Birth of the Movie Industry

The first cinematograph screenings organized for a paying public took place in Paris on 28 December 1895 and which made an immediate attraction, showing in London's West End a few months later. Within a year, Qeen Victoria saw films made by the Uumi re brothers at Windsor Castle, which were accompanied by a full orchestra. These early films were projected at 16 frames per second and were about 50 feet in length, lasting about 50 seconds. Within a few years the average length of films had increased, together with the number of cinemas and other xhibition venues.

The movie industry was born, movies had suddenly become a form of mass Entertainment throughtout the Europe and the USA. At this time audiences saw little difference between live action (real scenes shot with a movie camera) and animation (drawn or painted images photographed frame by frame). The fact that light and shadow on a screen created scenes and people that moved was enthralling enough.

In December 1937 Disney introduced the first full-length feature animation to a marvelling audience the entirely hand-drawn, colour Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In 1998, some sixty years later, the Disney Studios, with Pixar, achieved another milestone with the first full-length feature 3D computer animation film, Toy story. This time, although the computer-generated toys looked exactly like real toys, the challenge was not so much to create the illustion of reality but to endow the 3D toys with individualistic character and personality, as was so clearly achieved with Snow white. Good characterization is often more difficult to achieve in 3D animation than in 2D work.

From 1902 to 2002 and beyond we have seen the massive growth of an industry and the growth of audience expectatons. Intitially people were enchanted just peering throught a slot and seeing a cycle of hand-drawn images moving. Then they were enthralled by the vision of real things and people moving on a large screen. Now they expect to see the impoosible happen and look utterly real.

Motion Capture Technology

Motion Capture or Motion tracking or mocap are terms used to describe the process by which movement is digitally recorded.

This technique was originally used for military tracking purposes and in sports as a tool for biomechanic research which focused on the mechanical functioning of the body, like how the heart and muscles work and move. It is also used for validation of computer vision and robotics. In the last twenty-five years, motion capture has become an essential tool in the entertainment business, giving computer animators the ability to make non-human characters more life-like. In filmmaking it refers to recording actions of human actors, and using that information to animate digital character models in 2D or 3D computer animation.

Historically, motion capture in animated movies was created using an extension of the rotoscoping technique. In this technique, movements of one or more actors are sampled many times per second, while wearing markers on specific points of his or her body. Motion capture records only the movements of the actor, not his visual appearance. Each marker in each frame of film is then manually encoded into the computer algorithm and mapped to a 3D model so that the model performs the same actions as the actor. 

It is a much faster way to film than rotoscoping, and it can provide real time results. Additionally, because the process records only movement as opposed to physical features, it allows one actor to play many roles. Perhaps most importantly in terms of realism, the accuracy of the data allows complex movements to be replicated with the correct distribution of weight and exchange of forces.

Motion capture technology is a good example of how digital techniques are being applied to the movie and related industries to allow more convincing visualizations of imaginary or composite images. For motion capture you use human actors who are dressed in a leotard with integral reflective or magnetic markers. The actor performs the actions that are required, and the digital cameras - or array of cameras - capture the motion of the reflective markers. Camera movements can also be motion captured so that a virtual camera in the scene will pan, tilt, or dolly around the stage driven by a camera operator while the actor is performing, and the motion capture system can capture the camera and props as well as the actor's performance. This allows the computer-generated characters, images and sets to have the same perspective as the video images from the camera. A computer processes the data and displays the movements of the actor, providing the desired camera positions in terms of objects in the set. Retroactively obtaining camera movement data from the captured footage is known as match moving or camera tracking.

Motion capturing techniques are very effective, but the computer processing needs much human intervention, and if there is any error in the data, you can find it more effective to re-shoot the whole scene rather than correct the data. However, motion capture technology is so much more effective and realistic than traditional techniques, and ultimately less time consuming, that its future looks assured in movies and in video games.

