Articals

Process

The process behind The End is Nigh (2020) was fairly straightforward. As a 2d animation, it is a “flatter world” which means that, unlike 3d animation, we did not need to add more dimension to the background and characters. The complexity of 3D animation requires more time than 2d which is not "as complex... so fewer resources are required". Each frame is no more complex as a process while in 3d or stopmotion the physical dimensions require more forethought and experimentation. Using digital software rather than traditional paper had a huge advantage in the editing process as it allowed for us to use transparent backgrounds. By animating elements separately, we easily layered them over each other while editing which saves times and allows for changes. Scott Lehane celebrates this feature of digital 2d animation in an article about the film Klaus (2019) for Animation Magazine when he praises the film for excelling “past the limitations of a classical animation style” while still maintaining all the advantages.

1)Powerhouse Animation Studio Inc.. (2014) "The Benefits of 2d Animation over 3d". Slideshare. Available at: https://www.slideshare.net/powerhouseanima/the-benefits-of-2d-animation-over-3d-33315000

 (Accessed on 9 January 2020)_­

“Such matters are not important in the flatter world of 2D animation”

2) Lehane, S. (2019) "How ‘Klaus’ Uniquely Combines CG Lighting Techniques with Traditional 2D Animation". Animation World Network. Available at: https://www.awn.com/animationworld/how-klaus-uniquely-combines-cg-lighting-techniques-traditional-2d-animation (Accessed on 6 January 2020)

[In Klaus]

"Pablos, determined to produce in 2D, nevertheless was also determined to update the look of traditional animation using more modern visual design technology....The search was on to find ways to move past the limitations of a classical animation style"

Aesthetics


https://www.theguardian.com/film/2017/oct/10/loving-vincent-review-van-gogh-artist
https://www.animationmagazine.net/top-stories/you-think-your-film-was-a-challenge/
https://variety.com/1999/film/reviews/the-old-man-and-the-sea-2-1117752114/
https://www.skwigly.co.uk/100-greatest-animated-shorts-old-man-sea-alexandr-petrov/

2D animation has been used masterfully to contain a certain type of warmth in a piece for years through it's texture. Aleksandr Petrov's The Old Man and the Sea (1999) won the Oscar for the wildly impressive visuals created purely by his "impressionistic, finger-smudged style". The marks of his fingers are recognisable throughout the short and serve as a reminder of the feat of effort put behind the 29,000 hand painted images that flick endlessly moving across the screen. Stephan Cavalier, the author of A World History of Animation, sums up the effect of Petrov's finger smudges as "incredible" as we are reminded that the "astonishing fluidity of the camera movements" is entirely man made. The rise of 3D animation has rendered dynamic camera movements as expected but the reminder of the man behind the movie allows for the shots to be more appreciated. Loving Vincent  (2017) is similar in it's aesthetics and use of paint. Peter Bradshaw, a film critic for the Guardian, wonders if the effort is wasted as the same effect could have been imitated "much more easily with digital trickery from a laptop". In The End is Nigh (2020), texture brushes are used to paint the background to evoke a similar effect. The clear brushstrokes give texture to the landscape but also warms the tone of the short; it hints at the effort put into the production. However, unlike either aforementioned film, we created these backgrounds through digital brushes to avoid the disadvantages of this aesthetic. Petrov spent over two years working continuously on the paintings as he couldn't allow the paint to dry and Loving Vincent took 6 years. By mimicking the brushstrokes digitally, we achieve the aesthetic without it being time consuming.