Animation Techniques: Motion Comics

Animation Techniques: Motion Comics In the 1960s, a new form of animation arose called motion comics, which took comic book characters and stories and added elements of animation to them. This art form offers an innovative way to capture the beauty and power of comics in an animated form. More than a decade later, this technique is around to stay, arming the 2d animation studio and its clients with even more opportunities to entertain, enchant, and enthrall audiences through the power of animation.

What are motion comics?

Motion comics are a hybrid art form that combines the features of comics with the features of animation. Typically, they involve taking an already-established comic (such as Superman) and animating it for consumption through the screen. Typically, these productions take the form of serial stories released in short segments, often on the Internet. In general, they are faster and less expensive to create, because they utilize less animation than do fully animated projects.

Motion comics have received their fair share of criticism since they appeared on the scene more than 50 years ago. Critics have argued that the cost-effective and time-saving features of these animated productions serve only to create poorly animated projects that combine the worst features of both comics and animation.

However, when created by animation studios that take motion comics seriously as an art form, these productions instead combine the best aspects of the comics and the best techniques and talent available through animation to create beautiful, powerful art. Over the past decade or so, motion comics have proven both their entertainment and their artistic value. Utilizing motion and sound to bring comics alive, they serve as an engaging way to entertain viewers and allow them to enjoy their favorite comics on a whole new level.

What are the characteristics of motion comics?

There are a number of characteristics that set motion comics apart from other forms of traditional animation. Perhaps the most obvious is the style of the drawing. In keeping with its goal of bringing comics to life, motion comic art utilizes the style of the comics it is animating. As a result, any motion comic project will look like a comic on the screen (i.e. A Superman motion comic scene looks like a page out of a Superman comic book).

Motion comics are also defined by the amount of animation that they use. In general, these productions utilize less motion than does a fully animated production. For instance, the comic book world and characters are usually relatively static, with just enough animation included to give the impression of activity on the screen (i.e. a firefight might include animated gun flares). The movement and motion that is added into the comic resemble the animatics that are used to liven up a storyboard.

As a result, motion comics lack the detailed and realistic movement that many other animated projects possess in order to maintain the feeling of a comic. The point of the animation is to draw the reader into the comic, not to create an entirely new look and feel that would betray the qualities that made the comic popular in the first place. Maintaining this balance between fidelity to the original comic and effective animation is a skill that is best accomplished by experienced animation studios.

What benefits do motion comics provide?

Motion comics integrate less animation than do other animated projects. However, by adding movement and sound to a comic, the animator can accomplish a number of goals that would be difficult to achieve through other forms of animation.

For instance, a motion comic has the ability to bring a comic to life while retaining the comic's essential style and feel. When reading a comic, the reader must mentally add in the movements and sounds of the characters drawn on the page. In motion comics, however, the animator adds these movements and sounds to amplify the richness and beauty of the comic for the viewer. As a result, in a skillfully crafted motion comic, the reader feels as if he or she has entered into the comic world and is enjoying an up-close look at the characters.

Motion comics also use animation, sounds effects, and voice overs to enliven and enrich each scene.

As a result, they provide the details that the viewer would otherwise have had to fill in themselves. For instance, the motion comic will create visual links between comic panels that would otherwise be left to the reader's imagination in a comic book. They will add in movements that the comic book does not depict because of its static nature. The movements, voices, sounds, and action on the screen serve to make beloved comics even more captivating than they are when printed in a comic book.

What are some well-known motion comics?

Motion comics have been around since the 1960s, allowing animators to bring to life numerous comics both old and new. It is usually the most popular comics that become motion comics. Some of the bestknown comics to have been converted into motion comics include Superman, Watchmen, Marvel, Peanuts, X-Men, Iron Man, and Batman. There are, in addition, hundreds of other comics that have also been converted into motion comics. Some of them are stand-alone productions, while most are series of two, four, six, or more parts that break down the original comic into a number of animated stories.

Motion comics offer an exciting way to meld the best of two worlds: Comics and animation. By refusing to become simply another animated film, these projects allow animators to retain the compelling

stories, styles, and characters of comics while enriching them with the action and sounds that come with skillful animation. Creating these works of art takes skill and practice to make sure that the animator properly combines both worlds into one pleasing whole. Today, skilled animation companies continue to enrich and enliven comics with the power and beauty of animated elements. To read more about animation techniques visit http://www.powerhouseanimation.com/