The recorded data is sent computer alogorithm that converts this motion data into a composite figure. You then modify this composite figure by normal computer animation software and human intervention. The end product gives the effect of an animated character acting directly with human actors. Giving an absolutely life-like image of a composite character. 

It's a techonolgy used in animated films and television as well as video games.

Motion capture techniques can vary by their input methods, there are four primary input methods: 

1. Prosthetic motion
2. Acoustic motion
3. Magnetic motion
4. Optical motion

Prosthetic or mechanical motion capture uses trigonometry to input the data from mechanical devices attached to the performer’s body. Because of the inhibitive nature of the machinery, it is seldom used today.

Acoustic motion capture uses audio transmitters on the actor's body that make a clicking sound when activated by movement. Receivers measure the time it takes for the sound to reach them and triangulate the data to indicate a point on a 3D plane. While the acoustic method doesn't encounter some of the problems of the optical method since a line of sight is not an issue, it does have other potential problems including audio interference affecting the accuracy of the motion capture.

Magnetic motion capture is one of the more commonly used methods. This approach uses a central magnet and several receivers attached to the actor's body. The receivers capture and record the actors movements and save them to the computer. Magnetic motion capture can be hindered by nearby metal objects if they are large enough, and depending on the power of the magnets being used, the capture area may not be as large as one would like.

Optical motion capture is probably the most popular motion capture method. This approach uses at least three cameras and proper lighting to recreate the performer's position in a 3D space. Optical motion capture allows for a larger performance area and less inhibited movement than the other methods. Because of the cost of each camera, this approach is likely to be the most expensive of the four.

Animate Literally Means

To animate literally means “to give life to”. Animating is moving something (or making something appear to move) that cannot move itself, whether it is a puppet of King Kong, a hand-drawn image of Snow White, the hands of a watch, or a synthetic image of a wooden toy cowboy. Animation has been used to teach and entertain from the early days of puppetry and continues to be used today in film and video. It is a powerful tool to spark the imagination of the child in all of us. Animation adds the dimension of time to computer graphics. This opens up great potential for transmitting information and knowledge to the viewer while igniting the emotions. Animation also creates a whole new set of problems for those who produce the images that constitute the animated sequence. To animate something, the animator has to be able to control, either directly or indirectly, how the thing is to move through time and space as well as how it might change its own shape or appearance over time.

In computer animation, any value that can be changed can be animated. An object’s position and orientation are obvious candidates for animation, but all of the following can be animated as well: the object’s shape, its shading parameters, its texture coordinates, the light source parameters, and the camera parameters. To set the context for computer animation, it is important to understand its heritage, its history, and certain relevant concepts like motion perception, the technical evolution of animation, animation production, and notable works in computer animation. 

The fundamental objective of computer animation programming is to select techniques and design tools that are expressive enough for animators to specify what they intend, yet at the same time are powerful enough to relieve animators from specifying any details they are not interested in. Obviously, no one tool is going to be right for every animator, for every animation, or even for every scene in a single animation. The appropriateness of a particular animation tool depends on the effect desired and the control required by the animator. An artistic piece of animation will usually require tools different from those required by an animation that simulates reality or educates a patient.

Difference between Computer-Assisted Animation and Computer-Generated Animation.

Computer Assisted Animation refers to systems consisting of one or more two-dimensional planes that computerize the traditional (hand-drawn) animation process. Interpolation between key shapes is typically the only use of the computer in producing this type of animation (in addition to the non–motion control uses of the computer in tasks such as inking, shuffling paper, and managing data).

Computer Generated Animation in which the animator is typically working in a synthetic three-dimensional environment with the objective of specifying the motion of both the cameras and the 3D objects (e.g., as in Toy Story ). For discussion purposes, motion specification for computergenerated animation is divided into two broad categories, interpolation and basic techniques  and advanced algorithms. These somewhat arbitrary names have been chosen to accentuate the computational differences among approaches to motion control. The former group can be thought of as low level because the animator exercises fine control over the motion and the expectations of the animator are very precise. The latter group comprises high-level algorithms in which control is at a coarser level with less of a preconceived notion of exactly what the motion will look like. Use of the term algorithms is meant to reinforce the notion of the relative sophistication of these techniques.

