Styles of animation

I’ve been trying to study the styles of animation from quite long time, but couldn’t actually found some core material on it. So I decided to write an article by my own. I have gone through lot of animation materials, so I am jotting it all down here by adding my own view point towards it.

Visual appeal of the movie depends on the character design, style of animation, cinematography, etc. Character designs can be realistic, semi realistic, caricatured, etc. Same way animation also differs in styles like semi real, real, hyper real, cartoony/snappy, stylized and limited animation. The style of animation depends mainly on the subject matter of the movie, director’s choice and the medium for display. Animation director’s concern is to get the idea right through the motion. Basic understanding about styles of animation will increase our knowledge.

Styles of animation:

· Semi-Realistic Animation: The idea of animation is not to make things real but believable. We take references for movement from real life but in many cases director wants to accentuate some idea or exaggerate some action to get registration or wants some gag to produce out of it. So we are snapping some actions or making it look bit more cartoony. For example Shrek. In this movie the movements feels real except from some shots. I remember one when Fiona is fighting with guards. She is having The Matrix movement (trinity’s pose, with camera rotate 90 degrees). Is timed cartoony where Fiona kicks the guard in just couple of frames. Overall the style of animation for the movie is semi-real.

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· Realistic: The character’s movements will feel real here. This mostly gained with the help of motion capture. Here the devices are used to capture the motion & later animators are there to clean it up for the production. Many times in realistic motion character feels stiff. If the director is very fussy about the actions or one is making movie on subtle topics, they don’t want to exaggerate the actions much. That’s why most of the fairy tales, mythological movies are realistic in motion. Movies like The Polar express, Final Fantasy, Barbie movies etc. Many 2D movies are having realistic actions too like Prince of Egypt. Directors don’t want to make it cartoony because it will lose the sincerity of the movie. Again this is a choice one can make it cartoony & hold the subtlety of the subject.

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· Hyper Realistic: Taking it beyond realistic motions. Audience will see muscle level animation here which is not easily visible in real life. Energy level of the characters will differ then real. The character designs for this style are unique too. Usually this includes characters which are not seen in real life but director wants them to come alive on the screen like creatures, dinosaurs, dragons, Aliens. Lots of animation & dynamics are used to make them believable on screen. People believe those actions & enjoys because of their hyper details. These are the best examples of hyper real, The Incredible Hulk, Avatar… Hyper detailing in these movies will not look foolish or cartoony but will add the appeal and strength.

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· Cartoony Animation/ Snappy Animation: Some movie did attempt to achieve 2D feel with CG puppets. We all have seen Tom and Jerry and loved it too. This type of animation in 3D is cartoony or snappy animation. For example Madagascar, over the hedge, etc… These movies attempted to get that old classic animation feel in 3D and they succeed too. Over all style is snappy but all characters don’t move fast or snap in same rate, they behave according to their personality. In the movie over the hedge I remember human characters are moving differently & that little squirrel behaves differently, of course because of their characteristics. but idea for motion was exaggerated to add that cartoony effect.

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· Stylized: Stylized animation is like adding cherry on top of the cake. Pixar guys are experts on this. They take real performance and make it worth pound. i.e. by adding and exaggerating animation principles on top of the original videotaped realistic performance. The best examples are Ratatouille, Horton… You will see lots of squash and stretch and arc… in almost all parts of the body in the character, where in realistic you won’t see much of it. We do see that these movements and actions can’t be true in real life, we are watching CG puppets but we do believe them and enjoy their performance on the screen. Exaggerating the real and adding more entertainment value to it by playing with the animation tools (principles.) To exaggerate motion to the extent which creates an animation style, need great sense of design.

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Limited Animation: This applies to 2D animation only. As a rule not more than 6 drawings are produced for one second of animation. Limited animation requires almost as much skill on the part of the animator as full animation, since they must create an illusion of motion in limited drawings. Examples are old series of Flint stones, Yogi bear, Manga anim etc… Here repetitions of the actions are acceptable. Timings for hold are increased. Many times we see character delivering dialogues with stiff body (single pose) & mouth opening and closing.


Do not confuse this article with the types of animation. I found nice article on types of animation, click here to visit the blog.

