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Motion graphics

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about digital graphics. For the experimental electronic album, seeMotion Graphics (album).
Animation in and about motion graphics.

Motion graphics(sometimesmograph) are pieces ofanimationor digitalfootagethat create theillusionofmotionor rotation, and are usually combined withaudiofor use inmultimediaprojects. Motion graphics are usually displayed viaelectronic mediatechnology, but may also be displayed via manual powered technology (e.g.thaumatrope,phenakistoscope,stroboscope,zoetrope,praxinoscope,flip book). The term distinguishes static graphics from those with a transforming appearance over time, without over-specifying the form.[1]While any form of experimental or abstract animation can be called motion graphics, the term typically more explicitly refers to the commercial application of animation and effects to video, film, TV, and interactive applications.

History of the term

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Motion graphic clip aboutalebrijescreated by theMuseo de Arte Popularin Mexico City.

Since there is no universally accepted definition of motion graphics, the official beginning of the art form is disputed. There have been presentations that could be classified as motion graphics as early as the 19th century.Michael Betancourtwrote the first in-depth historical survey of the field, arguing for its foundations invisual musicand the historicalabstract filmsof the 1920s byWalther Ruttmann,Hans Richter,Viking EggelingandOskar Fischinger.[2]

The history of motion graphics is closely related to the history ofcomputer graphics,as the new developments of computer-generated graphics led to wider use of motion design not based on optical film animation. The term motion graphics originated with digitalvideo editingin computing, perhaps to keep pace with newer technology. Graphics for television were originally referred to as Broadcast Design.

1887-1941

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Walter Ruttmannwas a German cinematographer and film director who worked mainly in experimental film. The films were experiments in new forms of film expression and featured shapes of different colors flowing back and forth and in and out of the lens. He started his film career in the early 1920s, starting with abstract films Lichtspiel: Opus I (1921), the first publicly screened abstract film, and Opus II (1923.) Theanimationswere painted with oil on glass plates, so the wet paint could be wiped away and modified easily.[3]

1917-1995

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John Whitneywas of the first users of the term "motion graphics" and founded a company called Motion Graphics Inc. in 1960.[4]One of his most famous works was the animated title sequence from Alfred Hitchcock’s film “Vertigo” in 1958, collaborating withSaul Bass,which featured swirling graphics growing from small to large.

1920-1996

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Saul Basswas a major pioneer in the development of feature film title sequences. His work included title sequences for popular films such asThe Man with the Golden Arm(1955),Vertigo(1958),Anatomy of a Murder(1959),North by Northwest(1959),Psycho(1960), andAdvise & Consent(1962). His designs were simple, but effectively communicated the mood of the film.[5]

1933-2003

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Stan Brakhagewas one of the most important figures in 20th-centuryexperimental film.He explored a variety of formats, creating a large, diverse body of work. His influence in the credits of the film Seven (1995), designed byKyle Cooper,with the scratched emulsion, rapid cutaways, and bursts of light in his style.[3]

Computer-generated motion graphics

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Computer-generated animations"are more controllable than other, more physically based processes, like constructing miniatures for effects shots, or hiring extras for crowd scenes, because it allows the creation for images that would not be feasible using any other technology."

Before computers were widely available, motion graphics were costly and time-consuming, limiting their use to high-budgetfilmmakingandtelevision production.Computers began to be used as early as the late 1960s as super computers were capable of rendering crude graphics. John Whitney andCharles Csurican be considered early pioneers of computer aided animation.[6][7]

Adobe After Effects

In the late 1980s to mid-1990s, expensive proprietary graphics systems such as those from British-basedQuantelwere quite commonplace in manytelevision stations.Quantel workstations such as the Hal, Henry, Harry, Mirage, and Paintbox were the broadcast graphics standard of the time. Many otherreal-time graphicssystems were used such as Ampex ADO, Abekas A51 and Grass Valley Group Kaleidoscope for livedigital video effects.Early proprietary 3D computer systems were also developed specifically for broadcast design such as the Bosch FGS-4000 which was used in the music video forDire Straits'Money for Nothing.The advent of more powerful desktop computers running Photoshop in the mid-90s drastically lowered the costs for producing digital graphics. With the reduced cost of producing motion graphics on a computer, the discipline has seen more widespread use. With the availability of desktop programs such as AdobeAfter Effects,Adobe Premiere ProandApple Motion,motion graphics have become increasingly accessible. Moderncharacter generators(CG) fromVizrtandRoss Video,incorporate motion graphics.

