UNIT2
27th February 2008
Discussion Paper
How can I accomplish the interactivity and artistic images like picture books
on my animation?
KATSURA MORISAKI
(MOR05159388)
MA Digital Arts
[email protected] 1 Research Question
To produce such interactive animation like picture books that is artistic rather than cartoonish and initiates lively communication between children and parents and among viewers by combining visual digital images, technology, movement and sounds with analogue media and techniques, this paper examines how I can accomplish this interactive installation of rather analogue animation in a play space totally.
Abstract
Animation films can express messages by using visual digital images, movement and sounds despite a one-way action while picture books can convey messages by using elaborate analogue images somewhat interactively by means of viewers’ seeing their favourite pages repeatedly and storytellers’ asking hearers about the pages. I am producing interactive animation in children’s play space by combining these merits of animation films with those of picture books and also blending online animation with offline installation. To complete the aims, I investigate how my animation can take in the merits of picture books, especially the interactivity and artistic visual images.
Firstly, I examine “KidsRoom” by MIT Media Laboratory and “ELECTROPLANKTON” by
Toshio Iwai whose concepts similar to what I would like to do and found some hints, the attraction of likening and variety of how to play with the work. Secondly, it was found that pure data enables the projected AVI animation to respond to the SWF animation on the monitor and sounds & voice of viewers despite some problems. In addition, through the research into children and projection, I had several interactive installation ideas.
Furthermore, to create artistic visual images on animation, I examine which 2D animation software is most effective and suitable for me and what kinds of animal character are attractive and long lasting. And then I decided to use the combination of Flash and After Effects and create realistic and round characters with texture of animals’ fur and adopt fat and short figures like soft toys with such clothes and items as long-lasting mascots have.
2 Key Words
Animation, Picture books, Interactive, Communication, Storytelling, Children, Play space,
Playthings, Installation, Projection, Characters, Artistic Analogue images
Likening from the “KidsRoom” – An Interactive Narrative Play space
The “KidsRoom” by the High Level Vision group with help from the Interactive Cinema group at the MIT Media Laboratory was a fully-automated, interactive narrative play space for children in 1996 and it would be found some hints and examples similar to what I would like to do.
The work is that the words, sounds, lighting and projection of animation change narratively by children’s locations, poses and shouts.
The animation changes walls into forests. (Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. online: bedroom.html)
(Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. online: forest.html)
I think the one good point is that the work makes children use a bed as a boat in the scene going down a river because it uses a familiar item and encourages children to imagine an unfamiliar one, instead of showing precise images and luxurious objects. The likening generally happens in 3 children’s play and also the bed likened to a boat is much funnier than an ordinary boat. It would be possible that the cloths of maps in my project are compared to various items and objects.
Everyone rows on the correct side and the rock is avoided. (Animation Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. Photos MIT Media Laboratory. online: river.html )
Another peculiar point is that the animation has only interactive backgrounds and the main characters are viewers themselves though they meet characters, which teach some poses (dance) to them and then the characters can copy if they do the moves.
(Animation Ivanov, Y and Wilson, A. Photos MIT Media Laboratory. online: monsterl.html)
I selected an animal as the main character for my animation because it is difficult to distinguish the sex of most animals, so both males and females would be able to completely take on the roles of the character in the animation. Despite the concept, I started to think that the main character might prevent viewers from being deeply absorbed in the animation world on the screen of the projection during doing some experiments in animation. For interactive animation it would be one method that the main characters are viewers themselves. However, my animation story has an unexpected important ending that the parents who received treasures from the main character say ‘You are my precious treasure’ and the parents of the main character have to appear, so I cannot omit the main character so that I can illustrate its kindred parents.
4 Simple tool with a large number of ways of playing from Toshio Iwai’s Work
Toshio Iwai is famous as a Japanese interactive media and installation artist for Nintendo
DS soft “ELECTROPLANKTON” and a new digital musical instrument YAMAHA “TENORI-ON”.
The package of Nintendo DS soft “ELECTROPLANKTON” YAMAHA “TENORI-ON” (Iwai, T. online: iwaisanchi.exblog.jp)
However, actually he also creates books with a hand-made paper plaything kit and picture books as a little communication tools to produce happy time for children and parents and the his concept is similar to mine.
