Cut out animation VS Computer Generated animation

Cut-out animations 

Cutout animation is a type of stop motion that uses 2D characters, backgrounds and props from materials like photographs, card, paper and stiff fabrics. The worlds first known animated feature films were made using cut out animation and made in Argentina by an Italian director and cartoonist named Quirino Cristianai. Cut out animation is a technique that involves moving cut out shapes in small movements and capturing them at every stage, although it could become laborious, it is alot simpler than drawing each frame by hand. 




'El Apostol' was released in 1917 and it utilizes the cut-out technique, it was directed and produced by Quirino Cristiani, but written by Alfonso de Laferrere. The animation was a satire, based on president Hipolito Yrigoyen as he ascended to heaven, to allow him to use Jupiter thunderbolts to clean Buenos Aires of corruption and immortality. The film was made up of 58,000 frames, which was to be played over an hour and 10 minuets. The feature film was though of highly by critics at the time, and it became a commercial success. However, a fire destroyed the cartoonist studio and burnt the only known copy of 'El Apostle' so now it is thought of as a lost film.

These days, cut out animation is usually produced using computers with scanned images or vector graphics, which replaced physically cutting out the materials. Most notably, the original adult animation  'South Park' was made using paper cut outs, however now the use a computer to help them and create a smoother Finnish. Other notable examples of cut out animation

More complex figures can be made using the technique, this includes silhouette animation. This method usually means that the figure will have joints made using a pin or a rivet, or if they were to be made using a computer, you would use an anchor. The connections act as a mechanical link, which creates the effect of movement. Charlotte Reiniger was a German film director, and she was at the front of pioneering silhouette animation. She had a distinctive artistic style, that was very different to other artists during the 1920's-30's. In the 1920's artist were reliant on their characters facial expression to show emotions or actions, however Reiniger's characters used gestures to show their emotions. The artist also used the metamorphism technique alot in her work, and her focus on the transformation of her characters movements benefited her work greatly, particularly with her fairytale pieces. Her characters were not biologically correct however they were able to express fluidity which was extremely important to her specific style of expressionism. There were other animators at the time which used the same kind of techniques, however her work stood out because she was able to accomplish this using the cut out technique. The artist work has also been referenced in many modern productions, Disney's 'Fantasia' uses her technique in the opening scene and it was also utalized in the opening credits of the 2004 film 'Lemony Snickets - A series of unfortunate events'



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBYyol_uBTc



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbYz4Se9FP4

Computer generated animations -  

Computer generated is a process used to generate animated images. The more general term for this is computer generated images (CGI) which includes static and dynamic scenes, whereas computer generated only refers to moving images. 

Computer animations are the digital equivalent to typical stop motion techniques using 3D models, comparatively traditional stop motion techniques use 2D models shot frame by frame. Computer generated animations are also more controllable than other physically based techniques because it allows the creation of some images which are unobtainable using traditional stop motion processes. It also allows an artist using a single graphic to produce content without using sets, actors and props. Furthermore, to create the effect of movement an image on a computer screen is constantly replaced by a new image in a slightly new position.

In order to trick the eye and brain into thinking they are seeing a smooth moving object, the pictures are drawn at roughly 20 frames a second or faster. When using frames above 75 per second, no improvement in movement can be seen as a result of the way the human eye and brain perceive things. In comparison, traditional animation techniques are shot using a frame rate of 15 frames a second, but this is considered acceptable because of the style of cartoons. So, in order for computer generated images to produce a realistic image, they must be shot using a higher frame rate than traditional stop motion techniques.

The origins of CGI go back to 1968,  a group of physicists and mathematicians developed ground-breaking research which allowed them to move a cat across a screen. The scientists had come up with a formula that was able to print hundreds of frames , and when it was processed could be used and converted into usable film. Furthermore, in  the 1970's CGI technology really gained attention as a result of the development of technology. A few years after 'the moving cat', 2D animator Peter Foldes produced the first CGI short film and it was drawn using a data tablet, the short was titled 'Hunger'. The short story was told with no words and it was a political and moral story about greed and gluttony in a modern society.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hY8jpD8zU4Y





https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9sytPC1l0o

The first 3D computer generated was used in the 1976 film 'Futureworld'. The film is a science fiction thriller that was a sequel to the film 'Westworld'; it chose to take the plot in an alternative direction but that wasn't recieved positivley by critics. 'Futureworld' was the first big feature film to use the 3D computer generated images. CGI was used to create an animated hand and face, which was a digitalized version of Edwin Catmulls left hand.





