Live action

"Live Action" redirects here. For other uses, seeLive Action (disambiguation).

For live action in role-playing games, seeLive action role-playing game.

Live action movies (such asA Fistful of Dollars) use photography to depict settings and characters as they appear in life. In this example,Clint EastwoodandMarianne Kochappear in a real-world location

Live actionis a form ofcinematographyorvideographythat usesphotographyinstead ofanimation.Some works combine live action with animation to create alive-action animated feature film.Live action is used to define film, video games or similar visual media.Photorealisticanimation, particularly moderncomputer animation,is sometimes erroneously described as "live action", as in the case of some media reports about Disney'sremakeof thetraditionally animatedThe Lion Kingfrom 1994.According to theCambridge English Dictionary,live action involves "real people or animals, not models, or images that are drawn, or produced by computer".

Overview

As the normal process of making visual media involves live action, the term itself is usually superfluous. However, it makes an important distinction in situations in which one might normally expect animation, such as when the work is adapted from avideo game,or from ananimated cartoon.

The phrase "live action" also occurs within an animation context to refer to non-animated characters: in alive-action/animated filmsuch asSpace Jam,Who Framed Roger Rabbit,Looney Tunes: Back in Action,orMary Poppinsin whichhumansand cartoons co-exist. In this case, the "live-action" characters are the "real" actors, such asMichael Jordan,Bob HoskinsandJulie Andrews,as opposed to the animated "actors", such asRogerandJessica Rabbit.

As use ofcomputer-generated imagery(CGI) in films has become a major trend, some critics, such as Mark Langer, have discussed the relationship between live action and animation. New films that use computer-generatedspecial-effectscan not be compared to live-action films usingcartooncharacters because of the perceived realism of both styles combined.

Live action vs. animation

In producing a movie, both live action andanimationhave their own pros and cons. Unlike animation, live action involves the photography of actors and actresses, as well as sets and props making the movie seem personal and as close to reality as possible. The only drawback is one's budget. On the other hand, animation works well in conveyingabstract ideasbut it generally takes much longer to produce.

See also

• Animated cartoon
• Films with live action and animation
• Footage
• List of live-action films based on cartoons and comics
• List of live-action puppet films
• Live-action role-playing game