Hand-made plaything kit “Rivet-kun” (online: www.kinokuniya.co.jp/02f/d05/rivetkun.htm)
Communication tool “Which is strange?” (online: www.kinokuniya.co.jp/02f/d05/dottigabox.htm)
As for “ELECTROPLANKTON”, although it has ten sorts of ELECTROPLANKTON, each one is very simple. However, if you contrive various ways to play with it, you can generate a large number of patterns. In addition, the Nintendo website announces two tricks of the trade, one is to use two DS machines and the other is to use rulers to draw straight lines and right circles. 5
Tracy Hanenbow Marine-Snow Volvoice Some of ELECTROPLANKTON (online: http://electroplankton.com/)
He commented in the website that he thought it is important how users play with it because each one is very simple, so he wrote a significant number of suggestions how to play with it in the manual. He also said that he tried to create such software as a card game because the ways of playing cards are considerable, so everyone is absorbed in it though the card game itself is very simple. It seems to me that it suggests substance of playing.
The part of how to play “Hanenbow” in the manual (online: http://electroplankton.com/)
In addition, he uses it as a musical instrument same as TENORI-ON and SOUND-LENS when he did live performance in SONAR, Ars Electronica festival, SIGGRAPH, Futuresonic, and so on.
SOUND-LENS LED lamps Playing SOUND-LENS Live scene
(Iwai, T. online: http://tenorion.exblog.jp/3418877/)
Developed Interactive Method through the Pure Data Workshop
My initial idea for interactivity was on just animation on the monitor of computer such as viewers can select ways and take some kinds of treasures. However, through the workshop of Pure
Data I learnt that I could make the scene and effects of projection (AVI file) respond to a scene of interactive animation (SWF file) and sounds & voice of children playing in the space. It is possible 6 by means of using OSC Flash and pure data though I have to use pure:dyne (Linux used on CD-
ROM) to do coding to move video files on my Windows. The process of the way is that:
1. Connect the machine showing SWF animation to the machine showing AVI animation by an
Ethernet cable
2. By using OSC Flash, take the information of the action and the scene from SWF file and then send it to the other machine
3. By using pure data, change the scene of the AVI animation
4. By using pure data, add the effects of video and sound on the AVI animation according to children’s voice or sounds of simple musical instruments
Advantages of the way are not only showing different expression from controlled interactive animation on the monitor, but also making children in the space affect AVI animation.
On the other hand, one of disadvantages of the way is that I need two machines to experiment in the interactive control. Other disadvantages are to have to create two different animations (SWF and AVI) and understand OSC Flash, pure data and pure: dyne clearly.
Using simple musical instruments for pure data interaction from a research of a family event
Sounds and music are an important factor for children. When I did research into children at a family event of BBC, simple musical instruments were made use of effectively. Children had the opportunity to play them to be just shaken and hit. At the end of the event, music was played and all children, performers, and characters in animal suits went on the stage. The dancing time warmed up. If I have a time to use pure data, I would like to make use of simple musical instruments such as tambourines and maracas made of paper by hand for the interactivity of pure data by sounds.
7 Children selected each one and enjoyed Performers showed exotic musical instruments. playing.
Photos of BBC Read and Write Event by Morisaki, K October 2007
Projection making use of shadow from ‘Shadow Monster’
If I use ordinary projection from the front for my project, shadows must be made the most use of. One of good examples using shadows for interactive installation is Worthers’ “Shadow
Monsters”. (Worthers 2005 online: http://www.worthersoriginal.com/viki/#page=shadowmonsters) If you make the shape of an animal by shadows of your hands, fangs, hairs and eyes grow and the monsters roar according to the actions. However, since I would like to show the visual language of my animation, shadows would be obstructive to view it. Therefore, the front-screen projection is not suitable for my interactive installation in a play space for children.
