Kinetoscope developed in 1889
The tale of the fox (developed in 1930 by Wladyslaw Starewicz)
Target Audience - Adults,anyone interested in history of stop motion
The story of Rapunzel (Developed in 1951 by Ray Harryhausen)
Target audience - Children/teenagers and people with an interest in children's storytelling/fable style narratives.
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Pingu episode 1 (developed in 1986 by Otmarr Gutmann)
Target Audience - Children and anybody interested in claymation or a fan of cartoons.
The nightmare before christmas (Developed in 1993 by Tim Burton)
Target Audience - Children, people interested in Tim Burtons work and style.
James and the giant peach developed in 1996 by Henry Selick.
Target audience - children, people interested in the fantasy/surreal style narrative.
Mario kart in real life developed by Simon Lachapelle in 2014.
Target audience - people with an interest in live action stop motion, fans of mario kart and the fantasy/surreal style narrative.
Wednesday, 10 September 2014
Jans Svankmajer - Joe and leah work
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-ram4ockf1cb1dLVFdJVjVRank2YVVBWm9WbkQzWFJMNlFz/edit?usp=sharing
Summer Prep activity 1 - HD in tv and film
Activity One: Research Task
High Definition In TV and Film:
High definition television (HDTV) has a higher screen resolution then standard definition television.
With digital television, data is transfered in data bits. The space needed to store these data bits in a DTV is much smaller than in an analog one. This therefore allows more room for improving sound and video quality.
HDTV however, is able to store more than six times the information than a DTV, drastically improving the sound and video quality further.
Other benefits of HDTV are:
- Less blurred image
- More natural and richer colours
- Smoother motion
- Works together with a verity of input devices
- Surround sound
Aspect Ratios In TV and Film:
Aspect ratio is the width of the screen to the height of the screen. The most commonly used aspect ratio for HDTV is 16:9, which means that the picture is 16 units wide and 9 units in height. However, many films today are filmed in the aspect ratio 2:4:1, which is wider than 16:9, often referred to as cinemascope.
When black bars appear, this means that the screen is not the same aspect ratio as what the film was shot in.
Usually the best aspect ratio for TV is 16:9, and the best for film is 2.4. But there are exceptions where films are still shot in 16:9.
Usually the best aspect ratio for TV is 16:9, and the best for film is 2.4. But there are exceptions where films are still shot in 16:9.
Audio and Video Signals:
Analogue systems were encoded with the PAL system. This system has several parts, including a set of technical limitations for the broadcasting signal, and an encoder system so that colour can be seen. The analogue television signal contains information that tells the the receiver in the TV what moving image to create. The signal also informs the televisions electron gun how to paint lines on the screen.
Terrestrial TV:
Terrestrial TV or Broadcast TV is a type of television broadcasting that uses radio signals to transmit data and tuners/antennas for reception. The BBC begin broadcasting in 1929, eventually gaining momentum by 1930 with a regular schedule. This makes it the first type of television broadcast, with no other options available until 1950's cable television. "The term "terrestrial" was introduced in the 1960s and 1970s when CATV systems began to move from re-broadcast of OTA signals to acting as ground stations for signals sent directly from communications satellites." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_television
Terrestrial TV has been in decline ever since the 1970s and 80s, when digital TV was introduced to the United States. In 2013 it was reported that only around 10% of US households used an antenna.
Recording TV:
PVR:
When recording TV there are many options available, with most people using the built in record function on their TV box. However if this option isn't available to you, you can buy a Personal Video Recorder, or PVR. The PVR records whatever is playing on your TV and stores it onto a large internal hard disk drive. Usually being able to store hundreds of hours of recordings. These are extremely popular in the youtube community because players can record game footage in HD quality and transfer it over to their PC for editing.
Located the PVR there is an on screen electronic program guide (EPG) that lists all the TV programs to be shown over the next week. They can also pause live TV and record while watching another program.
DVD Recorder:
A DVD Recorder enables programs to be recorded onto a recordable DVD disk. They also come with an EPG. A single disc should store around two hours of good quality footage. Or more if you are prepared to reduce the quality. You can buy either write-once disks (once full unable to record on them again), or re-writable disks (erase and use again) The DVD recorder is great if you want to share the footage with your family and friends.
Editing Software:
Adobe After Effects:
Adobe After Effects is a visual effects software made by Adobe Systems. It is usually used during the post production process of filmmaking and television production.
"After Effects allows users to animate, alter and composite media in 2D and 3D space with various built-in tools and third party plug-ins, as well as individual attention to variables like parallax and user-adjustable angle of observation." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_After_Effects
The Adobe After Effects CS6 Interface:
CS6 is the latest version of After Effects and was released on May 7th 2012. It came with the new Ray traced 3D engine which uses the GPU capabilities of the graphics cards. Multiprocessing CPU rendering can be really slow when using the 3D engine.
