Media arts and animation are part of each other. Animation is a form of media arts since the media simply represents the varied platforms on which animation can be created. Whether the media is that of television or films, computer graphics or mobile videos, the animations produced for these different forms of media differ accordingly.
Animation is defined as the rapid display of a sequence of characters or images which are shown in a 2D or 3D framework so that the illusion of movement is created in the eyes of the viewers. Optical illusion of motion is exploited by the art of animation. As per the persistence of vision theory, the image of an object lasts for a fraction of a second on our retina and if similar images are shown within that time with slight differences in positions, the image or object appears to be moving.
Traditionally animation was done with individual frames of hand drawn sheets. Here each drawing depicted a slight difference in position than the one before it. These drawings were then traced onto transparent acetate sheets, were filled with paints and held opposite the line drawings. The character cels so called were then photographed onto motion picture film by a rostrum camera.
The cel animation process has become obsolete in the 21st century since today most animations are done using computer software. These programs can help one to create drawings, put in movement and effects and the final output can be put in various types of media such as 35 mm film or a digital video format. Some examples of traditional animated films are Pinocchio, Animal Farm and traditional animation effect created by computer technology has a perfect example in The Lion King.
Stop motion animation is another form of animation whereby real physical objects are physically manipulated and photographed frame by frame to create the illusion of movement. There are different types of media which can be used to create such animation. Puppet animation, clay animation are popular examples of stop motion animation.
Today, media animation is part of many courses in animation institutes in India. These courses prepare students to take up opportunities in the TV and film industry mostly. For instance, TGC Animation and Multimedia offers a five month course in Media Animation which prepares students as 3D media animator or VFX artists for the television industry as well as post production units in film making. Other institutes offer media animation in different forms such as Aakriti Institute of Arts, Animation and Gaming which offers B.Sc programs in VFX & Digital Media Animation, Woodstock Animation and Media School offers Diploma in 3D Animation Film Making and others.
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