Application of Photoshop Graphics and Image Processing in the Field of Animation

With the rapid development of digital art and machine science and technology, the production form of modern animation tends to be diversified, and with the important role of animation color in the animation film foil and rendering, more and more attention was paid by the animation design industry. Computer graphic technology is a new type of artistic creation method, and its birth and development are closely related to computer technology. The purpose of this paper is to make some analysis and induction from the perspective of science and technology and culture and to explore the application of Photoshop graphics and image processing technology in the field of animation. First, the definition of “animation” and the extension of the animation category are introduced. Then, the main functions of Photoshop image processing technology are described in detail. According to the research content, this paper designs a self-made experimental short film “future city.” After the simulation of experimental animation film and the setting and positioning of the experimental scene, Photoshop software was used to show the animation scene. The experimental results show that the color changes in the short film “future city.” After the saturation of sunny scenery is reduced by 3 points and the brightness is reduced by 20 points and the filter, mode change, and color adjustment are carried out, a complete rainy scenery can be obtained. The self-made experimental short film has guiding significance for the creation and practice.

Abstraction and meaning in the animation of Hong Kong artists

This article discusses the experimental animation works of Choi Sai-Ho, Carla Chan, Tobias Gremmler and Chris Cheung Hon-Him to probe animated abstraction as a discursive space through which meaning can be negotiated. These Hong Kong artists explore alternative, open-ended and fluid ways of meaning-making that are emerging in response to more traditional modes of moving image storytelling. In developing a narrative-abstraction vocabulary for artists and scholars to work with, what role can the works of Hong Kong artists play in shaping this, and what perspectives can these works offer for such an endeavour? A range of preoccupations with references ranging from spiritual symbolism and abstracted landscape to Chinese opera and Hong Kong architecture bring to light some of those other visions and possible modes of animated abstraction engaged with producing meaning.

Experimental animation and the neosurrealist remediation of popular music video

Once appearing to function primarily as a commercial tool for popular entertainment, the popular form of music video has recently been exposed by scholars as formally and functionally diverse, with a rich history stretching back decades before the advent of MTV. Animated music videos owe much to centuries old traditions spanning the visual, musical and performing arts, providing performative and material models that inspire contemporary video directors. Experimental animation, surrealism and music video form a matrix of historical and contemporary significance; however, few scholars have undertaken close examinations of the relations between them. John Richardson and Mathias Korsgaard show how music video directors have employed surrealist compositional strategies together with experimental animation methods, thus giving rise to challenging new forms that traverse disparate approaches to art and culture. Building upon their contributions, this article explores the continuity between experimental animation, surrealism and music video, with a view to discovering the subversive potential of this matrix. In order to probe this potential, the author examines how music video directors experiment with animation technique as a means of subversion and enrichment of popular music video. Through close analysis of music videos directed by Adam Jones, Stephen Johnson, Floria Sigismondi and Chris Hopewell, this article charts the continuity of surrealist strategy across culturally specific moments in history, thus provoking questions around the perceived functions of animated media and popular music video.

Defining experimental animation: A follow-up

This article offers further reflections on a chapter I published in the anthology Experimental Animation: From Analogue to Digital. I begin by exploring the reticence artists and critics have shown in attempting to define what experimental animation is, and I then offer a way to provide a definition without delimiting what it is or can be. Subsequent to this, three additional traits of experimental animation are added to the original list of defining features that were published in the original article. They are as follows: the subversion of unchecked assumptions about filmic experience, a willingness to potentially alienate viewers, and the application of symbolism in which viewers might not be able to discern the artist’s original intentions. Following this, the unique relationship experimental animation has with the commercial realm (notably in idents, title sequences and music videos) is also considered. Finally, the conclusion points towards the experimental animator’s creative process as a further avenue of exploration.

Metaphors of motion and philosophies of process: A practitioner’s perspective in contemporary motion design

Contemporary motion design has become ubiquitous across all platforms of the modern media landscape, and yet even the term itself enjoys little cultural awareness and has attracted notably less scholarly attention. Like the motion graphics tradition out of which it evolved, it is an inherently hybrid practice that draws upon the histories and techniques of a broad spectrum of time-based media and, in spite of its unreservedly commercial aims, is both deeply rooted in and a concentrated distillation of experimental animation practices in particular. Drawing upon my own recent experience designing a motion sequence for a documentary feature film, this article explores the unique aesthetic qualities and metaphors of motion that characterize motion design, and ultimately seeks to define it as a distinct discipline in its own right.

Paul Winkler: Migrating from analogue to digital practice

This article investigates the self-taught experimental animation practice of German-Australian moving image artist Paul Winkler. His practice embraces an array of image manipulation techniques, some of which he invented. This practice originated in 1964, spanning over 50 years, and has recently productively migrated from analogue to digital production. What happens to this practice when we move to digital production? Winkler’s trajectory offers a case study in the shifts and resilience of experimental animation practice through the lens of Vilém Flusser’s ‘technical image’. Flusser’s concept was developed in response to a pervasive digital culture but also reaches back into proto-cinema, maps and prehistoric cave painting.