Sony Vegas Pro:
Sony Vegas Pro is a video editing software originally published by Sonic Foundry. However it is now run by Sony Creative Software.
The software was first intended to be an audio editor, eventually being developed into a video editor as well after version 2.0.
"Vegas features real-time multitrack video and audio editing on unlimited tracks, resolution-independent video sequencing, complex effects and compositing tools, 24-bit/192 kHz audio support, VST and DirectX plug-in effect support, and Dolby Digital surround sound mixing." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Vegas_Pro
One good thing about Sony Vegas is that it does not require any specific hardware for it to run properly. Usually it works well on pretty much any windows computer. Its definitely the most easily accessible out of all three of these softwares.
One major downside to Vegas however is that it contains no MIDI capability. Restricting its value for audio production even though it started of as an audio editing software.
Final Cut Pro:
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and later Apple Inc.
The software runs only on Mac OS computers, making it a lot less accessible compared to the other programs on this list. "The software allows users to log and transfer video onto a hard drive (internal or external), where it can be edited, processed, and output to a wide variety of formats." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Cut_Pro
In 2012 a fully re-imagined video editor was released called Final Cut Pro X:
The software attracted many TV editors who swapped over from Avid Technology's Media Composer. In 2007 an SCRI study showed that FCP was used by 49% of the US professional editing market.
Praxinoscope notes
The Praxinoscope is a typical optical toy from the 19th century. It consists of a cylinder and a strip of paper showing twelve frames for animation. As the cylinder rotates, stationary mirrors in the centre reveal a ‘single image’ in motion. The Praxinoscope was invented in 1876 by Charles-Émile Reynaud (1844-1918), a Paris science teacher, who marked all his examples ‘E.R.’. The toy became a great commercial success and won recognition at the great exhibitions of the period.
What’s in a name?
Like so many of its competitors, the Praxinoscope had a fancy classical name. It was formed from the ancient Greek πρᾶξις meaning ‘action’, plus σκοπεῖν meaning ‘to look at’.
Reynaud took this idea and turned it into theatrical entertainment. Up until this point animation toys had been limited to repetitive images. Reynaud noted this and devised a method of painting a series of pictures on small glass plates which were joined together in a single flexible strip. The animated characters were projected onto a screen from behind.
The effect he achieved was successful but was jerky and slow. In addition the labour required to draw the strips meant that Reynaud’s films could not easily be reproduced.
Reynaud’s Theatre Optique came remarkably close to the cinema - all that it lacked was the addition of photography.
Tuesday, 9 September 2014
Summer Prep Activity 3 - Stop motion
Activity 3: Stop Motion
Claymation:
Godzilla vs Aguirus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYbkdCPTxGY
Produced By:
Fred The Dinosaur Man
Date:
Old Stop Motion:
The Tale of the Fox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsdTCsfnxc
Produced By:
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Date:
1st January 1930
Extra Information:
"Adapted from Goethe's fable - about a fox whose carnivorous cunning, deplored and feared by the rest of the animal kingdom, brings him into legal conflict with the lion king" - http://www.timeout.com/us/film/the-tale-of-the-fox- 1930
Children's Stop Motion:
The Nightmare Before Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_4cCMs954U
Produced By:
Tim Burton
Date:
13th October 1993
Extra Information:
"Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept." - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/
Real Life Stop Motion:
Mario Kart In Real Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFcDKLqgv1k
Produced By:
Simon Lachapelle
Date:
8th December 2013
The History of Stop Motion Animation:
Stop Motion is a type of animation that makes an object or group of objects appear to move on their own.
Stop motion works like a flip book, you take photos of an object changing its position every time. When these photos are played one after the other it creates the illusion of movement.
Stop motion was created by Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton in 1897 for the film: The Humpty Dumpty Circus.
They used it to make the toy animals look like they were moving independently.
EMBED VIDEOS
Stop motion feature film - James and the giant peach 1996 director (henry selick)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_HXUhShhmY
Pingu 1986 director (Otmarr Gutmann) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dWJNp6of8Wo
Friday, 5 September 2014
Stop Motion Lesson Notes for assignment 1
What genre is the animation and what generic conventions (things you expect to see) can you pull out?
What do you notice about the movement of the figures body?
What do you notice about the movement of the figures face and facial expression?
What comments can you make about the use of sound?
1. Lee hardcastles claymation is aimed at an teenage/young adult audience due to the blood and gore etc, and people with an interest in claymation and with a sense of humour. The genre of the animation is clearly crime/action. As we can see animated cats in swat uniform with guns who are the hero's. There is also villainous characters which are defined by facial expressions and there actions in each scene. Also we can see this by the amount of typical action props used for example guns,knives,explosives. There is also fake blood which is a typical makeup effect used within the action genre.
