Animation- An Illusion Made with Sequence of Still Pictures

Have you ever wondered that your favorite animated character used to be a rough sketch on some storyboard artists’ notepad? SpongeBob Square Pants was initially a sequence of pencil sketched figure on white paper before becoming the global animated sensation among people of all ages.

How does Animation work: Understanding the Illusion

Animation is the craft of manipulating still frames to appear as a moving entity. It happens with the persistence of vision. Basically, animators have to line up a bunch of still images shot after shot which appear to be in motion later.

The human eye and brain cannot comprehend more than 12 images per second. With the help of computer graphics and advanced tools, animators surpass that number and we take the images to be in motion.

History of moving picture:

The very first conscious human attempt in creating moving images was done with flip books. One of the most popular flip books to this date is that is of a bird flying out of the cage. If we start digging, the history of animation can be dragged as back as the pre-historic era.

Some inventions like the phenakistoscope were also a big contribution in spreading the word about moving images. Phenakistoscope was a round disk shaped device which helped images to be shown in motion with light manipulation.

Techniques of Animation

Animation has really come a long way from drawing in flipbooks to spinning disks. It is now a multibillion dollar industry which has demand in almost every other sector. Learning animation in Kolkata is no longer seen as doing a side course. This city is the hub of animation with thousands of job openings for aspiring artists.

Animation is an advanced craft and continues to evolve with the upcoming technologies, equipments and machines. The evolution of science and engineering has a great role to play in the evolution of this art as well.

We live in the age of ‘Digital Animation’. Every single animation project is done with the help of computerized mechanisms. Whether it’s the traditional 2D animation like Bojack Horseman or 3D animation like Big Hero 6; they are all done by digital animators on advanced computers and developed tools.

Stop Motion Animation:

Stop Motion is a very popular form of animation used mostly in digital advertisements and some cartoons too. Stop Motion used to be a dated technique when there was not enough technology to create smooth 2D transitions. However, its aesthetic allegiance and mass appeal has made it a great marketing strategy.
Popular cartoons like Shaun the Sheep, Thomas & Friends and etc are the living example of how this mode of animation has captured the hearts of the people.

3D Animation:

3D or Three Dimensional probably does not even need any introduction. We live in the age of 3-D. Every single animated film which is made these days is also released in 3D. People of all age groups are mesmerised the capacity of 3D to encapsulate the audiences within the film.

The mass success of Frozen 2, Toy Story 4, Zootopia, Secret Life of Pets 2, Angry Birds 2 and etc living examples of how many 3D films sell. Studying from a 3D animation institute in Kolkata would escalate your career opportunities to humongous heights. You shall be able to take great strides for your future.

As mentioned earlier, 3D animators are greatly in demand and in various sectors of entertainment for sure.