Captures from videos of “Shadow Monster”
Advantage of Rear Projection in a play space for children
Not only does not rear-screen projection make shadows, but it also allows significantly brighter light in the viewing room. (Home Theatre from Draper online: http://www.draperinc.com/HomeTheater/HomeTheatre-RearProjectionScreens.htm) A dark room 8 would be dangerous for children to play around. Therefore, because viewers can enjoy bright, high- resolution images without turning the lights off, the rear-screen projection is suitable for my project.
Using large cloths for the map of story world from a school visit
To connect the world on the monitor to the space outside the monitor and to make more interactive, I thought out creating maps as one element of installation. The story already has the map as the end paper of the picture book because I wrote the story for a picture book first.
(Rough Sketch of the Map of the story world)
The map has hills, forest, river, cliff, grassy, sea, Dr.’s laboratory, rocket, and main character’s house at moment.
I intend to use cloths for huge maps though I am going to try brown paper and Japanese paper for little maps because cloths are harder to be torn than paper. In addition, I observed that children could very enjoy playing with mere large cloths when I did research into 7-year-old children at a primary school.
Photos of Children hiding large cloths at Oliver Goldsmith Primary School by Morisaki, K May 2006
Although I was planning to use background images of my animation and create large maps by screen-print, I was afraid that the maps might not be recognised as a bird’s-eye view because my animation images are horizontal views. However, I found it would be all right when I visited Simon Schofield’s lecture at Chelsea College of Art and Design. The following work was 9 generated by each picture of a tree printed randomly. Although each tree is horizontal view, it does not seem funny overlooking the whole printing though it is different from the view of a google map.
Simon Schofield’s Digital Printmaking
Photos at “Experiments in Digital Surface Generation” lecture by Morisaki, K February 2008
2D Animation Software for artistic images
To create such artistic images that long-lasting picture books show in my animation, I searched software that can generate images like hand-made pictures. Also, I must solve the biggest cause to prevent my project from making much progress, which is that animation needs a large number of pictures to move characters and objects smoothly especially because I prefer to use hand drawn illustration, painting, printmaking and collage rather than computer graphics.
First of all, I looked at Koji Yamamura’s animation because his idiom is close to what I would like to do. It was found that he used “RETAS!PRO” (http://www.celsys.co.jp/retas/). It is consisted of five different tools such as drawing tool for animators and scanning & tracing tool.
Moreover, each costs more than 500 pounds. However, the trial versions of this series seem to be good for learning the process of creating animation because they contains many samples.
“Mt. Head” was nominated for the 75th Academy Awards Short Films' Animation Category.
(Captures from animation “Mt. Head” Yamamura, K) “Franz Kafka A Country Doctor” is his latest animation. 10
^(Captures from “Franz Kafka A Country Doctor Trailer” Yamamura, K. online: www.shochiku.co.jp/inakaisha/trailer.html) <(Yamamura, K. online: school.bijutsu.co.jp/artist/interview/08/20080125)
Secondly, I asked my friend who is an animator at moment and I found good software for
2D animation, “TVPaint” and “Toon Boom” from what he introduced. Although “TVPaint” is for 2D digital animation, it is possible to draw and paint as if you did actually on paper by hand because it has high customisability of the texture and brushes.
(TVPaint Community gallery samples online: http://www.tvpaint.com/)
“Toon Boom” is like the software incorporated Flash with After Effects and at least its variety of lines is much better than Flash’s one. Although it is basically for full digital by using a tablet, it can also import paper animation by a scanner.
However, they are expensive and the free download editions cannot export by good resolution. Therefore, in the final analysis, I decided to use Flash for Windows I have on my laptop to create general and interactive parts of animation. I also use After Effects for Mac at college and its 30-day trial edition for Windows at home to combine general animation with video images and to add some effects on the animation. 11
Animal characters for picture books and animation
In the PGPD research paper, I examined how the image of the animal character and the media of the narrative structure for children’s stories have changed through the long-lasting character depicted in the Paddington Bear series.
As a result, I realised that both the long-lasting Peggy Fortnum’s and the latest popular
R.W. Alley’s Paddington Bear are somewhat realistic and round rather than fancy and flat.
Especially, Fortnum's line drawings are both accurate and atmospheric.