Displacement of self-continuity: An heuristic inquiry into identity transition in a 3D motion-capture-based animated narrative short film

This practice-led artistic research considers how a fictional allegory might be employed to examine issues of acculturation, displacement and identity transition. Using the story of a refugee family, the study explores through artistic practice the implications of identity reconstruction inside the body of a new culture. The animated short film Stella is designed to serve as a provocative vehicle for considering the social implications of identity loss and transition. Methodologically, the project is shaped by an heuristic inquiry. Inside this journey, the researcher generates a narrative that draws upon experience and theory. The artist creates an experimental animation in which the self of the artist is investigated through iterations of creative explorations. These experimental explorations not only span the conceptual and storytelling side of the creative process but also touch upon technological achievements. In this process a relationship results that elevates both the self (the writer/director/animator) and the body of knowledge, through the process of making and reflection. Beyond its contribution to understanding processes and implications of acculturation, displacement and identity transition, the project’s technological significance lies in its propensity to extend the application and demonstrate the potential of performance capture (using motion capture technology), 3D laser scanning and photogrammetry.

EXPERIMENTAÇÕES ARTÍSTICAS NA ANIMAÇÃO OCIDENTAL: BEGONE DULL CARE

ResumoO presente artigo tem como tema a animação experimental e suas características, campo repleto de inovações técnicas e artísticas que é mantido à margem dos estudos sobre o cinema animado. Portanto, tem como objetivos definir certas características de uma animação experimental e identificar e descrever traços e características do que se considera uma animação experimental no curta animado “Begone Dull Care” (1949) de Norman McLaren (1914-1987) e Evelyn Lambart (1914-1999) através de uma pesquisa teórica, bibliográfica e descritiva do tipo qualitativa, de natureza básica/pura a partir da coleta de dados e análise documental que compreende a identificação, verificação e apreciação de documentos (bibliográficos e obras audiovisuais) com determinados fins, como análise de conteúdo por meio da descrição do filme de animação “Begone Dull Care” (1949). Diferente da animação comercial que tem como objetivo comercial agradar o público sem a preocupação da satisfação artística ou pessoal dos animadores dos estúdios, e buscar soluções formais que facilitem a produção em larga escala dos filmes animados, a animação experimental vai se distinguir por experimentações técnicas e estéticas que desafiam os limites da linguagem e ampliam seu potencial expressivo. Com caráter de vanguarda, voltada à criação artística e à experimentação, a animação experimental terá desenvolvimento na Europa do início do séc. XX. Artistas como McLaren e Oskar Fischinger exploraram técnicas que ampliam o potencial plástico das animações. O termo incorporou diversas nomenclaturas ao longo dos anos como animação independente ou de autor. “Begone Dull Care” é produto desse espírito que desafia o tradicional através de experimentações. Nele, McLaren utiliza o método de animação direto sobre a película e sincroniza cores e formas gráficas animadas pelo som de jazz. McLaren e Lambart adotam formas simplificadas e abstratas para maior liberdade de criação e, durante tal processo empírico, incorporam imprevistos, acidentes e materiais não convencionais como potencializadores da expressividade através de suas experimentações com a materialidade do filme.AbstractThe present article has as its theme the experimental animation and its characteristics, a field full of technical and artistic innovations that is kept aside from the studies on animated cinema. Therefore, it aims to define certain characteristics of an experimental animation and to identify and describe traits and characteristics of what is considered an experimental animation in the animated short film Begone Dull Care in Norman McLaren’s (1914-1987) and Evelyn Lambart (1914). Bibliographical and audio-visual works with a specific purpose, such as the identification, verification and evaluation of documents (bibliographical and audiovisual works), of a basic / pure nature, based on data collection and documentary analysis, as content analysis through the description of the animated film “Begone Dull Care” (1949). Unlike commercial animation that aims to please the public without the concern of the artistic or personal satisfaction of studio animators, and seek formal solutions that facilitate the large-scale production of animated films, the experimental animation will be distinguished by technical experimentation and aesthetics that challenge the limits of language and amplify its expressive potential. With avant-garde character, focused on artistic creation and experimentation, the experimental animation will be developed in Europe at the beginning of the century. XX. Artists like McLaren and Oskar Fischinger explored techniques that amplify the plastic potential of animations. The term has incorporated several nomenclatures over the years as independent or author animation. “Begone Dull Care” is a product of this spirit that challenges the traditional through experimentation. In it, McLaren uses the direct animation method on the film and synchronizes colors and graphic shapes animated by the sound of jazz. McLaren and Lambart adopt simplified and abstract forms for greater freedom of creation and, during such an empirical process, incorporate contingencies, accidents and unconventional materials as enhancers of expressiveness through their experimentation with the materiality of the film.