The language of the camera
HISTORY
When it comes to the relevance of animation to cinema, one has to mention that in 1826, Joseph Plateau invented the rotary moving image mirror, which was a card with a picture loop painted on the edge with a crack. The viewer holds the card close to a mirror and looks in through the slit as the card rotates. The basic principle is the same as that of film and television, which is that of visual transience.
So it’s just the birth of the moving image you could say it’s animation as well as video, and it was in the Lumière Brothers’ The arrival of a train, although nowadays it looks like a documentary, was quite a sensation at the time, as it was the first time that people were able to see a real scene projected in a projection, a great innovation in human history. At the same time the dynamics of the train moving forward and people waiting for the train unintentionally gave rise to a preliminary lens language, which will be considered in the coming years for its role and appeal.
Animation as a medium therefore has the same communicative nature as film and the language of shots is also common.
In the classroom, the video content mentions the use of lenses, including the choice of scene, how to move the camera, what a long shot is, how to shoot off-axis etc.
Although I have read books on film and television and watched a lot of youtube tutorial videos in the past, reviewing them again still allows me to recognise points that I hadn’t noticed before and where I had been rather neglectful.
Reflections on the future of animation
HISTORY
From Snow White in 1937, Disney’s first feature-length colour animation in the history of animation, to the first three-dimensional animated feature film in 1995, Toy Story by Pixar, these two productions have clearly left one of the most important and indelible marks in the history of animation.
We find that today, whether it is the two-dimensional animation of Ghibli as the representative of Japan or the three-dimensional animation of Pixar, which we have all become so accustomed to, it is hard to imagine that the release of feature-length animation in colour was such a shock at the time that it showed us how much more exciting life can be given to animation.
TODAY
As an example, the Unreal Engine has caused quite a stir this year with Unreal 5, as the engine’s algorithms are now infinitely close to CG levels!
In the future, it is foreseeable that the production of animation may no longer be limited to hand-drawn or computer-generated animation, which can be captured dynamically in the game through VR and can also obtain realistic visual effects. Comparative green screen special effects animation has been around for years, but just because the technology offers more possibilities and convenience doesn’t mean it will necessarily become mainstream.
So back to the main point – how will creators create and apply new technologies, will they still use traditional camera language, or will they use open interactive storytelling (Netflix has made interactive movies), or will they directly experience VR’s point of view in the first persodirected person, etc. These are all challenges and opportunities presented by technology and innovation.
I cannot help but think of the future of the animation industry in a wonderful way!