Filmmakers

Cel animation - Stop-motion - Computer-generated animation

There are many ways to create the style of a movie or its visual effects. The technique used may require live action, clay figures, models, or good artists. Many techniques are used that completely remove the necessity of live actors in front of a camera. Some have been around a long time, and some are new enough to be impossible without the use of a computer, but all film techniques are currently used to accomplish the tasks that visual effects require to look great. However, it doesn't matter which technique is used in a given situation, because the technique is only as good as the filmmaker who utilizes it.

Topics:

• Cel animation
  To complete a feature-length animated movie, it often takes a million seperate drawings and three years to complete...

• Stop-motion
  Stop-motion is a film technique in which one frame of film is exposed at a time, as opposed to the normal 24 frames of filme being exposed per second...

• Computer-generated animation
  Computer-generated animation is not like modifying an existing image. It is far more complex. The computer starts with a blank screen and from their builds to computer-generated images from scratch...

• Compositing
  Compositing is where different elements of a shot are filmed separately and then later pieced together into one final composite shot...

• Matte Painting
  A matte painting is no ordinary painting. Just as its name implies, it uses a matte technique, primarily to place the actors into the painting...