Illustration: This animation moves at 10 frames per second. Illustration: This animation moves at 2 frames per second. At this rate, the individual frames should be discernable.
Animation refers to the process in which each frame of a film or movie is produced individually, whether generated as a computer graphic, or by photographing a drawn image, or by repeatedly making small changes to a model (see claymation and stop motion), and then photographing the result. When the frames are strung together and the resulting film is viewed at a speed of 16 or more frames per second, there is an illusion of continuous movement (due to the persistence of vision). Generating such a film is very labour intensive and tedious, though the development of computer animation has greatly sped up the process.
GIF is a graphics file format that allows animation to be viewed on a computer. Another format called Flash, created by Macromedia, allows for animation to be viewed over the Internet.
Limited animation is a way of increasing production and decreasing costs of animation by using "short cuts" in the animation process. This method was pioneered by UPA, then adapted by other studios as cartoons moved from movie theaters to television.
Because animation is very time-consuming and often very expensive to produce, the majority of animation for TV and movies comes from professional animation studios. However, the field of independent animation has existed at least since the 1950s, with animation being produced by independent studios (and sometimes by a single person). Several independent animation producers have gone on to enter the professional animation industry.
Illustration: The animations shown before consist of these 6 frames.
The history of film animation begins with the earliest days of silent film and continues through the present day.
The first animated cartoon was from Frenchman Émile Reynaud, who created praxynoscope, animation system of 12 pictures, and films of about 500~600 pictures, projected on its own théatre optique, system near from modern film projector, at Musée Grévin in Paris, France, the october 28, 1892.
The first animated cartoon on modern picture film projector was Fantasmagorie by the French director Émile Courtet (also called Émile Cohl), projected for the first time August 17, 1908 at 'Théâtre du Gymnase', in Paris. Émile Courtet went to Fort Lee, New York near New York City in 1912, where he worked for French studio Éclair and spread its technique in the US.
The first animated feature-length film was El Apóstol (1917) from Argentine Quirino Cristiani, shown in Argentina.
Because the history of animation as an art form has undergone many changes in its hundred-year history, it is examined in detail in the History of animation series.
Animation Nation In-depth essays on the animation industry. Also includes a message board. http://www.animationnation.com/
The Making of a Cartoon Illustrated article on the making of a cartoon. http://www.artistmike.com/article2/page1.html
History of Animation: Before Disney A short essay on the basics of early animations. With pictures. http://www-viz.tamu.edu/courses/viza615/97spring/pjames/history/main.html
Walt Disney and Fairytales An essay on Disney's use of classic fairytales. http://www.geocities.com/Hollywood/Academy/6351/disfai.html
Islam, Animation and Money An essay on the reception of Disney's Aladdin in islamic countries. Found in Kinema- the Journal for Film and Audiovisual Media http://arts.uwaterloo.ca/FINE/juhde/white951.htm
From Mouse to Mouse - Overcoming Information A wonderful essay on the animated image and its changing relationship with the cinematic image. From the journal Enculturation http://www.uta.edu/huma/enculturation/2_1/pisters.html
The Critical Eye Interviews with Arlene Klasky, Gillian Anderson, Neil Gaiman, David Sproxton, Catherine Winder, Peter Chung, Bruce Timm, Glen Murakami, Paul Dini, and Darwyn Cooke. http://purpleplanetmedia.com/eye/inte
Anime vs American Animation By Marker Apenname. [DigitalEssays.com] Essay analyzing the animation styles of the East and West. http://digitalessays.com/essays/misc/misc_0001.shtml
Faith Hubley [The Onion AV Club] By Joshua Klein. [The Onion AV Club] The animator talks about her career, her background, and the state of culture today. http://www.theavclub.com/avclub3610/avfeature_3610.html
Animation Journal Journal on animation theory and history, edited by Maureen Furniss, of the School of Film and Television at Chapman University. Contains abstracts of the essays published, as well as full-text versions. http://www.animationjournal.com/
Only Genius Is Genius By Chris Romano. [Spark Online] Opinion that the proliferation of Flash and other web-based animation technologies has not improved the overall quality of animation and cartoons. http://www.spark-online.com/august00/media/romano.html
The History of Animation By Michael Crandol. [Digital Media FX] An exhaustive look at the history of animation and animators/visionaries like Max Fleisher, Walter Lantz, and Otto Messmer. http://www.digitalmediafx.com/Features/animationhistory.html
Animation - American and Japanese Dan Patanella's essays and reviews on over three dozen films and animated series. Also includes list of animation books, articles, and magazines. http://www.geocities.com/d-patanella/
William Hanna - The Story of a Legend By Noell Wolfgram Evans. [Digital Media FX] A look at Hanna's accomplishments and visions. http://www.digitalmediafx.com/Features/williamhanna.html
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