by Giovanni Spezzacantena

Almost anyone can come up with some form of definition for animation that revolves around the basic idea that animation is ‘drawings that move’, or maybe ‘the technique of making inanimate objects appear to move in film, video, or on computer screens’. What is maybe less contemplated is what this feels like for the animators as they create this illusion of life.

If you have had any experience with animation, you know that there is a certain basic sense of empowerment in being able to produce that ‘magic trick of the eye’ for yourself, and ultimately, for an audience. Shyness and the almost standard lack of confidence in drawing ability are set aside with that initial awe when the word “cat” you just typed onto your computer screen metamorphoses into a picture of your own cat—and this after just a few simple steps!

The not-so-horribly-Technical Aspects:
Cartoon animation emerges from the projection of a sequence of still drawings that are each a little bit different, one from the other; it’s actually the differences between one drawing and the next that make the illusion of motion. The careful and studied control of these differences makes for quality animation.

The theory is that the phenomenon of “persistence of vision” creates the illusion of motion by blending the rapid projection of one still image with the next one, in the brain. Typically, in web animation, there are about 12 ‘frames’ or still images needed in every second of motion. The greater the difference between one frame’s visuals and the next, the faster/more erratic the resulting motion; the less things change from one image to the next, the smoother and slower the animation will seem. As the McLaren quotation above suggests, you are actually trying to reproduce movements through the drawings in a sort of reverse-engineering of real-life motion.

In the past ten years or so, animation and interactive software—especially Abobe’s Flash—have been transforming the world-wide web into a very animated place to be. People at every level of ability and talent are able to show the world their animations, usually for a laugh, or to tell a story, or to sell something. Feature-film promotional websites are currently very heavy Flash users, making on-line ads with high entertainment value. See www.sonypictures.com/movies/davincicode/site/home.html and www.thinkpinkpanther.com. But Flash can also produce simple yet gratifying animations, with sound, in just a few minutes.

Teaching Animation/ Flash

When I was asked to work with a PRACL (Powell River Association for Community Living) client as a Flash animation tutor last year, a familiar challenge arose: how to keep up with the student’s booming enthusiasm, without getting mired in the many technical details? Certainly, an interest in the art form is great, but being a fan of animation or liking to play computer games almost never translates into actually making your own productions. Luckily, Flash’s visually simple two-dimensionality and ‘in-betweening’ process proved useful here in surmounting that initial learning curve: within seconds, you can move, fade in/out and ‘morph’ shapes, with little or no drawing involved. You can see some examples of the finished exercises on my website’s tutoring page at www.rabideye.com/Flashtut.

Animated movies and even film festivals like the Sprout Film Festival (www.gosprout.org) are beginning to reveal the largely hidden world of people with developmental disabilities. For the first time, world-wide audiences of all ages and abilities can view and engage in movies created from the hands, minds and points of view of people with developmental disabilities. With some direction and basic technology, most people can engage in this creative process to increase self-confidence and even employability. Check out this great free resource on the web for basic animation concepts: www.oscars.org/education-outreach/teachersguide/animation