WHAT IS ANIMATION? A BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO THE ART OF MOTION

If you think that animation is just for cartoons made for kids, you need to think again! People often ask, “ What is Animation?” Animation is a mix of art, storytelling, and technology that turns your thoughts into reality on the screen. Animation can be seen all over digital media, taking many forms, such as blockbuster films, addictive video games, and even the interfaces on your favorite apps. The world of realistic animations, 3D-animated still images, and animated videos still mesmerizes the world.

Are you constantly thinking about what animation is and how it got here? What is the history of computer animation? How does animation manipulate physical objects before our eyes? How do they create stop-motion animation? Animation is the moving image on the screen telling a particular story. They began as simple books with drawings to depict stories and are now the jaw-dropping CGI we see in films today. Let’s take a quick trip through time:

Traditional animation (also called cel animation) is hand-drawn. Before computers were advanced enough to handle animation and people knew what animation was, animators spent hours on end hand-drawing thousands of images and flipping them in a sequence to create a moving image on the screen for animated films. The animated classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and The Little Mermaid (1989) are animated movies that were animated in the same way. Even today, traditional stop-motion animation is quite popular.

Stop-motion animation is where physical models and puppets are moved frame by frame to create movement and animation, creating a moving image. The process of stop-motion animation is very time-consuming, but the results are worth the wait! The Nightmare Before Christmas is the most outstanding example of stop-motion animation in animated films.

In 1995, with the help of computer software, Pixar answered the question of what animation is and changed the world of animated films with Toy Story animated fully in 3D. Now, nearly every major animated film is made by using 3D animation software like Autodesk Maya or Blender.

The way movies like Avatar or Avengers show hyper-realistic, animated cartoon characters is Motion capture (MoCap). It tracks the actor's movement in real time and converts the movements into digitally animated characters on the screen. This sort of rendering is what has left people wondering if there’s something animators cannot do.

From clay animation to cutout animation, the world of animation production has come a long way. When asking what animation is, it is also important to ask about the different animation techniques. Animation is not just the title of a one-size-fits-all career. It is a huge field with various roles. There are many ways to get into it, depending on your interests and skills:

2D animation is still used in many forms of digital media, such as web series, animated logos, advertisements, animated movies, and even anime. This can be your calling if you love making illustrations.

3D animation is creating realistic and three-dimensional characters and objects that move like living beings. This is mostly used in gaming, Hollywood films, virtual reality, and sometimes in advertisements. 3D animators are some of the most paid ones in the industry! This is also one of the most famous animation styles out there.

Are you intrigued by the explosions in a superhero movie or a dragon ripping through the skies and wondering how it happened? Visual Effects (VFX) is how it was made possible.

The animated text that comes on your screen during commercials, movie titles, animation sequences, and UI/UX design is motion graphics. Motion graphics is a combination of design and animation.

Animation is about more than entertainment. Animation now plays a major role in several industries, such as media, to completely transform the way we interact with them.

Animation has taken all over the entertainment industry, with Disney characters like Cinderella and anime masterpieces like Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba being the best examples. Traditional animation still continues to catch the eye of the world, whether it is 2D, 3D, or stop-motion.

The gaming industry heavily relies on different animation styles to create the entire user experience for players. It plays a very important role in keeping the player engaged and telling the story of the video game.

Brands use animation styles to make attractive ads, explainer videos, and social media content. Motion graphics help them simplify ideas that are too complex to explain otherwise and grab the attention of the consumer in a digital-first world.

E-learning platforms are using animation to make lessons more engaging for kids with the help of educational cartoons. There are also examples of traditional cel animation being used in the corporate world on training videos that simplify technical concepts.

If you are looking to start your career in the animation industry, here is how you need to start:

You need to know the answer to what animation is before you begin working. Understand the 12 principles of animation, like timing, spacing, and squash-and-stretch, before you rush into software. These rules are applicable to all sorts of animations and will be immensely helpful.

If you are seriously considering animation as a career and want to start learning, you can enroll in a 3D animation program at a respected institute to help you. Looking for the best animation schools in Asia? 3dsense Media School is known all over the world for producing industry-ready talent.

Industry-standard tools include:

• Autodesk Maya (Used in Hollywood films and gaming)
• Blender (Great for beginners and professionals alike)
• Adobe After Effects (For motion graphics and 2D animation)
• Houdini (For advanced VFX and procedural animation)

Your portfolio is your resume and will represent you everywhere. Focus on quality over quantity. You would rather have a few properly done animations than a bunch of them unfinished.

Join online communities like ArtStation, LinkedIn, and animation forums to show off your animation techniques, such as cel animation and traditional animation. Networking can open doors to internships and job offers.

Start with freelance gigs, internships, or personal projects. Many animation students land full-time jobs straight out of school by showing their work online.