The interpolation and basic technique category consists of ways in which the computer is used to fill in the details of the motion once the animator specifies the required information. Examples of techniques in this category are key framing and path following. When using these techniques, animators typically have a fairly specific idea of the exact motion they want; these techniques give animators a direct and precise way of specifying and controlling the motion, with the computer’s function limited to filling in appropriate numeric values that are required to produce the desired motion. 

High-level procedural algorithms and behavioral models generate motion using a set of rules or constraints that specify what is to be done instead of how it is to be done. The animator chooses an appropriate algorithm or sets up the rules of a model and then selects initial values or boundary conditions. The system is then set into motion, so to speak, and the objects’ motions are automatically generated by the algorithm or model. These approaches, such as particle systems and rigid body dynamics, often rely on sophisticated computations.

The motion control methods can also be discussed in terms of the level of abstraction at which the animator is working. At one extreme, at a very low level of abstraction, the animator could individually color every pixel in every frame using a paint program. At the other extreme, at a very high level of abstraction, the animator could (in an ideal world) tell a computer to “make a movie about a dog.” Presumably, the computer would whirl away while it computes such a thing. A high level of abstraction frees the animator from dealing with the myriad details required to produce a piece of animation. A low level of abstraction allows the animator to be very precise in specifying exactly what is to be displayed and when. In practice, animators want to be able to switch back and forth and to work at various levels of abstraction depending on the desired effect. Developing effective animation tools that permit animators to work at both high and low levels of abstraction is a particular challenge.

This distinction between basic techniques and advanced algorithms is made primarily for pedagogical purposes. In practice the collection of techniques and algorithms used in computer animation forms a continuum from low to high levels of abstraction. Each technique requires a certain amount of effort from the animator and from the computer. This distribution of workload between the animator and the computer is a distinguishing characteristic among animation techniques. Intuitively, low-level techniques tend to require more user input and employ fairly straightforward computation. High-level algorithms, on the other hand, require less specific information from the animator and more computation.

Categories of Animation Business

Chances are, you will succeed in any one or more of the seven basic animation categories:

• Hollywood feature films
• TV commercials
• Televised entertainment
• Games
• Home videos
• Business communications
• E-media

Hollywood Feature Films : Hollywood feature films need not actually be produced in Los Angeles, California, but it really helps if you are located somewhere near this geo-creative nexus. Several excellent animation studios working on feature films exist as far away as Santa Barbara, Seattle, and even Massachusetts. Obviously, the benefit of a global Internet marketplace makes locating your animation business in Bombay, India, practical (and I would bet that the savvy Hollywood producer will one day discover the cost benefits of global sourcing). However, feature film production is still a lunchie, backslapping, meshpuka1 kind of business where personal contact represents a major part of the deal. It’s a little hard to schmooze over a T-1 line.

Cracking into a gig doing 3-D animation for feature films is kind of like cracking into feature films as a director. You have to be really persistent, concentrate exclusively on this market, and be a bit lucky. If you have a really good show reel, particularly with regard to character animation and  compositing, you might get a break.You’ll need to find a new director or producer who is looking to get some good, cheap CGI into a film and needs to find a low-budget supplier to make the budget. It’s like the music video business where you find an unsigned band and get to be their video person. They make it? So do you. Short of that leap, you can send your reel to existing shops that already work the feature film market and hope their needs and your reel match up.

TV Commercials : TV commercials are another hard market to crack, but easier than feature films. As the commercials get higher in budget, the market gets harder to crack. If you live in a second- or third-tier market (that is, a city that is not New York, Chicago, or Los Angeles), you can pitch your reel to advertising agencies and commercial producers. If your reel is a starter, you should still be able to get some work doing cable commercials, but if you have a stick of dynamite with a sizzling fuse, head for a top-tier market, hire a rep, and go for broke.