2. There was unnatural walking, the characters looked as if they were shuffling. This is because they had no model legs. This made the animation funny and entertaining. This has broken the principles of animation. Characters who were shot flew backwards. This used the principle of gravity to his advantage. This was also used towards the end of the video where a cat fell from the building. This creates a sense of realism which sticks to the action genre. We know then video is not real, but keeps realism to keep it entertaining.
3. Characters were sweating/crying which reveals emotion and fear. The audience now know the characters are in danger. This also follows the principle of gravity and realism.
4. We can also define the genre by the non diagetic soundtrack used, there is fast paced music creating a tense atmosphere. There is also a lot sound effects of gunshots,explosions and violent noise that can be heard within the animation. There is also dialogue of screaming and fear. These points all prove the animation is of action/crime genre.
What different styles of stopmotion have we seen?
We have seen animation,claymation,2d animation.
What two principles of animation have we learnt about?
The principles of arcs and gravity.
When it was hard to identify a genre, what word did we use?
Surrealism
What is the final deadline for assignment 1?
19th september.
How long does your section of stop motion have to be?
30 seconds
What differences can you see in the two animations?
At 43 seconds in the King Kong vs T rex you can see king kongs arm movements are jerky and there aren't steady. If you look 31 seconds into creature comforts the dog's body movements are more smooth and steady. This is obviously due to stop motion becoming more advanced over time.
What similarities are there in the two animations?
Both creature comforts and t rex are both animal characters. This may be to create humour or a sense of surrealism. Creature comforts (20 seconds) and King Kong vs T rex (40 seconds) Both videos are also shot from the same point of view.
Can you tell if over time there has been a development in the skills and techniques of animation?
Yeah, as said before the body movement of characters has improved, also stop motion nowadays is in colour as King Kong vs t rex was in black and white. Also the sound has improved. Dialogue is now more synchronised and easy to understand. Also more realistic, If you look at creature comforts 40 seconds in the dialogue is crisp and clear. Where as 10 seconds into king kong vs t rex, the t rex's growling/screech sounds more like a cat and isn't very clear.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hG_EU8X2l2o - Cravendale
In the cravendale video, at 16 seconds the cow starts walking on two feet. This shows the principles of arcs are being used, although it is surreal that a cow is walking on two feet. Although the cow uses arcs, the other characters (32 seconds) do not follow this principle. They shuffle instead of bending their knees to walk. 10 seconds into the video you can spot secondary actions, for example guards holding swords and at 23 seconds a dragon is breathing fire in the background. There are also examples of gravity (25 seconds) you can see the characters pouring milk into the dragons mouth and it falls downwards (follows principle of gravity)
Thursday, 4 September 2014
Video Technology and Editing Techniques (summer prep work)
Activity One: Research Task
High Definition In TV and Film:
High definition television (HDTV) has a higher screen resolution then standard definition television.With digital television, data is transfered in data bits. The space needed to store these data bits in a DTV is much smaller than in an analog one. This therefore allows more room for improving sound and video quality.
HDTV however, is able to store more than six times the information than a DTV, drastically improving the sound and video quality further.
Other benefits of HDTV are:
- Less blurred image
- More natural and richer colours
- Smoother motion
- Works together with a verity of input devices
- Surround sound
Aspect Ratios In TV and Film:
Aspect ratio is the width of the screen to the height of the screen. The most commonly used aspect ratio for HDTV is 16:9, which means that the picture is 16 units wide and 9 units in height. However, many films today are filmed in the aspect ratio 2:4:1, which is wider than 16:9, often referred to as cinemascope.
When black bars appear, this means that the screen is not the same aspect ratio as what the film was shot in.
Usually the best aspect ratio for TV is 16:9, and the best for film is 2.4. But there are exceptions where films are still shot in 16:9.
Usually the best aspect ratio for TV is 16:9, and the best for film is 2.4. But there are exceptions where films are still shot in 16:9.
Audio and Video Signals:
Analogue systems were encoded with the PAL system. This system has several parts, including a set of technical limitations for the broadcasting signal, and an encoder system so that colour can be seen. The analogue television signal contains information that tells the the receiver in the TV what moving image to create. The signal also informs the televisions electron gun how to paint lines on the screen.Terrestrial TV:
Terrestrial TV or Broadcast TV is a type of television broadcasting that uses radio signals to transmit data and tuners/antennas for reception. The BBC begin broadcasting in 1929, eventually gaining momentum by 1930 with a regular schedule. This makes it the first type of television broadcast, with no other options available until 1950's cable television. "The term "terrestrial" was introduced in the 1960s and 1970s when CATV systems began to move from re-broadcast of OTA signals to acting as ground stations for signals sent directly from communications satellites." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrestrial_televisionTerrestrial TV has been in decline ever since the 1970s and 80s, when digital TV was introduced to the United States. In 2013 it was reported that only around 10% of US households used an antenna.
