Tuesdays, ANIMATED INSIGHTS BY SHANNON MUIR takes you inside Shannon’s latest reflections on writing, animation, and life in general. To catch up on all posts, check out the Animated Insights portion of the website! This installment shares her thoughts on the definition of the meaning of the word animated.
The dictionary contains two definitions for “animated” – one means being lively or full of excitement. The other refers to something made using animation techniques. However, as technology steps in to take more of a role in the animation process, the definition of what would fall under “animation techniques” seems to expand quickly.
Just a few decades ago, those techniques would involve hand drawn cels, stop-motion, or other more manual techniques. Now, we also have fully rendered CGI – some of which is done without any human reference guidance, and others with motion capture. In some movies, the whole experience is animated; in others, only the characters may be. Even more recently, due to these advances, the line between the definition between animation and special effects in a film or television program has become less distinct too.
For me, I am someone who gets excited about the possibilities of animation. That’s why I choose to call this column ANIMATED INSIGHTS. I feel that both meanings of the word reflect me.
Do you have thoughts on the definition of animation? Feel free to comment and join the discussion. However, please note all comments are moderated.