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Short story, The Grotto

The Grotto (Work In Progress)

Screen Note:
The southern part of the Balkan peninsula (Greece) is often faces the attack of the creatures and monstrous sized animals. People have seen these things coming out of a cave which is known as The Grotto. (A grotto is often a cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide. The mystery and perceived danger of these underground sites easily led to the formation of myths and gods.) Whosoever enters in the Grotto have to face the death. It was believed that the cave is cursed & monsters own it. Who kills everyone who enters in. Many times brave men tried to enter but they never returned. But someone needs to take risk in order to make all live. After two years one more brave man came in to make a difference.

Loud lighting sounds, some visuals flickering.

A man standing with a torch ( a sharp wood stick) in an entrance of cave. Heavy rain outside.

Lighting sound. Black out, close up.

A man having fair beard with mustache fully wet, determined, darting here and there with caution.

Dissolve to a wall of rocks in side the cave. A lizard is camouflaged (because of dust on it body) in to the wall. Slight movement in its body shows that it being there for a long time. Come the edge of the wall and spies on an insect fleeing around the wall.

Sudden after a little pause it opens his mouth and swallows that insect in. The man arrived in and inserts himself from behind the wall in to the cave.

The man looks focused, little scared and in search of something. He makes steps further in to the grotto. He wipes the torch around to make his way from the nets of spiders. Which were spread all around the cave.

He forwards himself. He starts feeling the cold. He notices that walls are wet in side. He suspects something but keeps moving.

He detects some unclear drawing inside on the wall. He carefully watches them but unable to get the idea out of it. Slowly moves his leg and feels something below it.

Sound “crack”.

He discovers that bones are spread there all around in the cave. Head bones, hand and leg bone etc. The bean of fear dropped inside him, but his courage foreshadows it. He tightens his grip on the stick of fire and squint his eye brow. Moves ahead.

Suddenly wind blows the fire off from his torch. He tries to light the stick with fire again but fails to do so. But surprisingly he is able to see further in the cave. A blue pale light is coming from inside makes it possible to see further in the cave. He then holds torch like the torch to protect himself in case of danger.

Looks here and there and moves ahead following blue light.

(Entry of another character.)

We see close up of eyes. (Fade in fade out.)

Smoke coming out from mouth because of cold (fade in fade out)

A monster like creature looks up, coming out of his sitting pose, making a roar.

The Man stops. He looks here and there with little fear but still able to maintain his stability & moves ahead.

The Monster hears footsteps & stands up suspecting something. He becomes hyper at something and shows little disappointment like he didn’t want to get disturbed.

Man comes in front of the Monster from behind the cave wall. Monster looks at him throwing blank expression. Man saw him and got ready to charge like he was expecting this kind of creature only in the cave.

He runs forward making his first move towards the monster with the sharp torch in hand. Shouting and attacking. Monster just dodges him like he is not interested in fight, showing pity towards the Man.

The Man hits himself on the cave wall. Without any pause or further thoughts he just goes for second attack. He is moving speedily to hit him hard. Man reaches near monster. Monster hits on the hand of the Man and torch falls dawn. Man founds himself empty handed at the other corner of the wall.

Monster is not seems to be aggressive but irritated. He is just trying to avoid the fight. Looks like he is giving chance to move out & go back.

But Man is not quitting. He is getting more aggressive with every move. He thinks if he quits it will be difficult for him to survive and move out of the cave alive. Fear causes him to attack constantly and with full power. In those heavy attacks he is able to hit monster with the torch.

Monster has lost his patience and he hits Man hard in agony. Man slides back hitting himself with a wall corner with force. He understood the power of this creature. He realizes that now there is no chance to escape because he made monster angry and now he’ll kill him.

Monster is showing unexpected expression. He feels sorry for what he has just done but not able to communicate his thought properly. He moves ahead to help the Man.

On other side Man is scared to death now after getting this hit from monster. He is thoughtless fail to understand anything he just looks for his torch here and there and able to get it.

Monster is moving forward showing disgrace and when he is just try to tell him something with his gesture… The Man makes an unexpected move towards him. Runs on the wall & attacks on the monster. Jumps in the air & inserts the torch in to the chest of Monster.

Monster’s tong stuck inside the mouth only. His eyes got wet he looks toward the Man and falls dawn. Monster’s eye showing tears with absolute innocence like he was trying to convince something but got failed. Man is breathing heavily. Standing still having no idea of what just happened. All seems sudden for him.

