Animation has come a long way since the early days of Walt Disney’s hand drawn cartoon characters. Today it is a billion dollar industry. It has big names like Pixar and DreamWorks leading the charge. However, it wasn’t always so. Animation has had to come a long way to gain mainstream acceptance. It has also had to learn how to adapt to technology changes every few years. The animated movies we catch on our Frontier TV Packages actually have a very rich history behind them. They also have a bright future ahead.
Technology and the Animation Industry
When computer animation first came on the scene in the early 1980s, it faced hostility. Especially from traditional animators. May believed the computer would put traditional animators out of work. Gradually, animators accepted computer animation. This happened when they realized both traditional and digital animation can coexist. However, they still had a long way to go. It was a long while before animated movies became a mainstream phenomenon.
Animation studios have had to spend a lot of time and effort to attract audiences to theatres. Up until recently, animation had a reputation only in kid’s entertainment. It took time before people understood the potential of animated entertainment. Mainly that it can appeal to all age groups. Toy Story was the first, full-length, animated feature film to hit studios. Produced by Pixar and Disney, Toy Story went on to spawn a successful franchise. It also cemented animation‘s place in theaters. The direct catalyst behind this was vast improvements in technology.
Today, technology has advanced exponentially since the Toy Story days. More powerful software allows animators to create stunning visuals. Tech companies offer advanced equipment to meet modern animation needs. Today, it is almost impossible to tell real-life elements apart from animated ones. A good example is the movie, The Life of Pi. Everything but the boat and the human protagonist are animations. Even the sea is an animation! Computer generated animation still has a lot of potential that it hasn’t unlocked yet. However, modern innovative technology has improved animation in the following areas:
- Digital Filmmaking
- VR
- 3D Printing
- Depth Sensing Technology
- Cloud Collaboration
Let’s take a closer look at each area below.
Digital Filmmaking
Technology has changed many things about filmmaking, one of which is digital filmmaking. This is even truer in animation. Celluloid is one of the biggest fixtures in the filmmaking industry. It offers superior quality, finer colors, and richer experience. However, digital filmmaking offers something vastly more important. Flexibility. Animators can easily incorporate animated elements to overlay live-action sequences using digital technology. Digital filmmaking also has an immediacy that appeals to animation studios. You can actually see the characters developing when animators are working on them. Traditional filmmaking would require you to wait until the first edit.
VR
VR or Virtual Reality offers exciting new opportunities. It offers new ways for people to consume entertainment and information. While VR is still in its infancy, it’s applications in filmmaking seem to be extremely promising. This also applies to VR in animation. Many prominent animators continue to explore the best VR cinematic experience. VR is actually a very practical medium for entertainment. Primarily, because of its immersive quality. It also saves more time and money during preproduction. VR is a dynamic medium that may become the tool of choice for entertainment, much as TV did.
3D Printing
When it comes to production design, 3D printers are taking the industry by storm. 3D printing offers flexible and efficient ways to design advanced production props. Many CGI movies make use of 3D printed props to make the outcome look more realistic. Guardians of the Galaxy and Age of Ultron are just two examples. There are many others of CGI-intensive movies making use of 3D-printed props.
Depth Sensing Technology
This is a new format in animation that has revolutionized much of what appears on our screens. Depth sensing technology uses camera sensors that can analyze the depth of a scene. These sensors capture every shot in a wireframe format. After that, the software works to translate the wireframe into complete animation. Depth sensing is not needed with every animated project. But it certainly helps to create stunning animations and visuals.
Cloud Collaboration
Animation is a team effort. Most teams prefer to work remotely these days. So it makes sense that animation teams also have members working from remote areas. Cloud solutions work as the perfect bridge between geographical distances. Using just your internet connection, you can access the cloud from anywhere. This means you can collaborate with your animation team remotely. All you need to ensure is your internet connection is stable and uninterrupted. So make sure you have the Frontier Customer Support number handy in case the internet goes down. Any interruption in your connection could affect the project you are working on. Have fun animating!
