Types of Animation and their prospects in the Indian market

The word “Animation” has a lot of significance and is quite impactful at the same time. It sums up various skills and styles that you need to create creative content. If we go by the dictionary meaning of Animation – It is the art of giving life to still images, objects and illustrations. . It is the method of capturing images, drawings and photos in quick succession to give an illusion of a sequential movement. As our eyes can only retain an image for about 1/10th of a second, multiple images moving in fast succession create an illusion of movement, which we term as animation.

The sole purpose of an animator is to create unique yet engaging content. And, these creations can be shared through any platform and would draw the attention of the audience. Thus, people are getting enrolled in the best Animation Course in Kolkata.

The most exciting news is that after the third pandemic wave, the animation industry has evolved a lot, and new trends are being incorporated. Previously, cartoons or small animated series were being made. 

But, now, there is a craze for animated films. And, this requires a large group of creative people working together. The OTT platforms have helped incubate a lot of interest in this subject. 

According to the Commerce and Industry Minister, Piyush Goyal, the AVGC (animation, visual effects, gaming and comics) sector has witnessed a growth of 9 per cent. And, he also claims that by 2024, the industry will reach more than $60 billion.

5 Most popular types of animation

Now, there are different types of animation, and each of them has a specific requirement in its respective area. They have varied purposes and convey different messages. 

Here are the 5 most popular types of animation styles that have picked up a trend in 2022. Further, you need these skills to create an animated video, if you are willing to follow your passion. So, get admitted to the best animation institute in Kolkata, and secure a job placement based on your skill and dedication.

1. Stop Motion Animation

If you are looking for the parent animation style, stop motion has its origin back to many centuries. Every classic animated movie made to date is based on this style. And, the process is also quite simple – one needs to click pictures of still objects. Simply note that the object should have a specific sequence and focus. 

Stop motion has several variants, but they all involve manipulating real world objects. These objects are moved slightly, and photographed one frame at a time. When shown in sequence, these frames create the illusion of movement. Many Animation Colleges in Kolkata will teach you about these.

These are the most common types of Stop Motion :

Claymation : It is a type of animation wherein clay or malleable characters are used, though they’re generally made out of a substance called plasticine, not actual clay.

Puppets : Some animators use regular puppets instead of clay ones, usually built with some sort of a skeleton rig. The faces of these characters can be replaced based on the expression, or controlled within the rig.

Cut-out : Another variation of stop motion is cut-out animation usually done in paper or silhouette. In this style, characters are built out of paper or cardboard shapes. They might be pinned together at the joints to make a figure, or pieces might be set in place or set in flat cardboard so that they can be cut out. They are then moved and photographed frame by frame, just like a stop motion puppet. This is one of the oldest forms of stop motion and is rarely used today.

Pixelation: It is a form of stop motion that uses real people and real environments to create the videos. It uses the stop motion method of taking a still photo, moving things around, and then taking another photo, but the subject matter is usually real people instead of puppets.

All of these types of stop motion are sharing an important characteristic i.e. they all have to be shot straight-ahead, meaning starting at frame one and shooting each frame one after another, all the way through the end of the scene. If a mistake is made on one frame, it’s very difficult to fix it without having to start all over again. This makes this type of animation particularly time consuming and requires a lot of patience.

The only good aspect is that this style is affordable and does not require advanced equipment and facilities. It is still being used to provide life to any static object. While doing an Animation course in Kolkata, please ensure that the syllabus covers an understanding of the types of Stop Motion Animation.

1. Traditional or 2D Animation

This is one of the oldest animation styles and is used to create flat or 2D characters. They have the flexibility to create 2D environments as well. This style is a promising element for a large variety of applications. Here, each frame is hand-drawn. 

This type of 2D animation might be called traditional animation or cel animation. It is also termed as hand-drawn animation because it defines its most important aspect – the fact that it is drawn by hand.

This is the classic type of animation you’re probably most familiar with from the old days. Here, an animators draws characters frame by frame, and then thoee drawings are transferred onto clear acetate sheets called cels for painting. That’s where the term cel animation comes from.

Through the 1990s almost all animation studios stopped using cels and started scanning drawings into the computer for digital coloring, and now these hand-drawn animators have skipped paper altogether and draw directly into the computer using a pen tablet.

