Disney Animation: The Illusion of Life

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Additionally, what felt like a rather long portion of the book (in a good way), was chapter ten, titled, “How to Get It on the Screen”. I particularly enjoyed the midsection of this chapter because it involved music. As a music lover and aspiring animator, it has been rather difficult for me to find any sources that can go over both topics and not just one or the other. One bit of information that felt most useful to an animator is that animation is “better supported by a free tempo type of music than by the rigid beat” (Thomas & Johnson, 1981, p. 294). The use of animation to inspire music to better fit the mood of the story and characters by not having prescored music is interesting and opens many doors for animators. It allows for animators to be loose and more experimental with their animating. The chapter, in all, was really inspiring, as both an artist and musician. It chronicles two top Disney animators' impressions on how the Disney studio studied and codified its approach to animated film in the 1930s, which is almost certainly the most formative period of the medium.

The 1981 edition published by Abbeville Press ( ISBN 0896592332) used better quality paper and consequently possessed higher image quality than either the 1988 edition or the revised edition from 1995 ( ISBN 0-7868-6070-7) (published by Disney's Hyperion with the inverted title The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation.) [3] Legacy [ edit ] From text to pictures, to movies, animations, all these various manifestations, they are just a way of telling stories to human beings. Technology is constantly changing, but its core has not changed too much. If we are only obsessed with technology and cannot tell a good story, show a good character, a character, then even if we have powerful tools, It's just tangible and godless, unable to make truly great animation works. This was the situation when Walt Disney entered the field, and he was not an immediate success. In fact, it is even surprising that he was able to get a toehold in this tough business of limited contracts and tight money. But Walt was a fighter and had great determination; he was no aesthetic artist living in a dream world. As he said, “'I have been up against tough competition all my life. | wouldn't know how to get along without it." Any man with Walt's talents but without his spirit and tenacity would never have made it. ” With electronic aids being perfected and new tools and materials being used, who can possibly foresee what lies ahead? [t probably will not be another Walt Disney who will lead the way, but someone or some group of artists will surely discover new dimensions to delight and entertain the world. Hopefully, this book will be their springboard. ” These are two different approaches to the drawing process. Straight ahead action scenes are animated frame by frame from beginning to end, while " pose to pose" involves starting with drawing key frames, and then filling in the intervals later. [12] "Straight ahead action" creates a more fluid, dynamic illusion of movement, and is better for producing realistic action sequences. On the other hand, it is hard to maintain proportions and to create exact, convincing poses along the way. "Pose to pose" works better for dramatic or emotional scenes, where composition and relation to the surroundings are of greater importance. [16] A combination of the two techniques is often used. [17] In computer animation [ edit ]

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Like Balzac once said that he was not the creation of those figures, but he described those figures, by the nature of his pen flowing out, the tool this time, he has become an expression of it. The principle of solid drawing means taking into account forms in three-dimensional space, or giving them volume and weight. [12] The animator needs to be a skilled artist and has to understand the basics of three-dimensional shapes, anatomy, weight, balance, light and shadow, etc. [32] For the classical animator, this involved taking art classes and doing sketches from life. [33] One thing in particular that Johnston and Thomas warned against was creating "twins": characters whose left and right sides mirrored each other, and looked lifeless. [34] In computer animation [ edit ] No one knows what the future will look like. But we can be sure of Shi, the world no single company to eternity. Disney has reached several peaks in the course of nearly a hundred years of life, and perhaps he will still reach more peaks in the coming days, but it is undeniable that one day he will decline and die. Exaggeration is an effect especially useful for animation, as animated motions that strive for a perfect imitation of reality can look static and dull. [12] The level of exaggeration depends on whether one seeks realism or a particular style, like a caricature or the style of a specific artist. The classical definition of exaggeration, employed by Disney, was to remain true to reality, just presenting it in a wilder, more extreme form. [29] Other forms of exaggeration can involve the supernatural or surreal, alterations in the physical features of a character; or elements in the storyline itself. [30] It is important to employ a certain level of restraint when using exaggeration. If a scene contains several elements, there should be a balance in how those elements are exaggerated in relation to each other, to avoid confusing or overawing the viewer. [31] Solid drawing [ edit ] The book gives many glimpses into the workings of the animation masters at Disney's during the Golden Age of animation. It is a frequently-used reference among professional animators.

