What are the different kinds of animation?
Animation is used in many industries, including entertainment, advertising, education, and gaming.
Animation is not just one thing. There are different styles and it can be done through various techniques, such as hand-drawn, computer-generated, or stop-motion animation. Get a taste of how animation works in this short video below and scroll further down to read more about the different styles.
Stop Motion Animation
In Stop Motion Animation, the artist takes a photo of an object or scene and moves the object a little bit before taking the next photo. This can include clay figures, puppets, or even everyday objects. There are no limits! Stop Motion does require patience and attention to detail but can result in charming and unique visuals. You might have seen Wallace and Gromit or Coraline, both examples of Stop Motion Animation. Or this award-winning short film Under The Winter Sun.
At Chocolate Films we love running stop motion animation workshops. It’s a fun and great way of trying animation without needing expensive software. It’s hands-on and an activity you can easily do with your classmates and friends. You can start on your phone and download an app. One of the downsides of using this style is that it can be a bit fiddly – and bear in mind that the bigger ideas you have, the more you have to build!
Traditional Cel Animation
Maybe you’ve watched Bambi (1942) or The Lion King (1994)? These Disney classics are examples of cel animation.
Traditional cel animation is a fun and magical way to bring your drawings to life! Each frame is drawn by hand on a transparent sheet called a “cell”, and then photographed in sequence to create movement. It’s been used for many classic movies and TV shows, and you can try it too with just a pencil, paper, and lots of imagination!
Cel animation is fun and creative, but aren’t you a fan of drawing then one of the other styles might be more for you!
Rigged 2D Animation
Rigged 2D animation is a special kind of animation that uses digital tools to make it easier to move characters around. Instead of redrawing every frame by hand, the characters are created with a “skeleton” of digital bones and controls that let animators move them around like a puppet. This technique can make it faster to create animations and add more detail to characters. Take a look at an example here created by Chocolate Films’ in-house animator.
2D animation is considered easier than for example 3D animation since the characters will usually have more simplified movements.
3D Computer-Generated Animation
3D computer-generated animation is a super cool way to create lifelike characters and environments using special software.
Animators start by building a digital 3D model of the character or object they want to animate, then add texture, color, and lighting to make it look real. Once everything is ready, they can move the model around and even make it talk! This kind of animation is used in movies, video games, and even virtual reality experiences.
Want to know more? Book one of our Animation Workshops today!
