMDb and Strange Beaver:
- Tangled was the 50th animated Disney film
- The trailer focused on Flynn Reider`s character in an attempt to attract more boys to watch Disney films.
- It was the first Disney film about a princess to receive a PG certificate.
- Rapunzel`s parents never have a speaking part in the film.
- Mother Gothel wears a dress from the Renaissance period, which is centuries before the period of time the film was set in (1780`s). This was done to emphasise how old Mother Gothel was.
- According to the animators, there is an 8, year gap between Rapunzel (18 years old ) and Flynn Rider (26 years old) , making this the largest age gap between a Disney couple.
- Its the longest Disney film since Fantasia.
- Rapunzel was the first Disney princess to have magical powers.
Facts about the animation
Here are some facts about the animation and how it was made from Hellokids :
- The animation supervisor, Glen Keane`s daughter, Claire Keane designed and painted the decorations on the walls of Rapunzal`s tower.
- Special software had to be created to make Rapunzal`s hair as no one had needed to create hair that long before.
- 46,000, lanterns were created for the final scene.
- Five main characters, 21, "thugs", 38, townspeople and nearly 3,000, crowd people were created for the film.
Using Animations in Learning
Learning with animations
As posted in the previous post, technology has changed rapidly through the years, and as a result, so has our approach to learning. In previous years answers were gained from either a book or through a an expert in that field such as a teacher. However, in recent years, an increasing number of people are turning to the internet for alternative ways to gain information, allowing education to become more accessible. The video below is part of an animated series on YouTube. This specific episode aims to teach children about the water cycle.Do animations improve learning?
Using multimedia tools to encourage learning can be seen as a positive way, allowing education to become more accessible and enjoyable. According to KidsHealth.org, children under the age of six watch TV and videos for at least two hours a day, with the number raising to 4 hours a day for 8-18 year old. With this in mind, using educational videos and animations could help improve the quality of education received by children as learning will continue after school. According to Mayer and Moreno (2002), animations can be a useful tool for education, however, it depends on how you use it.
Paik and Schraw (2013), conducted a study exploring the use of animations for learning purposes on 65, undergraduate psychology students between the ages of 18, and 44, in an attempt to discover whether animations improve the ability to learn information. The results showed that the animations has a positive effect on the learning and understanding of students with a 'low overall learning score', however, did not have any effect on the other students, suggesting that animations may have a greater benefit to people with additional learning needs (ALN).
It is important to state, however, that too much focus on learning through multimedia tools can also have negative effects on the learner. In 2004, the BBC reported the negative effects of regularly watch TV on children. They suggested that children under the age of two should not watch any form of TV (including animations) while older children should not watch more that 2 hours a day. This is due to research linking the effects of watching TV to the increase in ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) in children.
With these statistics in mind, I believe that using multimedia tools such as animations should only be used as part of a well rounded education and not as a substitute for traditional methods such as reading.
Reference:
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)