Recording TV:
PVR:When recording TV there are many options available, with most people using the built in record function on their TV box. However if this option isn't available to you, you can buy a Personal Video Recorder, or PVR. The PVR records whatever is playing on your TV and stores it onto a large internal hard disk drive. Usually being able to store hundreds of hours of recordings. These are extremely popular in the youtube community because players can record game footage in HD quality and transfer it over to their PC for editing.
Located the PVR there is an on screen electronic program guide (EPG) that lists all the TV programs to be shown over the next week. They can also pause live TV and record while watching another program.
DVD Recorder:
A DVD Recorder enables programs to be recorded onto a recordable DVD disk. They also come with an EPG. A single disc should store around two hours of good quality footage. Or more if you are prepared to reduce the quality. You can buy either write-once disks (once full unable to record on them again), or re-writable disks (erase and use again) The DVD recorder is great if you want to share the footage with your family and friends.
Editing Software:
Adobe After Effects:Adobe After Effects is a visual effects software made by Adobe Systems. It is usually used during the post production process of filmmaking and television production.
"After Effects allows users to animate, alter and composite media in 2D and 3D space with various built-in tools and third party plug-ins, as well as individual attention to variables like parallax and user-adjustable angle of observation." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adobe_After_Effects
The Adobe After Effects CS6 Interface:
CS6 is the latest version of After Effects and was released on May 7th 2012. It came with the new Ray traced 3D engine which uses the GPU capabilities of the graphics cards. Multiprocessing CPU rendering can be really slow when using the 3D engine.
Sony Vegas Pro:
Sony Vegas Pro is a video editing software originally published by Sonic Foundry. However it is now run by Sony Creative Software.
The software was first intended to be an audio editor, eventually being developed into a video editor as well after version 2.0.
"Vegas features real-time multitrack video and audio editing on unlimited tracks, resolution-independent video sequencing, complex effects and compositing tools, 24-bit/192 kHz audio support, VST and DirectX plug-in effect support, and Dolby Digital surround sound mixing." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sony_Vegas_Pro
One good thing about Sony Vegas is that it does not require any specific hardware for it to run properly. Usually it works well on pretty much any windows computer. Its definitely the most easily accessible out of all three of these softwares.
Final Cut Pro:
Final Cut Pro is a non-linear editing software developed by Macromedia Inc. and later Apple Inc.
The software runs only on Mac OS computers, making it a lot less accessible compared to the other programs on this list. "The software allows users to log and transfer video onto a hard drive (internal or external), where it can be edited, processed, and output to a wide variety of formats." - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Final_Cut_Pro
In 2012 a fully re-imagined video editor was released called Final Cut Pro X:
The software attracted many TV editors who swapped over from Avid Technology's Media Composer. In 2007 an SCRI study showed that FCP was used by 49% of the US professional editing market.
Activity 2: Job Roles
Camera Operator:
Activity 3: Stop Motion
Claymation:
Godzilla vs Aguirus: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LYbkdCPTxGY
Produced By:
Fred The Dinosaur Man
Date:
Old Stop Motion:
The Tale of the Fox: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RxsdTCsfnxc
Produced By:
Wladyslaw Starewicz
Date:
1st January 1930
Extra Information:
"Adapted from Goethe's fable - about a fox whose carnivorous cunning, deplored and feared by the rest of the animal kingdom, brings him into legal conflict with the lion king" - http://www.timeout.com/us/film/the-tale-of-the-fox- 1930
Children's Stop Motion:
The Nightmare Before Christmas: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T_4cCMs954U
Produced By:
Tim Burton
Date:
13th October 1993
Extra Information:
"Jack Skellington, king of Halloweentown, discovers Christmas Town, but doesn't quite understand the concept." - http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0107688/
Real Life Stop Motion:
Mario Kart In Real Life: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFcDKLqgv1k
Produced By:
Simon Lachapelle
Date:
8th December 2013
The History of Stop Motion Animation:
Stop Motion is a type of animation that makes an object or group of objects appear to move on their own.
Stop motion works like a flip book, you take photos of an object changing its position every time. When these photos are played one after the other it creates the illusion of movement.
Stop motion was created by Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton in 1897 for the film: The Humpty Dumpty Circus.
They used it to make the toy animals look like they were moving independently.
Stop motion feature film - James and the giant peach 1996 director (henry selick)
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