Creating a brand with personality
Readings
Animated Storytelling by Liz Blazer (Chapter 9)
Chapter 9 of Animated Storytelling explores how choosing the right animation technique is crucial for effective storytelling. Different animation styles can enhance a project's core message and help it stand out. Though animators tend to stick with familiar methods, it's vital to select the technique that best fits the story's tone, message, and audience. The choice should also consider practical factors like format, scale, and viewing platform—for instance, smaller screens work better with clean, high-contrast 2D graphics, while large-scale projections need detailed, textured designs.
Liz Blazer examines several animation styles, including hand-drawn, stop motion, and 2D/3D CGI, each with distinct storytelling strengths. Hand-drawn animation delivers emotionally rich, expressive visuals, while stop motion offers a unique handcrafted aesthetic. 2D CGI proves ideal for motion graphics and narrative films with its scalability and clean look, and 3D CGI creates either hyper-realistic or stylized fantasy worlds, as demonstrated by Pixar and Laika films. When a preferred technique lies outside one's expertise, solutions include using digital tools, combining live action, or seeking outside help.
Research
Spongebob SquarePants
These clips from Spongebob is a great example of staging. The animators lead the viewer on to believe that Squidward is reacting to what Spongebob is saying. They then pull back the frame to reveal a bowl of onions, the real reason that Squidward is tearing up. The staging in this clip directs the viewer to which detail they should be paying attention to at any given time, helping the pace of the episode and the timing of the jokes.
Adventure Time
This example from Adventure Time is an example of a couple different principles. One of those is anticipation. This can be seen throughout the entire clip, but two examples are when Jake hands BMO the donut and when he starts walking. The dancing is also an example of arcs, which can be seen in the movement of his limbs.
The Fall
The Fall is a pretty morbid animation that I happened to stumble upon on YouTube. That being said, I think it is a perfect example of exaggeration. Specifically when the leaf is falling, the animation features make it look like it is falling at hundreds of miles per hour. When the view zooms out, we can see it is falling rather slowly.
Bench
Bench is a stop motion animation that shows the appeal principle very well. The two characters in the short are polar opposites – one very large with massive features and one small is opposite proportions. This contrast creates appeal in the characters, making them enjoyable to view.
Pixar Intro Sequence
The Pixar intro in something that most people in the world have seen. That being said, most people don’t think about it as such a great example of follow through. As the lamp jumps along the frame, the head of it continues to move as the base stops. It’s motion is completely reliant on what the base just did previously.
Hi! My name is Peyton McKenzie.
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