About 2D Animation
While the term "2-D animation" is broad and can be used very loosely, it generally refers to traditional animation in which a series of drawings are photographed and projected to create the illusion of movement. Animation was developed even before photography in the form of optical toys, such as flip books, that presented a series of images in rapid succession. With the birth of the motion picture, animation rose to prominence as a major form of popular entertainment.
Prehistory
Before the development of animation as a form of filmmaking, the same visual phenomenon was explored in different ways. During the 19th century, visual toys such as the phenakistoscope, zoetrope, praxinoscope and flip book created the illusion of motion through the persistence of vision--the act of the viewer's brain being tricked into perceiving motion when presented with a series of images, each slightly different from the last. The same phenomenon was used in the development of motion pictures, the only difference being that the images were photographs of live scenes, rather than drawings. As the cinema was born in the late-19th century, animation became a part of the new medium.
Early Practitioners
Many filmmakers established themselves in the new form of film animation. J. Stuart Blackton was among the first American animators. Blackton's success with short animated comedies inspired others to flock to the medium, including notables like Winsor McCay, whose "Gertie the Dinosaur" was the first true animated hit.
Animation entered its "Golden Age" in the '20s and '30s when filmmakers Walt Disney, Tex Avery and the Warner brothers dominated the industry, and pushed the technology of animation to new extremes.
Traditional 2-D animation would remain the industry standard until the popularization of computer animation in the 1990s.
Pre-Production
Early animation practitioners established an assembly line method of production that accounted for the labor intense process of producing thousands of drawings. This system also allowed for specialization of the diverse tasks required to produce an animated film. Typically, this process begins with the script, which is then turned into a series of images in the form of a storyboard. Animators design the characters, and voice actors are cast. Once the dialogue has been recorded, a rough outline of the final film is produced. This moving storyboard is known as an animatic, and allows animators to determine the timing of the motion. Background artists produce paintings that will serve as a backdrop for the action. Another team produces sound effects, and a musical director produces and records the film's music.
Animation Process
The central process of animation involves the actual drawings that will produce the moving elements, including characters and props. From the animatic, animators produce key drawings. These are images that represent the beginning and end of each major piece of motion. Next, in-between images are produced that connect the key drawings. Often, a senior animator will produce the key drawings and another will be charged with the repetitive process of drawing the in-betweens.
Once all of the drawings have been produced, they must be transferred to transparent sheets of cellulose (known as cels). This is the task of the ink and paint department, where the drawings are traced to cels and finally colored.
Photography and Completion
Once all of the thousands of drawings have been transferred to cels and colored, the animation is ready to be photographed. This is done with a specially rigged camera in which the film camera is fixed in position so the cels (with the background plated beneath them) can be inserted onto a series of pegs. The camera films one frame of film at a time, and a new drawing is inserted between each exposure. Camera moves are accomplished through a motion control system that allows the camera to zoom or shift position in very small increments.
The finished film is synchronized to the already-recorded dialogue, sound effects and music. The final film is printed and ready for exhibition.