Motion graphics continued to evolve as an art form with the incorporation of sweeping camera paths and 3D elements. Maxon'sCinema 4D,plugins such asMoGraphand AdobeAfter Effects.Despite their relative complexity,Autodesk'sMayaand3D Studio Maxare widely used for the animation and design of motion graphics, as isMayaand 3D Studio which uses a node-basedparticle systemgenerator similar toCinema 4D's Thinking Particles plugin. There are also some other packages in Open Source panorama, which are gaining more features and adepts in order to use in a motion graphics workflow, whileBlenderintegrates several of the functions of its commercial counterparts.

Many motion graphics animators learn several3D graphicspackages for use according to each program's strengths. Although many trends in motion graphics tend to be based on a specific software's capabilities, the software is only a tool thebroadcast designeruses while bringing the vision to life.

Leaning heavily from techniques such as thecollageor thepastiche,motion graphics have begun to integrate many traditional animation techniques as well, includingstop-motion animation,frame by frame animation, or a combination of both.

Motion design and digital compositing software packages

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Motion design applications includeAdobe After Effects,Blackmagic Fusion,Nuke,Apple Motion,Max/MSP,variousVJprograms,Moho,Adobe Animate,Natron.3D programs used in motion graphics include Adobe Substance, MaxonCinema 4DandBlender.Motion graphics plug-ins include Video Copilot's products,[8]Red Giant Software andThe Foundry Visionmongers.

Methods of animation

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Elements of a motion graphics project can be animated by various means, depending on the capabilities of the software. These elements may be in the form of art, text, photos, and video clips, to name a few. The most popular form of animation iskeyframing,in which properties of an object can be specified at certain points in time by setting a series of keyframes so that the properties of the object can be automatically altered (ortweened) in the frames between keyframes. Another method involves a behavior system such as is found inApple Motionthat controls these changes by simulating natural forces without requiring the more rigid but precise keyframing method. Yet another method involves the use of formulas or scripts, such as the expressions function inAdobe After Effectsor the creation ofActionScriptswithinAdobe Flash.[unreliable source?]

Computers are capable of calculating and randomizing changes in imagery to create the illusion of motion and transformation.Computer animationscan use less information space (computer memory) by automaticallytweening,a process ofrenderingthe key changes of an image at a specified or calculated time. These key poses or frames are commonly referred to as keyframes or low CP.Adobe Flashuses computer animation tweening as well as frame-by-frame animation and video.

Notable filmmakers who have informed the motion graphics industry

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Studios

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Early ground breaking motion design studios include:[9][10][11][12][13][14][15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^Betancourt, Michael(2012-01-06)."The Origins of Motion Graphics".Cinegraphic.Retrieved2019-02-05.
  2. ^Cone, Justin (2013-02-12)."The History of Motion Graphics".Motionographer.Retrieved2019-02-05.
  3. ^ab"The History of Motion Graphics".Google Books.December 11, 2020.
  4. ^ab"The Computer Graphics Book Of Knowledge".cs.cmu.edu.
  5. ^Betancourt, Michael(2011-08-28)."Saul Bass – Animating Modernist Design".Cinegraphic.Retrieved2019-02-05.
  6. ^"ID 797 - History of Computer Graphics and Animation".excelsior.biosci.ohio-state.edu.Archived fromthe originalon 2016-10-13.
  7. ^Sito, Tom (2013).Moving Innovation: A History of Computer Animation.Cambridge, Massachusetts:MIT Press.p. 172.ISBN978-0262314312.OCLC936201609.
  8. ^May, Tom (26 April 2021)."50 motion design resources that creatives actually use".Creative Boom.Retrieved30 April2023.
  9. ^"CGI Family Tree Main Page".excelsior.biosci.ohio-state.edu.Archived fromthe originalon 2013-05-03.
  10. ^""Music Video That Looks like Film" by Comer, Brooke Sheffield - American Cinematographer, Vol. 67, Issue 9, September 1986 ".Archived fromthe originalon 2016-12-21.Retrieved2016-12-21.
  11. ^".: flights:".aerodrome.
  12. ^"Robert Abel & Associates - UCLA Film & Television Archive".cinema.ucla.edu.
  13. ^"Sogitec — Histoire 3D Wiki".histoire3d.siggraph.org.
  14. ^Graser, Marc (2 April 2001)."Pittard Sullivan shuts doors".variety.
  15. ^Parent, Rick (2012).Computer Animation: Algorithms and Techniques(3rd ed.). San Francisco, California: Morgan Kaufmann. p. 25.ISBN9780124159730.OCLC809249105.
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