The Other Side - History of Animation Lecture

Animation has been around for almost 400 years and wasn't originally seen on a screen but made use of multiple contraptions which may, today not get referred to as types of animations. They were first seen as the magic lantern the predecessor to what we would call a projector, using translucent paint projected using an oil lamp to show paintings on a flat wall or surface. On the other hand a Thaumatrope is an even more low tech item of that era which is simply a disc with two images on either side of the disc which is spun creating an illusion of the two images interacting with each other. A Phenakistoscope is similar to a zoetrope both are spinning contraptions which utilises mirrors and slits only a phenakistoscope is a set of two discs while a zoetrope is a cylinder. Flip books are probably one of the first stages of the modern view of animation as it can create a longer period of time that an animation is being shown in comparison to the previous techniques which would repeat after a limit, flip books had a beginning and an end, being extended with more pages. There was also the praxinoscope, an evovled form of the zoetrope which uses a central mirror rather than slits.

Starting from the 1900's to the first quarter of the century films and animations began to be created, but they were only silent which would have unsynchronized sound but in place were replaced with a live pianist. The very first animation that would be called an animation was 'Matches an Appeal', by Arthur Melbourne-Cooper, it was made in stop motion, moving a set of match sticks to create a performance, it is said to be the oldest animation. The first hand drawn animation was called 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces by J. Stuart Blackton, drawn on blackboard with white chalk. In comparison, on the other side of the world the first anime was drawn in 1907, titled Katsudo Shashin with no titled author, this one however was drawn on frames rather than being made up of photographs. Fantasmagorie is the first presentation of character driven, story based narrative. Ladislaw Starewicz made the animation Beautiful Lukanida (The Camera mans Revenge) was the pioneer of puppet animation, the animation was made in 1912. One of the most famous animations from that time, would be Gertie the Dinosaur as it showed one of the first detailed animations ever as well as interaction between live action and animation, done between the animation and its creator, Windsor McCay. While it doesn't have any parts of its film left, El Apostol was a seventy minute animation made buy Quirino Cristiani it is known as the first feature length film. The last animation of the silent era was Lichtspiel Opus by Walter Ruttmann, an abstract film a part of the movement called Absolute film.

After the silent era came what came to be known as the golden age, this covered 1923-1960 when the animation industry took a hit from the more affordable alternative called TV. It was during this time that Disney began to rise to power in the animation industry. They started with just shorts at the beginning of movies leading walt disney to come up with his first full length animation, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. It was in these films that Walt Disney came up with the 12 Principles of Animation creating animations with life and action which started to make animations much more relatable. Disney wasn't the only person to be producing more developed and detailed animations during this time, Max and Dave Fleeischer created Song Car Tunes the first animation to work with synchronised sound along with the animation and it was Quirino Cristianis 'Peludopolis' that was the first full length feature film that used synced up sound, however there is none of the original film left. The first full length anime film was by Mitsuyo Seo, called Momotaro's Divine Sea Warriors.

In the modern day animation can now be applied not only to cartoons, shorts or movies but also art films, portraying messages to people, wether they be political, experimental or just art.

The Other side - Group crit

Our class was separated into different groups where we showed our work and how far we are at with the Other Side brief. I had recently drawn up my backgrounds and completed them and so showed them to my group. it was brought to my attention through both the backgrounds and the animatic that the animation will come across as very jerky and static as there is no movement of the backgrounds, the screen doesn't pan the backgrounds and it doesn't feel very full of life. Between each shot there wasn't any smooth transitions between the main scenes and the characters actions, it would just show his running and his adventure but never really focuses on him, he as a character in this story doesn't stop, this left no room for smoother and more natural transitions of the scenes.

To amend this i am going to alter the backgrounds so that they will parallax and move, the first scene will pan across while the camera will follow the characters actions in some cases, especially on scenes where he jumps and falls. I also want to maybe put in some transitioning shots of the characters actions to give the animation more fluidity with its pacing which i feel could be improved.

Sequence Series Set - Developed Theme 7-12

Just a more vulgar and terrifying idea of what a human spider could look like, how they aren't really going to be an appealing creature, how a combined human spider is going to be the creepiest thing ever seen as its skin would bear the features of both.






Instead of a human becoming a spider, similar to my first image in my previous post, i went with a group of spiders becoming an even larger spider.







A focus on the face during initial transformation, fangs forcing there way through the cheeks and mouths as well as the eyes becoming the round black spheres and the addition of the extra set of eyes.







So far all the images of the spider women/arachne have been of them suffering through the transformation so i decided to try and draw a more prideful and strong while being more intimidating and fierce rather than being meek and pretty.








Spiders having layed eggs inside a persons stomach which is a disgusting prospect. Producing spiders as a host, to an extent.