He looks deep in to the cave & he found the source of light and decided to move ahead. Monster not dead yet he in his full pain, shows a gesture to stop here only and not to move ahead. But Man was bewildered & fails to understand what just happened. This is very perplexed moment for him. He moves ahead with his confused state of mind. Man moves in the direction of light and vanishes.

He comes in to the picture again from the other side of that light and this side looks like all together new place hidden inside this small looking cave. A big dome covered mostly with the ice. The Man is looking like an ant in-front of this huge monstrous cave. It’s a closed dome there is no way further. This dome is surrounded by lots of water. There is a very little place to walk in between.

Man moves ahead, he is still confused. He is just seeing things & not getting any idea of it. He feels little cold. He is moving forward and comes to a pause.

Water is showing some movements behind the Man. Man looks back as he senses someone’s presence in the place, then suddenly a wind with some smoke blows on to his face. This wind blow makes him imbalance. He is finding difficult in viewing things. Suddenly a hand comes out of water with a scream. Man looks back towards it. A man who looks like drowning, he is asking for help. It seems he is stuck inside the water. Begging the Man to help him & make him move out.

Man tries to focus but not able to view it clearly, but he does understood that someone is stuck inside. Man looks towards the door & wondering how this one entered & when. The man inside the water cries for help very badly. For Man it is a very perplexed moment. He is not able to understand what is happening. He moves ahead to help him. He offers his hand for help. The man holds it quickly, grabs the hand hard & by pulling him the man makes his move out quickly.

Suddenly another hand came out near Man in same manner asking for help. Man in his confusing state gives him hand too. Both the man transforms in to the water shaped creatures & moves upward on to the Man. Another hand comes out of water. Man quits as he gets the idea that something undesirable is happening. He dodges his hand. Another hand from inside of water tries to hold Man’s feet. Man moves back speedily but other two creature are unstoppable. They attacked and captured Man from both the sides. (One by one lot of hands came out of water. Environment became chaotic. All were shouting, crying towards Man.)

One creature is on the neck & another on the other side biting & hurting the Man. Man starts feeling the pain of it. He removes the torch & mange to wipe around. Both the creatures fall dawn like the water splash.

Everything becomes silent suddenly. Water became still as before, all the creatures splashed & merged in to the water. Man is out of his own control feeling terrible pain because of that attack. He looks wounded mentally as well as physically. The torch drops from his hand.

Man is feeling too constrained like he will fall. His body is getting stiffer. He looks upwards, towards left and right for help. Hoping someone to come out from somewhere and help him somehow. The scars of those attacks are clearly seen on his body. Something happened which was not expected. His hands and legs started transforming.

His is getting darker. Skin started deforming. He is not able to maintain the balance. He is falling but trying to hold him with little forward steps. His shadow falls on the ground & his transformation is clearly seen in those.

He shouts in his unbearable pain. Lastly his shadow shows the transformation of his face in to the something ugly. In long shot a huge, ugly looking thing is visible. Black out with a roar sound.

Fade in… to a monster’s face, innocent eyes. Cloths were same as the Man who entered in the grotto. Fade out…fade in…

Full view of the monster, was actually that Man who transformed in to the one dangerous looking thing.

He goes near the dead body of the old monster and cried out laud realizing his mistake.

==X==

"Chandi kaa Kalash"- Shot Progression

Here is the shot which I was experimenting with my animation students on Hindi dialogue...

 Here is the final version of the shot:

Personal Animation Tests, 11 secondclub.com

>> Animation entry for 11secondclub.com (Feb'09)

Rocking..! from Vikram Pandya on Vimeo.

After working on my short film Musing I wanted to do a dialogue shot again, so I did this exercise. Lip-sync needs more work coz I could only pull it to this level. Anyways I was able to complete it and was fun.

>> Animation entry for 11secondclub.com (Dec'07)

I Miss U..! from Vikram Pandya on Vimeo.

This time I wanted to do dialogue test with some story behind, so I waited for the real idea behind the dialogue. When Struck with this concept I didn't wait for a second.

>> Animation entry for 11secondclub.com (Sept'07)

Mistake..! from Vikram Pandya on Vimeo.
This was very first entry of mine for the 11second club. Apart from the production work I wanted to cook something for my reel. And I was very happy with the output I came of. It has flows but for that current time it was my best work, but I learned and improved.

>> Animation entry for 11secondclub.com (Nov'07)

Teddy's Invention from Vikram Pandya on Vimeo.

This was a busy month in our studio. I had started but then never actually got time to complete this one.