The famous director George Lucus was able to see the huge potential that using CGI could have, but he chose to combine analogue and digital techniques in 'Star wars - a new hope', which was released in 1977. The film had been re-released after seeing Steven Speilbergs 'Jurassic Park'. The special edition of the film featured scenes that unobtainable as a result of time constraints, technology and financial issues; scenes such as a meeting between Jabba the hut and Han Solo. Although most of the changes that Lucus had made were minor, may fans and critics though that he had degraded the films nature. One of the most controversial changes made was when the Bounty hunter, Greedo, shoots first when he confronts Han Solo.



When the 21st century came, the possibilities of CGI became endless, as computer generated images becoming a part of authentic film. Lord of the Rings was released in 2001 and it is a fantasy adventure film set in middle earth. The film was the first movie franchise to use artificial intelligence for their digital characters, but it also introduced the first photo realistic motion captured character with the role of Gollum. One of the most obvious uses of special effects, and it is used in every scene, is the techniques that ensured everything was to the correct scale. Elijah Wood (aka Frodo) is 5ft 6in in real life, however his character in the film is not even four foot. A vast variety of techniques and methods were used to ensure that the hobbits would appear in their iconic small stature. Comparatively, John -Rhys-Davies (aka Gimli)happened to be the correct height. therefore none of his scenes had to be shot twice. Large and small scale doubles had to be used in some scenes, and similarly entire duplicates of sets were used so that the characters appeared to be the right size and scale. For example At some point in the film, Frodo is running through a corridor followed by Gandolf, both characters had to be filmed using a different scale corridor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZfRlWv2ue3I



'The matrix - Reloaded' is a science fiction action film, released in 2003, and it was the first sequel to the matrix series. It was the first film to use a techniques called universal capture, which meant the creators were able to capture more frames in one image than any other film at the time. The film had earned a total of 281/5 million in America and 742.1 million worldwide.  Additionally, the animated film 'The polar express' further pushed the boundries of Computer generated imagery by using motion capture and CGI on all of its characters.

Many breakthroughs followed the release of these films as technology entered the realm of of photo realistic imagery, most notably 'Avatar'. The epic science fiction film was released in 2009, and written, directed, produced and co-edited by James Cameron. It is set in mid 22nd century, where humans are colonizing Pandora, which is a habitable of a gas giant in the star system Alpha Centuri. The development of the film begun in 1994 when the director wrote a treatment of 80 pages. Filming was meant to take place in 1997, when Cameron had completed the iconic film 'Titanic', and it was planned to be released in 1999. However, Cameron said that in order to create the film he desired, the technology was not available yet. The film had an official budget of 237 million dollars, but other estimates suggest that the film cost 280 million and 310 million dollars. When the film was finally made, it made extensive use of computer generated imagery as almost everything seen has been adapted using technology. The film received extremely positive reviews from critics and audiences, mostly praising the ground-breaking use of special effects. When it was first released, the film had broken several box office records and it became one of the highest grossing films of all time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8Mi0elohJw

Cut out animation is a very traditional type of animation, dating back to 1917.It uses 2D characters and sets, which would add very little depth. When the rise and development of technology came, there was no need to use traditional techniques because a computer and motion capture suits could do it all for you, filming would become less tedious and time consuming, however that's not to say it was easy either. Using CGI would allow animators to create realistic fantasy worlds, the technique is used allot in the science fiction genre, and it helps to add a sense of depth to films, making it even more realistic. Additionally, the movement that could be seen when using cut out animations could be quite judder, in comparison to the use of CGI which allowed for smooth movements and transitions