The final image is a group of humans wrapped up in spider webs going through a gradual transformation into spider like monsters, with both aspects of spiders and humans.

Sequence Series Set - Developed Theme 1-6

The first idea i wanted to try was a human turning into a mass of spiders. As the hand reaches out the fingers scatter and disperse into millions of spiders.






A forceful transformation of Arachne into a spider pulling out sticky webs and goo(?) to add to the body shock and gore.









The gruesome idea of a spider crawling out of a mouth, spiders coming from a human and not necessarily turning into a spider but just coming from them.









Taking the idea of a spider shedding its skin and making it so that the human sheds its skin producing a spider within.








I really like the style of this image, especially Athena with her slender, elongated and simple body. This one shows the pain and suffering that Arachne went through and the distain Athena showed towards her.





This one shows the capture of a human and maybe the idea of a human becoming a part of the spider, either as its meal or it being turned into a spider like creature.

Sequence Series Set - Arachne and Athena

The story of Arachne and Athena is from greek mythology and the reason why we call spiders arachnes. The woman Arachne was know to all as a master weaver fascinating all with her pieces and her weaving skills being seen as beautiful by humans and nymphs. She was so talented she was asked if she was a pupil of the Goddess Athena however she denied such claims and stated she was better of Athena and that Athena was undeserving of her talents. Athena heard this and was furious, however she tried an act of mercy, appearing at Arachnes door as an old woman telling her to apologise for what she said, however arachne challenged athena demanding the goddess appeared at her door. Athena changed back into her original self and began the competition. Arachne weaved images of all the failings of the gods from the actions of zeus to deception and deceit. Athena was filled with guilt and shame, knocking away the weave and placing her finger upon arachnes forehead filling her with the same guilt and shame. This depressed arachne so much so that she hung herself and out of pity for her Athena turned into a creature that would continue to weave for generations to come.

Sequence Series set - 12 image focus

The next part of the project we have to focus on one of the 24 images and create 12 images from that. I chose to work with my arachne image as i liked the idea of humans producing or becoming spiders, the possible fear and disgust towards such actions.

I won't just do the drawings as spider women of arachne transformations but other possible transformations a person could go through to become a bearer of spiders.

This is the image i chose.

Sequence Series set - 21-24

While it doesn't have any relevance to spiders, this plant shares its name with spiders, the spider plant.










While i don't know if spider venom was ever used in medicine or poisons i wanted to show the poisonous acidity and the danger found in the fangs and poison.









The rivalry between a spider and a mantis how they devour one another shown using the boxing ring which find quite funny.










The final image i drew was based upon a story where buddha lowered a spiders thread into hell for a sinner who did not step on a spider in there life time and so he was offered the thread, as he started to climb other sinners began to climb weighing down the thread causing the sinner to shout the thread was only for him and for the thread to snap dropping them back into hell. The story is about selfishness.

Sequence Series Set - images 17-20

Based on the story of arachne from greek mythology where the human woman arachne claims to be a better weaver than the goddess athena and after a contest arachne was turned into a spider so that she would weave for ever.








Sticky spider webs, im not sure if it shows but i like how it looks glooby and wet and i hope it comes across as sticky.










Spiderman.
Didn't really want to draw him as i had no interest in superheroes but i felt it was almost a mandatory requirement for a spider brief. Like the detail though.








Another drawing of a spider lady, working with showing more detail and maybe as well as working in another media (ink). This one has real character to it i feel.

Sequence Series Set - images 13-16

After working with the idea of phobias and the fear of spiders, i considered how they viewed us and the saying, he's more afraid of you than you are of him'.









Follows the same as above but with different media and a different view point, i also dislike both of these images.








Spiders shedding their skin/skeleton thing is the most terrifying thing ever!!!
Its a little difficult to show a shed spiders skin so i tried to draw the exit hole of the skin.









I found this one really nice and humorous, thinking about how when we catch the spiders in glasses its like a temporary prison cell, how they flail there limbs about trying to get out and gather their bearings.

Sequence Series Set - images 9-12

On the Nazca plains there is the Nazca spider, the name of the alien lines left in the ground which has led to many conspiracy, Alien and other theories. drew this using pen first of all then going over the whole image with coloured chalks to show the dusty plain.

I decided to look at other creatures that are effected by spiders other than humans, flies. The meal of the spider i wanted it to look dramatic and sudden as if something like this would be so small but an overbearing and terrifying act. i used pen on the fly and then ink for the spiders fangs.

This has become a personal favourite, the phrase, a web of lies, is the inspiration for this image, as i wanted a spindly image with thin legs and web connecting and expanding it more complexity.

I think that a mantis is seen as a spiders rival as they are always trying to eat one another in documentaries so i used oil pastels to make rough and violent lines.

