A QUALITATIVE STUDY OF HOW THE ANIMATOR'S ROLE HAS CHANGED FROM TRADITIONAL CEL ANIMATION TO COMPUTER ANIMATION (SPECIAL EFFECTS, COMPUTER GRAPHICS)

• Main Author: TAYLOR, JANIS L
• Format: Dissertation
• Language: English
• Published: ProQuest Dissertations & Theses 01-01-1985
• Subjects: Mass communications; Mass media
• ISBN: 9798205421423

This study examines how the animator's role has changed from traditional cel animation to computer animation. A qualitative methodology was used in the form of a case study of a computer animation firm. Data was gathered through intensive interviews with the personnel of the firm Computer Creations, South Bend, Indiana. The results of the study indicate that (1) computer technology lends itself to the animation process at the inking, opaquing and in-betweening steps, (2) it enhances the coloring and layering of cels, (3) it is time and cost-effective for a particular style of animation, motion graphics and (4) the roles and responsibilities of the designer, lay-out artist, background artist, key animator, in-betweener, opaquer, inker and checker have been condensed into the one role of the computer animator. This analysis suggests that the animator has had to adapt to working in the computer animation environment and has had to develop a new set of skills. The development of skills and the adaptations experienced by the animator can be generalized into three computer graphics principles basic to operating in the computer animation environment. One principle is that functioning in the computer animation environment requires learning a new visual language which encompasses concepts of computers and computer graphics. The second principle is that creating images with a computer requires understanding the logic of computers and how the images are constructed. The third computer graphics principle is that the computer graphics medium provides a synthetic camera and a synthetic image as the vehicle for viewing and interacting with the final product and this separates the user from her or his original work of art.