Plan

Stop Animation
Persistence of vision is the idea that the eye continues to see an afterimage for
approximately one twenty-fifth of a second after is disappears. This means that when
still images used to make a stop animation are edited together, it gives the illusion of
a continuous moving picture. William Horner was a British mathematician who
invented the zoetrope in 1834. The zoetrope was an improved model of
phenakistoscope, and involved the theory of persistence of vision. The zoetrope is
designed like a cylinder, with a number of images, each slightly changed (for example
a person raising their hand and waving) put in sequence around the inside of the
cylinder. Above that row of images were a series of slits which the person would
then look through. The cylinder would then be spun and the person would look
through the slits, and the images appeared to be moving. The persistence of vision
theory comes into place here, as you do not see each individual image, but instead
the image appears to be moving smoothly. In 1877, Charles Emile Reynaud - a French
photographers apprentice - developed the praxinoscope, which was an improved
version of the zoetrope. This was an improved design, as mirrors were placed inside
(instead of having slits), reflecting the image on the inside of the cylinder, meaning
that the animation was easier to see.
Stop-frame is when a series of photos are taken in sequence are put together and
shown as an animation. Eadweard Muybridge was an English photography, most
importantly known for his studies into animal motion. In 1878 a race horse owner
hired him to answer a very debated question - whether all four feet of a horse were
off the ground at the same time. Muybridge placed several cameras along the side of
the track. The shutters were triggered by wires as the horse ran past. He then took
these images and put them into Zoopraxiscope (the first movie projector) to see how
the horse moved. Thomas Edison was an American inventor who created the
kinetoscope in 1891. The Kinetoscope showed films to one individual at a time
through a peephole viewer window at the top of the device. The roll of film would be
run through the machine to show the images moving.
Willis OBrien was a special effects artist and pioneer of the technique of stop
motion. As a former newspaper cartoonist and sculptor, O'Brien started making short
films in 1914. He was most famous for his work on the 1925 animated version of
Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, and his work on the 1933 version of King
Kong. These are considered classic examples of stop-motion photography. Charlotte
"Lotte" Reiniger was a German film director and pioneer of silhouette animation,
anticipating Walt Disney by over ten years. Reiniger made over 40 films over her
lifetime, and her most successful films are The Adventures of Prince Achmed (1926)
and The Magic Flute, featuring music by Mozart.
Movement of models is that technique that Aardman Animation use to create
their animations. Their specific technique is Claymation, which is where they use
plasticine sculpted around a wire armature to create the models. This means
that they are easy to move around between each shot. The technique is the
same as most other animations regarding the way they create the animation, by
taking a picture then moving the figure slightly then taking another shot. The
Aardman Animations are responsible for the Wallace and Gromit shorts and
films, along with Chicken Run and Shaun the Sheep. This technique takes a long
time when making a film, for example Aardmans A Matter of Loaf and Death took
5 years to make and release. Tim burton is another hugely successful stop motion
animator. He has made a large variety of famous films such as Corpse Bride and
The Nightmare Before Christmas. Burton is known for his seamless animations,
using more shots than other animators

Animation can be used in various different ways, such as TV shows, films, adverts and
music videos. Animation has been used greatly in films and TV shows, and these
forms are probably the most well-known for animation. For example, the Aardman
Animations are an example for TV shows and films and, in my opinion, are one of the
most famous stop motion animators. Animation is less popular in music videos, but
there are a few famous ones which are really good. For example
(http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-
6gvOVWKKxmo/firekites_autumn_story_chalk_animation) Channel Idents also dont
usually include animation, but again there are some famous ones, for example the E
stings for the channel E4.