Thank You All!

I'd like to thank everybody that has viewed my blog and read it. It has been a pretty interesting experience writing a blog about the history of animation and what it has evolved into to this day. This is a topic that has been interesting and intriguing to me for a while, and i've learned a lot about the subject from writing this blog. I hope that you all have had a fun time reading this blog and have learned some things about animation like I have. I hope that you all continue learning more about this artform because it really is an interesting one. Farewell and thank you once again.

Are Holograms already in existance?

Holography as it is called, is the way of recording light that is scattered off of an object and being shown again to reveal an image as it already was seen, in the same position. This produces an effect that makes the projected/lit subject look 3-dimensional with depth. We've seen holograms presented in many films over the years. The main films in which we have seen holograms are the Star Wars films. In these films, the regular mode of communication between people is by way of hologram. The hologram is projected on a hand-sized pod and the two individuals are able to communicate and see each other clearly. But are holograms real? A supposed hologram was put into use during a clip in the news on CNN, but was it really a hologram? The answer is no, the supposed "hologram" wasn't a real hologram. What the viewers saw was only a projection that was layered onto the real-time interview tape. The people in the studio couldn't see the "hologram", but we could because it was slipped into the film. Although this was not a real hologram, there most likely are holograms in production somwhere. Maybe we will have holograms soon, who knows?

CNN "Hologram":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thOxW19vsTg

To learn more about Holography in a more in-depth way click the link below:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holography

What is next for animation?

Animation has come from 2D, flat animation that has entertained us for a long time. Next it moved to flip-books that can be easily made by everybody. It then moved on to stop-motion animation and claymation that has let people show what they can create, as well as what major filmmaker and producers can make. Lastly it moved to computer-animated works and computer-animated images presented in 3D. The question remains: what's up next for the film industry in the animation field? The next big thing that is coming up in the filmmaking industry is Cinema 4D, a design system created by MAXON Computer GmbH in Friedrichsdorf, Germany. Cinema 4D is basically 3D animation and design, but a step ahead. It has all of the capabilities of 3D animation, but the presentation and detail in 4D animation is far greater. This 4D design has been applied to numerous advertisements in the media, producing intricate, smooth, and detailed images that catch the eye. With this 4D design, whole realistic worlds can be created on a computer. Cinema 4D will most likely make us wonder what else is possible in animation and film, what else can we grasp? What else will we get to in the future? Is there anything else we can make that is greater than 4D?

A demonstration of Cinema 4D:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KJSOsyImbF0

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinema_4D

Disney Digital 3D

Because IMAX's popularity rose exponentially so quickly, other companies wanted to compete. The Walt Disney Company developed their own 3D system in the mid 2000's and began to work with it. Disney Pixar released the film entitled "Up" on May 29, 2009, which was the first film to be presented in 3D. Since then, Disney Pixar has made almost every film 3D presentable and they look quite good.

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disney_Digital_3-D

First Films Shown at IMAX

In June of 2006, the film entitled "Superman Returns" became converted into IMAX 3D format and was the first film to be shown in IMAX theaters in 3D. IMAX started to partner up with several movie theaters and began to install their IMAX equipment in the theaters to add more to the theater experience and to make the theaters IMAX compatible. In July of 2008, Warner Bros. Pictures got together with IMAX and made some parts of the film "Batman: The Dark Knight" with IMAX equipment. This film became the highest-grossing movie to be made with IMAX technology. To this day, IMAX continues to deliver amazing entertainment in 3D all over the nation.

Sources:

http://www.imax.com/corporate/history/

The IMAX Experience

Once computer-animated films were being produced and gained a lot of attention in the film industry, it was taken even higher. People in the film industry wanted to take computer-animated films to pop, they wanted them to stand out from everything else. The IMAX Corporation in Canada developed a 3D movie projection system that gives a film depth and life, it makes the images come out at the audience. The system is made of two lenses, one to represent the right eye, one eye to represent the left eye. These two lenses are separated by an interocular lense by a distance of 64 mm., the same distance tat is between the eyes on a person's face. The two lenses are fed different films and when they are shown at the same time they produce an image that pops out.

For more information and recent news about the IMAX Corporation visit the link below:

http://www.imax.com/corporate/history/

Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IMAX#IMAX_3D

3D Animation

Now, back to 3D animation. 3D animation is animated images that are made via computer-generated images. These computer-generated images produce subjects/characters that appear to be 3D, or in other words, have depth and shape to them, unlike 2D animated images that are on flat paper. These images that were created using computer-generated images made their way to the film industry very quickly. One of the first 3D animated films was a short film entitled "Luxo Jr." that was released in 1986 by Pixar Animation Studios. This short film told the short story of two walking lamps and their endeavor with a rubber ball. This wide-known short film was followed up by another short film entitled "Tin Toy", a short film about a toy and his encounter with a baby, and how the baby reacts to him.

Link to watch "Luxo Jr.":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_oL_27KqgU

Link to watch "Tin Toy":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vNZtl5SZvbM

Sources:

http://www.pixar.com/companyinfo/history/87.html