How to be an animator / how to make animation step by step
Animation is defined as the process of creating the illusion of movement, by quickly displaying a specific sequence of two- or three-dimensional images or drawings, which differ slightly from each other and then gradually increase, usually with some sounds, sound effects, and background music.
Animation is used in the media, as it has the power of influence and marketing, as well as for the manufacture of entertainment films, in training simulation programs, and in scientific experiments that need to be tested before being implemented.
Animations are made by specialized artists, and people who have experience using modern technologies to manufacture them, such as digital cameras, computers, and others.
The Animation Industry
The animation-making process goes through three main stages: pre-production, production, and post-production. Each stage has its own set of steps that may vary depending on the intended purpose of the animation.
Pre-production stage
The pre-production stage is more dependent on brainstorming and planning the animation to be done, and it includes the following:
- Set the main goal of the video, and the message he wants to communicate through it.
- Determine the type and age of the target audience of the video. Put the titles and main ideas to be presented in the video.
- Choosing the methods to be adopted for making the video, and the style to be followed in the video, such as determining the quality of images or drawings, dialogue tone, music, and colors.
Production stage
The production stage requires a lot of directed and dependent work on the ideas and goals that were written down in the pre-production stage.
At this stage, the script should be prepared, the scenes based on the scenario should be determined, the drawings should be made with the characters that will play the main roles in the video or the places that will embrace these characters, then they will be moved, and the voices should be recorded in various tones.
Scenario
The scenario depends on the main objectives and ideas, and some tips can be followed to write it, including:
- The less the momentum of the dialogue and speech in the video, the larger the audience will be.
- Choosing the language, quality, and method of presenting the scenario, depending on the type and age of the target audience.
- Follow the method of direct address with the audience, or follow the narrative method.
- That the video begins with the strong message of the video to attract the viewer to complete it.
Scenes
The scenes are those visual scenes that include the video sequences, as they are a group of panels, each of which presents a paragraph from the written script.
This step helps to make the production process easier, by making boxes for each box containing a scene containing a specific dialogue.
Graphics
Graphics are the spirit of the video and the clearest and most artistic way to communicate the meaningful scenario through it. These drawings may be real or imaginary, and they can be represented by drawing, sketching, or photography.
The graphics are characterized by a set of elements that were selected in the pre-production stage, and among the steps that may help to produce graphics consistent with the video to be produced are:
- Choose a specific theme from the colors that harmonize together.
- Specify the dimensions to be adopted, to show the drawings in a size that gives high quality.
- Adherence to a specific general pattern of drawings, and not to place numerous and inconsistent patterns.
- Paper drawings can be converted into digital drawings by one of the expert designers in these programs.
Sounds
Sounds are an important element of the video, including character voices, background sounds, and various sound effects. A set of tips can be used to get high-quality sound, including:
- Choose a tone of voice that matches the graphics that you will be superimposed on.
- Avoid slow sounds that may bored the viewer. After recording, it must be ensured that the sounds are clear and free of noise.
- All types of sounds must be at the same volume, so that none of them is loud and the other is low, and make sure that none of them overlap.
Animation stage
The final stage of the production stage is the animation stage, which is the stage that brings all the graphics, sounds, and scenes together, and brings them to life.
- Many programs may help with the animation process, and the following are several steps to animate the video:
- Arrange the scenes chronologically based on the scenario.
- Link audio recordings with chronologically arranged scenes.
- Apply animation for each scene separately.
- Merge the scenes together, and ensure a smooth transition between them.
- Add background music files to the final output.
- Watch the final video, and make the final edits.
Post production
The main goal of the animation industry is to convey an idea or message to the target audience, so the post-production stage is to make sure that the video has achieved the goal for which it was made, and how people respond to it, and taking any comments or criticisms that may help improve the work at times. coming. These results can be obtained by posting the video on various social media, or by calculating the revenue generated from it.
How to be an animator / how to make animation step by step
Animation techniques
Animation has gone through a revolution of developments, creating many techniques used by animators over the ages, and among the most important animation techniques that were used in the past, or developed recently:
- Traditional animation or cel animation, this method was used in the 20th century, and is represented by a group of paper drawings. Fill in the blanks with color, then put transparency over a fixed background. This method was taken and applied in an advanced way on computers, so that drawing and coloring became directly on the device, but using the same layers method.
- Stop motion animation, which is a method that relies on moving real models, and filming them within the frame of an entire movie, which is a method that is less expensive and faster than the method of computer production.
- Computer method: so that the film is produced using digital computer techniques, it provides a large number of techniques that can be used, and they are of two types:
- Two-dimensional graphics: It is represented by moving two-dimensional graphics using raster graphics, so that they are drawn and animated on the computer. Among the most famous programs that can be used to create this type of graphics are Flash and Powerpoint.
- Three-dimensional graphics: These films are made by drawing a three-dimensional polygon, which is animated by computer techniques and various programs, and then the polygon gives details that appear on the visual image to be displayed. These models are moved using 3D programs, simulating realistic movements.
The history of the animation industry The history of animation began before the 19th century, and the camera had not yet been invented to shoot animation, so photographer Edward Muybridge made a series of sequential images that represent the movement of animals and humans.
Then mechanical machines were invented that display moving images by rapid and sequential flashes of still images.
In 1892, the first animated cartoon film designed by the French Emile Raynaud was shown, and with the beginning of the twentieth-century animation became completely dependent on graphics.
In 1914, the Fleischer brothers opened the first studio for the animation industry in New York, then opened several studios in California, and Walt Disney appeared in 1923 and dominated the world of animation.
How to be an animator / how to make animation step by step