So hand-drawn animation could be done entirely analog or entirely digitally, or some mix of the two. The important thing is that hand drawn animators still create their animation frame by frame using the same techniques and principles as in those old days of paper and cels.

Even though it is time-consuming, today, the innovation and application of digital tools like Animate, Toon Boom Harmony and other 2D Animation softwares have simplified the process. This style is, in general, included in creating cartoons and promotional videos. You can also witness this technique in designing an explainer video and more. An Animation institute in Kolkata should typically cover all the aspects of 2D animation in their course syllabus.

1. 3D Animation

3D, also referred to as CGI (computer generated imagery), is the most popular type of animation used in feature films currently, and it’s use is increasing in TV and short films as well.

This is also the same type of animation used to create digital characters for live-action films and animation for video games through 3D softwares like 3D Max, Blender, Cinema 4D, Houdini and Maya.

An animator uses a digital puppet (called a character rig) to position the character, and then use a system of motion paths (or splines) to define the movement of the character between those poses.

The computer proceeds to interpret the frames of the animation in between the key frames. The animator then works on these frames until he/she is satisfied with the quality of animation. The most important thing is to make it as realistic as possible.

3D animation is a technically intensive process, which often involves many separate specialized people to model the character, rig it with bones and controls which requires knowledge of anatomy, animate it, and then texture and light it for the final output.

The 3D animation style has brought in a revolutionary concept in the field of animation. Using this style, one gets to create more realistic and immersive content. And, it is also being used vividly in the medicine and architectural industry. An Animation Course in Kolkata provides training in this department. This you can later utilize to outsource huge projects.

3D animation involves more labour and more time, so using this skill for small projects is a loss. Whereas full-length movies or any interactive advertisements seem to be profitable. At present, the demand has spread towards commercials and the digital marketing field. So, all you need to find is what the project demands. 

1. Rotoscope Animation

Every live-action footage that keeps you drooling over content is created through Rotoscope animation involves taking. It is often compared to the traditional animation styles. 

However, it involves the process of tracing photographs onto glass panels, which is relatively cost-effective but time involving. Animation colleges in Kolkata usually involve a rotoscope section in their animation program. This helps the students get a better replacement.

In the sequences where you find that the animated character needs to interact with the environment, in any content, then rotoscope animation is done. This helps to impart a more realistic look. It is a much cheaper deal and is mostly used for commercials as well as films.

1. Motion Graphics

This Typography & Illustration Animation is also known as Motion Graphics.  Here the animators not only create characters but also create animated text and interesting presentations of moving basic illustrations. Owing to this, you get to see flying sentences in animated movies. Or, you notice an animated alphabetic sequence in the title screens or maybe the credit rolls. These are generally created to impart an exciting and captivating sequence.

Motion graphics can be both 2D and 3D, and you’ll find examples them everywhere in movies, commercials, videos, event highlights, news and other TV productions.

Here Proper character animation is generally not used, but many of the core animation principles apply to motion graphics too.

The process of creating Motion Graphics depends on the software’s used like Adobe After Effects, Cinema 4D etc.., but the principle remains the same. Motion Graphics usually involves animating images, texts or video clips using key frames that are tweened to make a smooth motion between frames.

The future of animation in India

The AVGC sector has occupied huge competitiveness in the recent global market. Starting from pre-production to post-production, the animation sector in India has witnessed a huge growth and this is just the nascent stage. This is only going to grow as when compared with the western countries, the cost of production is quite low in India. Thus, this will help draw more foreign business and increase animation employment. 

This current purpose is to meet global standards. Thus, the increased demand for animated content has created more job opportunities for animation-centric individuals. So, studying in the best Animation Institute in Kolkata will not only get you jobs as animators but also 3D artists, texture artists, image editors and many other 2D/3D job opportunities.

The most interesting fact is that animation is ageless, and it can be viewed by any individual. However, the interest varies based on the content. And, demand has expanded through the availability of the internet and access through smart phones. 

Conclusion

The pandemic has brought immense changes in the outlook of the animation field. Starting from film studios, business companies, social media marketers, and television networkers are competing to increase the scope of animation in their campaigns and films. So, this is going to stay and will keep growing with each passing day as the media and entertainment industry is rapidly growing and has huge employment opportunities. So, after completing an Animation course in Kolkata, a student has huge opportunities in this field.