2D animation is what is normally termed "traditional," since it comes from a family line including the Disney classics and Warner's "Looney Tunes." Each tiny movement of on-screen characters is drawn by hand and a feature-length film can have hundreds of thousands of drawings. Though computers have been used by Disney as an aid to 2D animation since at least 1989, computers have primarily been used for inking and coloring support, while the major workload of creating the individual drawings is still done painstakingly by hand.
On the desktop, there are a number of 2D animation aids available, though most are commercial projects and tend to be expensive. One formerly-commercial product has made the switch to being an open source project and now is available to all comers free of charge.
SynFig claims to be designed from the ground up as an animator's tool and to follow an animator's workflow. If you're into animation, give it a look, as it promises to be a real time-saver.
Synfig - Overview
Tuesday, April 25, 2006
InfoLink - Faith and Film in the Post-Passion Era
The article linked below takes a look at faith issues in two very different films released in the same timeframe. Constantine is based on a graphic novel that features a modern-day demon hunter struggling with his own mortality, pride and lack of faith. The film, though weak theologically from a Christian standpoint, is an example of how faith issues can be woven into a story that outwardly looks like a horror/action adventure.
Meanwhile, Because of Winn-Dixie is a family film that also includes issues of faith, though in a very different way. Walden Media (which also has the rights to develop films based on The Chronicles of Narnia) is known for films that are family-based, and faith is woven through many of their projects. The comments from Walden's Micheal Flaherty are significant:
"I don’t know why people now feel the need to divorce the mind from the soul. They can coexist — you can have something that really makes you think, that’s based on great literature, that also has a strong message about a hope in the unseen, about the transcendent… Faith is one of the most transformational things in human history, and if you want to tell great stories, many times it’s going to involve that. You shouldn’t ignore it."
Be sure to click the links in the article that review the two films in question- there's some deeper examination there.
Constantine and Because of Winn-Dixie: Faith and Film in the Post-Passion Era
Meanwhile, Because of Winn-Dixie is a family film that also includes issues of faith, though in a very different way. Walden Media (which also has the rights to develop films based on The Chronicles of Narnia) is known for films that are family-based, and faith is woven through many of their projects. The comments from Walden's Micheal Flaherty are significant:
"I don’t know why people now feel the need to divorce the mind from the soul. They can coexist — you can have something that really makes you think, that’s based on great literature, that also has a strong message about a hope in the unseen, about the transcendent… Faith is one of the most transformational things in human history, and if you want to tell great stories, many times it’s going to involve that. You shouldn’t ignore it."
Be sure to click the links in the article that review the two films in question- there's some deeper examination there.
Constantine and Because of Winn-Dixie: Faith and Film in the Post-Passion Era
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