Reading Reflection 4
In Chapter 3: The Beginning Basics of Directing the Story: Professional Storytelling and Storyboarding Techniques for Live Action and Animation, by Francis Glebas, the author describes the role and importance of storyboards in animation. He emphasizes the flexible nature of drawings: “the board of drawings is in a state of flux. Nothing is fixed, nothing is unchangeable.” He then provides a description of the different types of storyboards, and explains that before starting storyboarding, animators first create a beat board, and after creating a story board, they need to continue refining the drawings and ideas within the story reels. The pitching process itself is very important also, as it allows the animator to present his ideas to the audience. Glebas then provides examples of storyboards.
In Chapter 13: The Art of Compositing of Design for Motion by Austin Shaw, the author discusses compositing, which is the art of combining distinct elements in order to create a sense of harmony or belonging in animation: “Compositing is used to select, adjust, blend or stitch multiple visual elements into a single image”. He also explains that there is a wide range of compositing types, from concrete to abstract, and that there are multiple attributes of compositing. Also, he describes the duplication process and that it’s made possible in the digital world, as opposed to analog materials that cannot be duplicated if they are not digitized. He also provided a description of the different transformations, retouching and other digital tools used to transform and embellish the visual elements.
In Chapter 18: Tactile Design Boards of Design for Motion, the author Austin Shaw explains the different nature of tactile design, and the ways in which digitized materials can preserve their physical qualities and create an effect of texture, if using a correct approach, and materials. An interview with Italian-born Lucas Zanotto follows where motion design creator explains how he uses a combination of analog and digital media.