Animators as Inventors: how animator

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Animators as Inventorshow animators inventions
and technology adoption shape moving imagery

• Erica Schisler

Com546 - Evolution and Trends in Digital Media
Technologies December 6, 2005
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Agenda

• Past
• Max Fleischer
• Present
• Scott Snibbe and others
• Future

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Research Significance

• The main relevance for this study is in
  understanding both what the consumers want as
  well us understanding more about the creators of
  animation so as to point to the kinds of tools
  (software and hardware) that are needed in the
  future.

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Definition of Animation

• For this research Animation is defined both in
  the traditional sense of cel type animation and
  also to mean any manipulation of the frame image
  or the manipulation of static objects for the
  effect of movement.
• I am defining animation as the illusion of motion
  created rather than recorded, as in a live-action
  recording through a video camera or film camera,
  and this can include stop-motion of clay, puppets
  or people. This definition also covers what we
  have come to know as special effects, because the
  basis of special effects, including CGI, is the
  manipulation of a frame, which creates motion.
  This definition also then covers experimental
  animation and effects.
• Animation is then defined as moving imagery which
  consists of photographed, scanned or computer
  generated series of drawings, objects, images or
  other computer graphics (such as 3 dimensional
  models) that simulate motion by recording
  continuous changes in the images or objects, over
  time, frame by frame.

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Past - Max Fleischer

• Produced films from 1915-1942
• Founded The Fleischer Studio with brothers Joe
  and Dave
• Best known as the creator of Betty Boop, Koko the
  Clown, Popeye (animated), Superman (animated),
  and Gullivers Travels

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Max Fleischer -continued

• Invented and patented Rotoscoping
• Technique in which live action images are traced
  either manually or automatically.
• Originally film images were projected onto a
  windowpane and traced by the animator.
• First Rotoscoped cartoon was Koko the Clown (Dave
  Fleischer as Koko)
• Max, Joe and Dave traced 2600 frames (16 fps
  almost 3 minutes) to create the first Koko
  cartoon.
• Rotoscoping was later immortalized in Snow White
  and then Gullivers Travels

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Max Fleischer - Rotoscoping Patent

• Method for producing moving picture cartoons.
• Patent 1,242,674

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Max Fleischer - other inventions

• Rear Screen Projection
• Rotograph
• Synchronized Slidefilm Projector
• A New Use for Electric Conductive Ink
• Copy Reader A Means of Assisting Galley-Proof
  Readers
• A Method for Using Paper Film for Projection
• Record Timing Device
• A Means for Evaluating Audience Reaction to
  Motion Picture, Radio, Stage Presentation
• Never wind clock
• Follow the bouncing ball

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Bouncing Ball Sing-along
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Present - Scott Snibbe

• born in 1969
• Bachelors degrees in Computer Science and Fine
  Art, and a Masters in Computer Science from
  Brown University.
• Studied experimental animation at the Rhode
  Island School of Design
• He has taught media art and experimental film at
  Brown University, The Rhode Island School of
  Design and UC Berkeley.
• Held research positions at Adobe Systems and
  Interval Research.
• His research is documented in a number of
  academic papers, several patents, and in the
  special effects program Adobe After Effects.
• Various independent/experimental films shown
  internationally as well as kinetic art.
• http//www.snibbe.com/

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Snibbe - continued

• Motion Sketch
• Motion Sketch (1991) evolved out of an
  exploration of how to make cinema with your body.
• attaches the movements of ones hand to the
  movements of abstract forms. These forms exist in
  a short one-second loop. The temporal complexity
  comes from the continuous layering of these
  forms, creating a motion painting.
• Became Motion Sketch in After Effects
• You can draw a path for the motion of a layer and
  it records your position and the speed with which
  you draw. As you create the path, keyframes are
  created

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Snibbe - continued

• Motion Phone (1995)
• Networked version of Motion Sketch creating a
  dynamic shared canvas
• Collaborative version of Motion Sketch

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Stu Maschwitz

• Worked in the Rebel Unit, a group within ILM
  dedicated to producing effects at a reduced cost
  (on the Mac).
• supervised over 200 shots for Star Wars Episode
  1 The Phantom Menace
• Founder of The Orphanage http//www.theorphanage.
  com
• Created Magic Bullet
• set of effects to transform the harsh look of
  video to the softer, more organic look of film
• Also created eLin
• Emulates real-world lighting, motion blurring,
  and perception in 3D composites
• Color correct according to lab specifications
  (points and stops).

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John Knoll

• Visual effects specialist at ILM.
• Original creator of Photoshop(along with his
  brother, Thomas)
• Best known for his work as Visual Effects
  Supervisor on the Star Wars prequels.
• Knoll was also the Computer Graphics Project
  Designer on The Abyss.
• earned ILM its tenth Academy Award.

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Future

• Collaboration
• Animation could be as easy as having a puppet
  show
• 3D Technologies repurposed
• Machinima
• http//www.machinima.com/
• More Industrial uses
• Car design, furniture design etc.
• Machine design in general
• Gas oil field simulation for discovery
• General Growth of information visualization
• Prototyping
• User Interfaces
• Business Communications

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Future - continued

• Medical Animation
• Cartographic Animation
• Animating any type of geographic change
• Especially powerful for animating epidemics
• Operations and other procedures
• Tests Experiments
• Futurama
• The combining of AI, VR, Animatronics, robotics,
  animation
• 3D Sound - the ability to make a noise seem to
  come from any point in space, given co-ordinates
  relative to the listener.
• Smell, sensations of texture and temperature
  (fur, sandpaper, water

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Q AThanks.