Topping the list of "best animation books of all time" in a poll at AWN, The Illusion of Life is still used as reference on and source of inspiration for character animation. [4] De Stefano, Ralph A. "Exaggeration". Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago . Retrieved June 28, 2008. Most natural action tends to follow an arched trajectory, and animation should adhere to this principle by following implied "arcs" for greater realism. This technique can be applied to a moving limb by rotating a joint, or a thrown object moving along a parabolic trajectory. The exception is mechanical movement, which typically moves in straight lines. [23]Computer animation removes the problems of proportion related to "straight ahead action" drawing; however, "pose to pose" is still used for computer animation, because of the advantages it brings in composition. [18] The use of computers facilitates this method and can fill in the missing sequences in between poses automatically. It is still important to oversee this process and apply the other principles. [17] Follow through and overlapping action [ edit ] Follow through and overlapping action: the galloping race horse's mane and tail follow the body. Sequence of photos taken by Eadweard Muybridge. It is easy to see how the development of an individual personality in a story situation can make even the dullest action become entertaining. In addition to the personality, however, there should be a change in the initial action that will enable an animator to show more than one side of this personality. The most interesting character in the world is not very exciting when sitting and listening to a symphony concert. Our true personalities are best revealed by our reactions to a change we did not expect. ” The illusion of life ", first published in the United States in 1981. It mainly introduces the history of Disney animation and condenses the design philosophy of animators into 12 basic animation principles. The book answers everybody's question about how the amazingly lifelike effects of Disney character animation were achieved, including charming stories of the ways that many favorite animated figures got their unique personalities. From the perspective of two men who had an important role in shaping the art of animation, and within the context of the history of animation and the growth of the Disney studio, this is the definitive volume on the work and achievement of one of America's best-known and most widely loved cultural institutions. Nostalgia and film buffs, students of popular culture, and that very broad audience who warmly responds to the Disney "illusion of life" will find this book compelling reading (and looking!).

In Once Upon a Studio, Olaf is shown sitting on a copy of the book to adjust his height for the desk he's drawing at. This is why literary works place great emphasis on contradictions and conflicts. The sharper the contradiction, the stronger the drama. What kind of contradiction to show and how to show it is a question that the artist has to ponder over and over again. Pose animation creates keyframes, then fills in the intervals later. 5. Follow Through and Overlapping Action De Stefano, Ralph A. "Straight Ahead Action and Pose-To-Pose Action". Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago . Retrieved June 28, 2008.

De Stefano, Ralph A. "Squash and stretch". Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago . Retrieved June 26, 2008. Many will look to this book to teach them the secrets of Disney animation so that they can become instant successes. Unfortunately, this craft cannot be learned by just reading a book, and not overnight under any circumstances. ” Lots of photos, paintings, sketches and storyboards are included. You can see the transition from the rubber hose arms of early characters to the more realistic designs that were achieved with attention paid to form and anatomy. Those are the results from the emphasis on research later on. As Charlie Chaplin said of his own beginnings in the movie business, mL little as I knew about movies, I knew that nothing t ascended personality.'"* In addition to gags and effects, there must be a point of entry through which audiences can identify with the story situation, and the best way is through a character who is like someone they have known. He can be more heroic, or bigger than life, or meaner than sin,”* but basically he has to be human enough for the audience to understand him and identify with the problems he faces in the story. ” The book "The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation" was published in 1981 by Disney animators Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. These principles are based on the work of Disney animators from the 1930s onward in their quest to create more realistic animation. Some have referred to the book as the "Bible of animation," and some of its principles have been adopted by many traditional studios.

Only when people are in an environment beyond their expected time, people's reaction is the closest to its origin. And this kind of reaction that is closest to the origin is actually different for everyone. If something is going to happen, people have been quite familiar with it, so they can prepare in advance. This also makes their reflections may not be the closest to their true thoughts.Provides additional minor secondary actions to support and give more depth to a primary action. 9. Timing They set up a list of basic animation principles and focus on each one in turn. They go through each of the different departments, explaining what they contribute to a picture. They explain the particular challenges of the animator trying to put across different story and character points. I see many successful people recalling his life, when they have gone through important choices, they seem to have some intuition. This kind of decision is sometimes not entirely the result of rational analysis, and sometimes it is even contrary to rationality. All he knew was that he wanted this thing, wanted to do this thing, and then went in this direction, but in fact, he didn't necessarily know why it was like this.