The top markets are dominated by the big advertising agencies that have an established custom of seeing new talent. You basically call producers or, better yet, their assistants, send your reel, and pester them a bit until they see it. It’s a hit or miss proposition. Having a rep with existing client contacts helps enormously. Reps come in all flavors, from the ones who have their own businesses, to reps you hire yourself on a full-time basis. Maybe, on second thought, it’s a good idea to get a start in a small town, build a good reel, and work your way to one of the three coasts.

Televised Entertainment : Televised entertainment includes TV shows that use 3-D animation and composited effects as part of their weekly fare. Again, this is primarily a Los Angeles market, but nothing is stopping you from creating your own show in Smalltown, USA, pitching it to a network, and getting a sale. Mike Judge did that with Beavis and Butt-head, although he used primitive, 2-D cell animation instead of sophisticated 3-D computer techniques.

The cost of producing a half-hour or hour-long pilot using 3-D animation is rather small compared to making a filmed presentation. You’re biggest expense will be the voices. Mike Judge did several of his own.

Cable television, especially the public access channels, is a great place to get started. You can test your production techniques, audience response, and enjoyment for the process with little risks.

Games : Game devices, from arcades to set-top boxes (and computers in between), continually increase their capabilities to emulate real 3-D, photorealistic action. The market for 3-D animation in the gaming community is always growing and highly competitive. Skills that will place you at the head of the line include character and creature development, achieving photorealistic playback with minimum memory allocation, understanding moving camera dynamics, and, of course, good teamwork.

You may consider designing your own game and using it to penetrate the market. Certain equipment requirements, such as a motion capture system, may be beyond your reach, but your creative concept, supported by less sophisticated choreography, may be adequate to earn you a significant production contract, or at least a great job.

Home Videos : Home Videos are another outlet for creative 3-D animation. If you decide to make your own televised entertainment, you can extend the selling opportunities of your work by sending it to home video distributors.

You can also go to your local video rental house, look over the special interest videos section, and collect the names of key producers. These enterprising businesspeople are always looking for a way to spice up their productions, and if you can price a package of logos, graphics, special effects, and other eye candy for their productions, you will have found a friend and a long-lasting client.

Business Communications : Business communications is the largest market for 3-D animation, especially videos and DVDs that are made to explain the arcane intricacies of medicine and high technology. Here your market is composed of producers, marketing directors, human resource managers, venture capital entrepreneurs, and training directors, all of whom have a constant need to have their communications embellished by animation and graphics.

Many of these clients have liberal criteria regarding the quality and complexity of the animations they purchase. If you are a beginner, and your reel is not yet replete with the most original, cutting-edge work, you may still be able to make sales in this category. Your client may not have had the opportunity to see some sophisticated work or does not understand the difference between the reels of a beginner and a seasoned pro. This limited window of opportunity should not be exploited by laziness. If you are lucky to get a client after only a few months’ practice in 3-D, don’t sit on your laurels and take your good fortune for granted.Keep pushing yourself and your skills.

E-Media : E-media presentations that appear over the Internet represent another large and growing market, which temporarily offers advantages to the beginner. Because most e-media is streamed to the viewer at a comparatively low bandwidth, the complexity of the animation it can play is severely limited. Beginners, whose work is limited by their level of knowledge, can exploit a medium whose resolution is limited by its bandwidth if the beginner is aware of how these two limitations overlap.

Low bandwidth means fewer colors and shading, fewer frames, simpler morphing, and less detail than full-bandwidth imagery. If you plan to get your start in this category, concentrate your initial skill set on achieving good results within the limitations of the medium and expand your skill set as the medium’s bandwidth increases. You just may get in on the ground floor of something big.

Digital Animation Bible: Creating Professional Animation with 3ds Max, Lightwave, and Maya