The Dawn of Animation

ZoeTrope

A ZoeTrope is one of the first kinds of animation devices ever made by man, originating by about 100 BC, and ever since, it's been one of the defining ways to show how animation has progressed and aged since those years.

A ZoeTrope works like this: You are given a tool with drawings on the inside of it, as well as many incisions that cut through the whole thing, they're usually cut as thin-linear lines. You then spin the device when light shines onto you and the device, then the drawings look like they are animated and the illusion of movement is achieved.

The video above goes through all of the steps needed to make zoetrope animation yourself, you can notice very similar techniques as explained above in this video.

ThaumaTrope

In the 19th century, man came along the animation idea and made a device that consisted of a disk, with two pictures on it, one on either side. Then strings are fitted onto the left and right sides of the disk, then when you spin the disk between you fingers it appears to blend the two images together due to the 'Persistence of Vision'.

A few of these devices have made their way into popular culture, one instance in particular was in the film 'The Prestige', Michael Caine's character uses a thaumatrope many times to attempt to explain the 'Persistence of Vision'.

This video, like the other one above, also has an approach in that it explains and shows you how to make the thaumascope and how it works.

Phenakistoscope

Another example of an early animation device, the Phenakistoscope was invented in 1832, but was planned out three years before, in 1829. The tool itself used a spinning disc attached to a handle, around the disc are the frames and drawings that will be displayed when you use the tool.

The drawings were cut equally with incisions gaps, then the person using the tool would spin the disc and look through the moving slits at the disc's reflection in a mirror. The reflection and the speed of the drawings would make the illusion that the drawings are moving and are in fact, animated.

Unlike the zoetrope and some other similar tools, the Phenakistoscope could only be used by one individual at a time.

Kinectoscope

An early motion picture exhibition device, it was designed to be viewed by one individual at a time as you would have to view through a peephole. 

The Kinectoscope was not a projector device, rather it was the norm before anything such as actual 'video' would come into play. It created the illusion of animation by having a strip of film bearing images in a sequence over a light source with a high-speed shutter.

First a concept by Thomas Edison in 1888, it was largely developed by one of his employees, by the name of William Kennedy Laurie Dickson.

Mutoscope

Invented by Winsor McCay, the Mutoscope was also an early machine for film and video, it was later patented by Herman Caster in 1894. The Mutoscope worked very similar to that of a flip book, with black and white images and placing them in a sequence to make an illusion of animation.

They were made to be manufactured in 1895, which went on to be made until the year of 1909 by the 'American Mutoscope and Biograph Company'. Soon another company came and manufactured new reels and machines from 1926 to 1949, it's no longer a trademark in the united states.

They were very frequent and common in the arcades and piers in the UK until the introduction of 'decimal coinage' in 1971.

Georges Melies

Born on December 8th, 1861, his father moved to Paris 1843 and was a shoemaker, beginning to work at a boot factory.  Years into the future, Georges ended up returning to Paris, France, aiming to study painting at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts, without much of a support financially from his father, he ended up supervising machinery at the family factory to support an income.

This didn't stop his passion however, as he started to be intrigued by stage magic, he began to visit performances and also took magic lessons from Emile Voisin. These combined made him very adept at fooling the eyes of the common man, he soon was granted the opportunity to perform his first ever shows. His first shows were held in the Cabinet Fantastique of the Grevin Wax Museum, and soon after that, the Galerie Vivienne.

Beginning of the Film Career

On December 27th, 1895, Melies attended a private demonstration of the Cinematograph, made by the Lumiere brothers. Within seconds, Melies instantly offered the Lumieres 10,000F for one of their machines they they had on offer at the time.

However, the brothers were actually hesitant to accept the offer, they then declined the offer too, they wanted to keep close eyes on their own invention, they also refused an offer of 20,000F from someone else for the same reason.

Melies had an intention to find a film projector for the Theatre Robin-Houdin, many other inventors in America and Europe were trying to experiment with machines very similar to Lumiere's one. 

Melies ended up in London at one point, he bought an Animatograph from someone, as well as several short films sold by the seller and by the 'Edison Manufacturing Company'.

After studying the design of the Animatograph, modified the machine so that it would perform as a film camera. Raw film stock and processing labs weren't available in Paris, so Melies then purchased unperforated film in London, he then personally devloped and printed his films through trial and error.

Melies directed over 500 films between 1896 and 1913, ranging in length from one to forty minutes. He also created the editing technique of a 'jump-cut', which he discovered by filming a bus, then his camera jammed, once sorted out he continued his filming nonetheless, and a hearse was there instead.

At the exact point where the bus had gone, the hearse was at the point where the bus disappeared at, this lead to making an iconic function in editing, this was a jump-cut.

Walt Disney & Steamboat Willie

In 1928, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks made a cartoon produced by Walt Disney Studios and was 

Types of Animations

Computer-Based Animation

Above is the a clip fro the show 'RWBY' by RoosterTeeth.

The animation style is animated on a computer, so there is some things that are easier and an example of computer-based animation. The animation software they use is actually something that takes a lot of time (mainly via key-framing), but they use the framing system to create the vision of movement.

Some of the fight scenes have some impressive stuff as they have 'Motion-Capture' with suits so they can do some fast-paced moments.

Below is another example of computer-based animation, 'Red vs Blue' by RoosterTeeth, also using similar techniques and moments in the show, based off of another series.

