Monday, September 28, 2009

Animation Movies - Where To?

If we take a look at the recent releases, there is no major movie based on 2D animation. Is 2D animation worn out, or just not commercial enough? Even if those classic animations are always a pleasure to watch, you have to admit that the modern animation is more attractive. They are more real, and people seem to love that. If we take a look at the box office, we see 2 animation movies in top 10 (Shrek 2 and Finding Nemo) with 1,7 billion dollars revenue. That is amazing. And for both movies CGI (Computer-Generated Imagery) was used.

So, why do studios use CGI, and why do we like it so much? I tend to say, that from the film fan’s point of view, it’s the story that makes the movie so attractive, because, anytime I would like to see a movie like Shrek, with real actors, scenes, and other real stuff. But it’s the story that does all the trick. From the creators’ point of view, it is cheaper. Because, with today’s special effects, anything is possible with real actors, and they can’t deny that. But, like I said, it’s cheaper than physical methods, such as constructing elaborate miniatures for effects shots or hiring a great deal of extras for crowd scenes, and because it allows the creation of images that would not be feasible using any other method. It can also allow a single artist to produce content without the use of actors or other contributors to the project.

The first studio to release a fully computer-generated feature film was Pixar, with their Toy Story. The movie was a major box office hit, generating $360,000,000. Pixar is also “responsible” with other successful animation movies, such as Finding Nemo, A Bug’s Life or The Incredibles. The other real competitor for Pixar is DreamWorks SKG, with Shrek, Shrek 2(this is the animation that generated the largest income for an animation movie, over 880 million dollars), Antz or Chicken Run.

Now that I mentioned Chicken Run, this is a very interesting animation, because it’s not like the other. For this movie Claymation was used. What exactly is Claymation? Well, in clay animation, each object is sculpted in clay or a similarly pliable material such as plasticine, usually around an armature. As in other forms of object animation, the object is arranged on the set, a shot is taken and the object or character is then moved very slightly by hand. Another shot is taken and the object moved slightly again. To achieve the best results, a consistent shooting environment is needed to maintain the illusion of continuity. This means paying special attention to maintaining consistent lighting and object placement. Even if Chicken Run was not a huge hit, DreamWorks used Claymation again, for the remake of Wallace and Gromit.

So, no matter what techniques the creators use, it seems that the 2D animation days are gone and computer-animated movies become more real with every release, breaking revenue records.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Clay Animation

Clay animation is also known as Claymation and is in fact a registered trademark created by Will Vinton Studios to describe their clay animated movies. The term is now commonly used to refer to all stop motion animation, which is 3-D, as opposed to traditional animation, that is not.

Clay animation is growing in popularity around the world. Schools around the world are using clay animation movies to make teaching easier. Students are actively encouraged to use their artistic and creative talents, while using this technology to tell a story. Clay animation is appealing to a broad variety of learners. For instance, language skills are being taught using clay animation. Logical and mathematical skills are being taught using clay animation, involving digital photography and video editing technology.

Clay animation helps to make learning more fun. It encourages students to collaborate during a project. Not only youngsters, one would agree that anybody would have fun making characters move on a screen. Clay animation also works on the basic principle of persistence of vision. Persistence of vision creates an illusion of movement, whereby you feel that the objects are moving. You can easily create a simple clay animation with as little as two images using this principle. All you need is a PC with the requisite software to get started.

You can find vast amounts of information on clay animation from online resources. In fact, you can create your own clay animation by following the steps mentioned in most of these online resources. There are no limits to what your imagination can do with a little bit of knowledge on clay animation. Alternately you can also enroll yourself with institutions who can teach you clay animation professionally.

Monday, September 21, 2009

Basics of Desktop Wallpapers

What is not to like about desktop wallpapers? Besides the idea that it is absolutely free to download in your computer, the designs are truly captivating and beautiful. Desktop wallpapers are offered online via hundreds of sites. And to make it easier for people to choose their preference, they have been categorized for quicker searches and downloading.

Here is a list of the categories and what images are affixed in them.

  1. 3D displays wonderful animations of things. Examples are 3D mushrooms, linux 3D wallpaper, 3D beautiful lion, gravity pull, fire escape, the edge of hell, and more.
  2. Animals are images that provide a feeling of sweetness and warmth. Cuddly animals include sweet poodle dog, cute little puppies, one dog with two cats, and white dog playing with cat.
  3. Anime is playing with ordinary images and putting together real and computer-generated artistry in one. Few examples are Naruto 24, Silent Hill Anime, and Night Eyes.
  4. Bollywood features Indian actors and actresses sporting their hottest looks. They are Kareena Kapoor looking hot, Hrithik Roshan bollywood star, and Sexy Katrina Kaif.
  5. Cars are a man's best friend. But even sporty girls love the elegant cars, too. Drool over Z Art Porsche Boxter, Techart Porsche, or Porsche 911 2007.
  6. Cartoons are designed for both the kids and child-at-heart grownups. Cartoons showcase the fun images of Pink SpongeBob, Tweety, Spiderman, Pooh, Nemo, and the Care Bears.
  7. Celebrities present a beautiful collection of photos from your favorite celebrities such as Beyonce, Angelina Jolie, Christina Aguilera, Eva Longoria, Paris Hilton, and more hot celebs.
  8. Christmas is an array of designs that reminds you of the season anytime of the year. Find Mickey Mouse in a Santa in Holidays wallpaper. Imagine yourself in the image of Santas Lap.
  9. Computer shows mostly colorful renditions of the logos of Microsoft and Apple brands.
  10. Fantasy is like the Anime category. Images are from toying of other images, resulting to a different creative design. Check out the beautiful sunset at Pastel Sunset. Other designs are Mercury Rising, Poseidon Cinema, Planetary Night, and Rainy Season.
  11. Flowers extend fragrance in visual form. Love the White Flower, Red Tulips, Yellow Flower, and other stunning flowers in full bloom.
  12. Games are definitely for certified gamers. List includes Mario, Tomb Raider Legend, and racing games.
  13. Girls are photos of fashionably chic icons of the entertainment and sports industry. Some of them are the Sex in the City girls, Maria Sharapova, Zhang Ziyi, Spice Girls, and other top models.
  14. Holidays are images of events of the heart such as Passing Love, Valentine's Party, or Scary Halloween Party, and just about any holiday celebrated in life.

There are still other interesting images and photos to suit your taste such as that from the Military, Motorcycles, Movies, Music, Nature, Places, Ships, Space, Sports, and Zodiac. Each category offers a certain kind of satisfaction upon successfully downloading them in your computer. But the thrill of finding the perfect desktop wallpaper definitely depends on you.

Saturday, September 19, 2009