Sequence Series Set - Anthony Michael Simon

These webs are actual spider webs. Sprayed with a strengthening agent and coloured spray to create strange art pieces. I don't find it very interesting but visually its a very strange sculpture, I'm looking at this more for the fact that it makes use of a spider and the webs are another aspect of spiders.

Sequence Series Set - images 5-8

I wanted to try the phobia again but this time with the idea that the fear was overbearing pressing down on our fear of this alien creature, i used an ink brush to make rough marks on the paper to add an unsettling appearance.









Working on black paper and with chalk i drew a juraigumo (i think thats how its spelt?) a half spider half woman monster from japanese mythology which preys on humans. i like the human aspect as it adds something to my eight legged nightmares.








This is  one of my least favourite drawings as it was at the point when i wasn't sure what to draw, so i drew a very boring watercolour spider to spread a few ideas.









This, in comparison to the previous one is one of my favourite images, a black widow cannibalising its mate. A quite ominous and grim idea but i like how it could easily be seen as humorous under the right circumstances.

Sequence Series set - images 1-4

To start the image making i decided to draw using on ink dip pen as i thought its thin lines would make a really nice spindly aesthetic to the image, specifically on the thin legs of certain spiders the rough ink lines add a nice sinister aspect to the idea of fear towards the spider.








The part of spiders which scares me the most is the eyes so i forced myself to look at an image of a spider and drew it in gold on black showing shiny gleam that the eyes have which make them look so unnatural.






I was at college and didn't have as much media as i had wanted or to work with so using glue and paper i tried to get across the idea of phobia, the fear of the unknown or a spider lurking in the shadows.









While i don't have to look at spiders specifically or anything with spider in its name i could look at things associated with spiders and the most common thing was webs.

Sequence Series set - Mood Board

To help with idea generation i created a pinterest mood board which focused on spiders looking at spiders themselves as well as spider plants, characters that look like spiders with spider like features as well as the varieties of spider there are.

Sequence Series Set - Beginning Development

To start the project off i began by making a spider (pun not intended) diagram. And to get the just of how a spider looks, with out having to get too close through photos due to being phobic i went to the city museum and drew the two spider models there. because there were so few models i chose to draw the scorpion and the mantis as they are either an arachnid or, personally seen as the rival of the spider respectively.

The Other Side - Rendered Background

These are the rendered backgrounds for my animation and they were drawn and coloured on photoshop using a variety of brushes. I realised that if i want to make the plants shift and move with the interaction of the character i was going to have to add them in separately in the animation while i animate, to make the plants seem more natural.

The first scene is an establishing shot which shows the hole in the tree where my character lives. While drawing this i tried to show difference in lighting on the tree as well as the detail on the bark I found drawing the image too be more enjoyable than colouring because trying to get my lighting right was frustrating as well as finding a good colour for the bark and sky.

The second scene is probably one of the most full and complicated scenes in the sense it has so many components (the bush, tree, fence, sky and grass) with the tree i had to try and get the hole a realistic size as well as the markings in the bark to at least be similar in placement. the colour of the bark was difficult to replicate as well. On the fence to make it look like wood, i made a separate layer and lowered the opacity of an image of wood to give it a texture. I would of liked to of given a bit more idea of shadows on the fence and bush but i realised it would be quite dark from the shadows which i didn't want.

With the third scene I needed a background and a fore ground on two separate layers as my character passes through the two sets of grasses. Like with the tree bark, i had to get the grass the same colour in each scene which was also difficult. i wanted to make the grass move as my character passes through however i don't know how to do this at the time with the animation.

This is the most dull looking background but has the most to add. i had to leave a path for the character to walk through as it hits the flowers and pushes through the grass, i think this scene will result in the most time consuming to animate as there is a lot of secondary action and overlap.

I really like the pond image as it adds a new aspect to the constantly grassy and green images and I'm going to have to make a slight variation on my animation work and think with much more fluidity with the water splash and the interaction of lily pad on water. I'm looking forward to animating the impact of the jump of my character.

The coming final scenes all take place in a blackberry bush, and so i had to have a variety of thorns leaves and berrys. As all this takes place inside the bush i made all the features darker than what they initially looked like.

With the final scene, like with the third scene i had to separate the hedge from the garden as well as getting the light passing through the whole in the bush.
I found making the backgrounds time consuming, difficult and interesting, as they were something i hadn't done much at all, i enjoyed drawing them but when i was getting to the end, drawing the blackberry bush three times in a row it was very repetitive. i feel like my backgrounds fit with the style of my character who will look natural in this landscape but i would of liked to of made the backgrounds more realistic but i still need to work with backgrounds and digital paintings but thats just the future for practice.