Traditional Animation

Above  is a clip from the series 'Soul Eater' written by Atsushi Ōkubo, in which one of the partners has to face off against another combination of a weapon and a meister. This kind of animation is based off of drawings placed together in a sequence, you draw one drawing, then another one after it with a slight adjustment and soon they are placed together and then the animation comes to life.

It comes off very interesting as a result but is the most time consuming. At about 12-25 drawings a second, there are some moments slicker than others but it's eye-candy to those observing.

Another example of traditional animation which is also of a Japanese descent is Death Note, using very similar if not the same kinds of techniques.

Stop-Motion Animation

Above is a clip from 'Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers' by Aardman, in which Wallace & Gromit chase after the Penguin thief 'Feathers McGraw'.

This kind of animation is one of, if not the most time-consuming, it involves making and sculpting clay models and then placing them in a position. After that you take a picture, like a photograph, then you move them ever so slightly, and take another picture, after that you move on to the next frame, and the next frame and so forth. Another example of this kind of animation is placed below, known as Morph, also by Aardman.

Audio Theory

Broadcast vs Non-broadcast and Audio Formats

Task 1 - https://uk.pinterest.com/joshrsmithiii/audio-for-college/

Broadcast	Non-broadcast	Audio Formats
Radio Transmission and reception of waves, they use these to transmit their shows and receive them. Mainly used by radio stations.	Downloads Using a service (i.e ITunes to convert tracks into a different format and have them to listen on the go). Also using the service to download movies and other things such as podcasts (below) to mp4 or different formats.	Mp3 One of the most common audio types, Mp3 files are generally smaller and are used the most frequently.
D.A.B A process in which analog audio audio is taken and converted to digital sound and put onto a different signal. From there it’s transmitted to a channel in FM (more often). Compared to radio, this uses a different process and type of audio, since it uses digital and radio uses analog.	Podcasts Podcasts are tracks or videos that can be audio or video and can be listened to on the go. Often downloaded off of a site, podcasts can be used as something to listen to as you do another activity. Podcasts can be informative, educational, or just casual and for entertainment. Some are interviews with famous people, and some are just podcast talk shows that intend to relax the listener.	WAV A generally bigger file size type, WAV files are used more in production than Mp3 files. They are of FAR better quality than mp3 which is evident by their size. It can also be used for storing different audio streams on various PC’s and devices.
	CD A more modernised storage format, it was originally made to only play sound but was soon made to store data. Replacing the more well-known cassette tapes for quite a while, CD discs can hold more data. CD discs generally hold more data than a cassette and vinyl, so you can get more music for your money. They can generally hold more than 80 minutes of audio; this is substantial and great for journeys. However they’re not as convenient as their prior successor. Portable CD players don’t have the convenience of Walkman devices, which were more convenient. This was mainly due to the fact they were not as clunky or in the way. The problem with CD players is they are the size of a CD, but bigger since it’s like a shell for the disc to play in.	AIFF Developed by Apple Inc. This type of file format is standard use for storing sound data for personal computers and devices. Mainly it is used on Apple Macintosh computers, unlike the Mp3 format, AIFF is uncompressed which results in steaming multiple audio files in a lossless method.
	Cassette Cassette tapes are tapes that used to average about 60 minutes of audio at their time, significant. They had two tiny spools, and were cased in the shell and were used to help export the sound through headphones or speakers.	FLAC It is lossless unlike the format of Mp3, so it’s quality will always be better than Mp3. It will not lose its quality when streaming and playing back audio.
	Vinyl An analog storage system used to play music, generally more old than the newer CD’s. It was the primary method of listening to music at one point, by the 1980’s the vinyl was leaving and replaced by the CD itself. Around the 1990’s, the vinyl was gone, the CD took its place. They were often played on gramophones, which used a needle to read the waves and play them out of a speaker.

The first audio example on my Pinterest board is a podcast, I believe that it was produced in a studio that was also on a certain location at the time. The audio quality is very good and the way they talk indicates it's a podcast, not scripted, nor is it planned, it is purely an interview that is done on the spot.

The podcast is about the famous AMC show 'The Walking Dead', it is discussing the progress of the show at that point in time with the actors on the show. They ask about what they think certain characters will do and how they are reacting to the current situation at that point.

It sounds like the equipment used are simple mics, possibly condenser USB mics, they have the efficiency to record decent audio, but aren't worth that much (about £32.45/$49.99). They can be reliable enough to record audio needed and are easily transportable, they're mobile and are great for setting up a podcast like this one on the go.

The other audio product that is on my Pinterest board to consider is the sound design video which covers the sound design for the video game 'Halo 4'. It has interviews and views from many different developers on the program and how they work and how much they enjoy the creativity of it.

The equipment that seems to have been used looks like more expensive, high-tech gear, but with sound effects, they use more than gear to make them. They also use their bodies and other pieces of household items to experiment and create new sounds and ideas. They also use dynamic mics, these are known to be better at recording audio and record little ambiance. They average about £300 due to their power and efficiency.

The last audio product on my Pinterest board is the radio show Hitchhiker's Guide to The Galaxy. A radio series that was evidently produced in a studio due to the quality of the audio and script. I think the mic that they used was that of a high-end one, costing hundreds of dollers/pounds.

They did a great job on the show and it has a household name as a result, their equipment would have been high-end at the time and it's clear that it costed them a lot of money to produce.