Notes from The Fundamentals of Animation by Paul Wells

Wells Paul, (2002), The Fundamentals of Animation, London, AVA Publishing

- Technique convergence of digital and traditional "Recent animated feature films such as Hayao Miyazaki's beautifully drawn Spirited Away employ a range of digital techniques to enhance the visuals including mapping hand - drawn backgrounds onto 3d cgi models and 2d texture and material shaders" (Wells, 2002: 64)
- catagories of mixed animation artist
1. the animator
2. the artist
3. collaborating animators
4. art film - makers
5. digital mixers
6. performing artists
- animator as interpreter - writing scripts and creating funny material are all particular interpretative and creative skills needed by animator
- high number of animated films aspire to be funny
- gag structures are particular suited to visual humour
- misdirection and juxtaposition
- illogical logic
- dramatic irony
- puns and parody
- exaggeration and understatement
- repetition

3D Stop Motion Animation

- two brief histories, first is largely European tradition of short stop - motion films made by individual artists and series made for childrens television. The second is Hollywood tradition is 'invisible history of stop motion as a branch of special effects for feature length films
- two approaches using either puppets or clay models
- pg 101 Harryhausen who was influenced by and who he later influenced
- two examples of stop motion on 102 Harryhausen jason and the argonaughts skeleton fight and on right nick park and chicken run
- clay animation offers the possibility of working with an 'every day' material and fashioning work, which at one and the same time demonstrates the 'hands on' nature of the process and the manipulated outcomes of the process itself. (Wells, 2002)
- clay moves in a 3d space and very plastic - idea that we were all moulded from it, pg 119

Digital Animation

- cgi on big and small screen, investiment of technology increased and computer generated images became the dominant aesthetic of animated features and children's programming
- type of animation formed computer games and the aim to capture realistic characters and story e.g Hironobu Sakaguch's Final Fantasy
- prompted a necessary shift in the definition of animation as a model of film-making
- superior example of cgi is Chris Landreth's 'Ryan' influenced by realistic facial and body representation
-rotoscoping - where live action and animation meet. The animator traces over a live image onto paper become the guide for detailed and life -like animation
- motion capture - real -life person's movements translates to cg character as reference
- post production defined by technique employed - special effects, sound mixing and compositing etc.