Animation

The lumière brothers: Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas (19 October 1862 – 10 April 1954) and Louis Jean (5 October 1864 – 7 June 1948),were among the first filmmakers in history. They created an improved cinematograph, which in contrast to Thomas Edison's "peepshow" kinetoscope allowed simultaneous viewing by multiple people. In parallel with their cinema work they experimented with colour photography. They worked on a number of colour photographic processes in the 1890s including the Lippmann process (interference heliochromy) and their own 'bichromated glue' process a subtractive colour process, examples of which were exhibited at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1900.

Creating eye-catching yet technically representative of the lesson’s teachings was, in my opinion, quite fun. Learning how to make GIFs is a skill I believe I shall value quite highly into the future.

Unfortunately, in the lesson I had no time to completely finish my Gifs to the quality that I wanted. At this result I concluded to make the above GIFs at home, and add in some sketches for variation.

In a similar note I implemented extreme colour changes between each frame using Curves and Hue and saturation on photoshop. The effect of this is most evident in the first GIF, wherein I changed the aesthetic of each image (including the sketches over the top) to create a drastically different atmosphere in each.

When attempting to save my photoshop files, I also realised that when downloading the file as a GIF, it gave me the option to save in full high quality. Although this may have seemed appealing at first, I considered the compatibility of such a huge file. I am also aware that tumblr has a cap upon the maximum file size of any GIF. To avoid this, I reduced the pixellation considerably- by more than half- but despite an ugly result, I noticed that the light in each picture became more stylised than before. This is especially noticeable in the red frame of the GIF seen immediately above- where the warm light of the stairwell has been evaluated into a pool of yellow stars on the ceiling above.

I personally love this result and I will definitely consider how to implement this acute style and intrigue into my final animation!

Jack Stauber

A man of great significance in the photographic and film community due to his contributions towards the development of the modern film camera, Muybridge has situated himself in the eyes of adoration since his pioneering discoveries came to fruition.

Born in 1830, Muybridge grew up through the popularisation of a new and exiting invention; the photograph. Although in his youth the photograph had only been in the public eye for a few years- seen as only a strange technological marvel and proving quite rough in presentation. However, in the mid 1800s, there was a surge on photographs taken due to huge developments within the industry. From the 1860s into the 1870s, a high density of essential photographical discoveries were found, all leading up to 1887 wherein Muybridge (at that time, 57) published his most famous and essential findings.

He had attempted to prove a highly disputed theory opposing the idea that at any time during a gallop; all hooves momentarily were off of the ground. He developed a camera with a rapid shutter speed that gave an exposure of less than two-thousandths part of a second (around 25 fps) from 12 to 24 cameras and a special shutter he developed. The success of his findings was evident from their wide publication- however he still received high speculation from those who contended that a horse’s legs could never all is raised from the ground.

This speculative attitude exemplifies the novelty of Muybridge’s invention. It was so whimsical an idea that even when faced with evidence, the public still remained in secure disbelief. It seemed that the problem was that when seen from a flat perspective, one could only see images next to one another, and were therefore difficult to envision as real. In response to this issue, Muybridge concluded to give lectures on animal locomotion using an early form of projector called a ‘zoopraxicope’ on which his images were projected through a glass disc.

This invention and consequent display are often heralded as the birth of the cinematic screenings of today, as well as the birth of animation and film itself.

-Jasmine Hassan

time based media within the context of artistic expression is any media which uses time as a fundamental descriptor or dimension- functioning only within certain set time parameters or through the passing of time itself.

Aside from its nonsensical and surreal plot , Yellow submarine has been heralded as a keystone in the history of animation. It broke barriers through the generally expected forms of media, integrating multiple techniques including collage (both photographical, and film inserts throughout) and traditional frame-by-frame animation. The expressive art style amalgamated with the free flowing aesthetics of the psychedelic colour palate and organically flowing lines. For many sequences, the art-style flourished and changed drastically, which can be attributed the large team of distinctive artists (over 200 individuals) who worked on it - A key scene, of course, being the ‘Lucy in the Sky’ sequence, which involved the use of rotoscope.

Rotoscope is a technique in which an animator will trace over each frame of live action footage using a translucent medium (like glass) resulting in realistic movement and shape.

However, unlike a simplistic form of rotoscope, the sequence involves bold painted planes of colour incongruently on each frame, with the colour palate of each frame changing and flipping, thus exciting the visuals and stimulating the subject matter. A short shot of a woman on a horse becomes a vibrant flurry of bursting colour and energy.

This particular sequence was the brainchild of George Dunning, the main director of the whole film, of which he then presented to artist Bill Sewell. Sewell developed over half an hour of rotoscope images, which was then condensed into the sequence length of the film.

Rotoscope, however, isn’t a one off in Yellow Submarine. Its first and perhaps more emotionally charged use appears in Eleanor Rigby, only with a more uniform and muted ambience. The visuals are also more static, but will sometimes involve a small element of traditional animation, painted over on a glass panel to be separate from the background. For example, in the depicted image of the man in a helmet, a tear falls from his eye and drops to the bottom of the goggles. Once the tear seeps through the goggle it drops from the bottom. The contrast between the static photos and the single tear brings to mind clear themes of isolation and melancholia- as the tear makes its way through the already rather bleak environment like a signifier of unease and hopelessness.

Additionally, many clips in the movie involve live action placed furtively within the 2d environment. This adds dimension to the world building – emphasising the psychedelic, conceptual and dreamlike atmosphere of Yellow submarine.