Her later image of Paddington, which is fatter and shorter like the changes of soft toys of
English Bear, remains and is loved as a ‘home-grown’ mascot within the UK.
I also realised that the printed media and 3D puppet developed with detailed images while
2D animated media and merchandising products developed with simple images in the limitation of creation. As for Paddington animation, 3D puppet Paddington is far more popular than 2D animated
Paddington. It is difficult to create realistic and round characters with texture of animals’ fur for animation. However, I think Yury Norshtein’s animation actualises it.
(Captures from “Tale of Tales” Norshtein, Y.
online:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=3567
214682158602820)
Therefore, despite the difficulty of creation on animation, I am going to try to create realistic and round characters with texture of animals’ fur as much as possible. In addition, I adopt fat and short images such as soft toys with clothes and items as trademarks like well-known mascots.
12 Conclusion
In conclusion, for interactivity of my installation in children’s play space, I could find some hints through looking at “KidsRoom” and “ELECTROPLANKTON”, possibility by means of pure data, and several installation ideas through the research into children and projection. To create artistic visual images on animation, I examined which 2D animation software is most effective and suitable for me and what kinds of animal character are attractive and long lasting.
First and foremost, “KidsRoom” showed the interest of likening and one method that makes viewers the role of the main character. Secondly, “ELECTROPLANKTON” indicated that it is important how users play with the very simple work and contrive various ways. Moreover, pure data enables the projected AVI animation to respond to the SWF animation on the monitor and sounds & voice of viewers despite several problems. In addition, the family event by BBC suggested that musical instruments attract children. Furthermore, by comparison with the front-screen projection, the rear-screen projection has advantages for children’s installation because of the bright viewing room without shadows. Finally, the children who enjoyed playing together by hiding in large mere cloths brought the idea that I create huge maps made of cloths by printmaking.
As regards visualising artistic images rather than cartoonish ones on animation, I decided to use Flash for interactivity and After Effects for mixing with video images and adding effects. Also,
I try to create realistic and round characters with texture of animals’ fur and adopt fat and short figures like soft toys with such clothes and items as long-lasting mascots have.
Bibliography
- FLIPS. (2003) Animation. Hong Kong: IdNPRO.
- Salisbury, M. (2004) Illustrating children’s books: creating pictures for publication. London: A. &
C. Black.
- Schneider, C. (1989) Children’s Television - The Art, the Business, and How It Works. Illinois:
NTC Business Books.
- Sillars, S. (1995) Visualisation in popular fiction, 1860-1960 : graphic narratives, fictional
images. London: Routledge. 13 - Styles, M. (2003) Art, narrative and childhood. Stoke-on-Trent: Trentham.
- Tribe, M/ Jana, R. (2006) New Media Art. London: Taschen.
- Turner, R. S. (1994) Television and Children. Hertfordshire: BBC Television Training.
- Wells, P. (2006) The fundamentals of animation. Lausanne: AVA.
- Animator.ru (2008) Russian animation in letter and figures: Norstein Youry B., Animator.ru,
Russia, Available from: < http://animator.ru/db/?ver=eng&p=show_person&pid=71> [Accessed
25th Feb, 2008]
- BIJUTSU SHUPPAN-SHA (2007) Top Creator Interview – Koji Yamamura, BIJUTSU
SHUPPAN-SHA LTD., Tokyo, Available from: <
http://school.bijutsu.co.jp/artist/interview/08/20080125/ > [Accessed 25th Feb, 2008]
- BOOKS KINOKUNIYA (2008) Iwai-san ti no Rivel-kun, KINOKUNIYA COMPANY LTD., Tokyo,
Available from:
- BOOKS KINOKUNIYA (2008) Iwai-san ti no Which is strange?, KINOKUNIYA COMPANY LTD.,
Tokyo, Available from: < http://www.kinokuniya.co.jp/02f/d05/dottigabox.htm> [Accessed 25th
Feb, 2008]
- Celsys (2008) RETAS!PRO HD Series, CELSYS,Inc., Tokyo, Available from:
- Courtot, M (31/10/2006) Children's Literature: Meet Authors & Illustrators, Children’s Literature
www.childrenslit.com, Available from:
[Accessed 27th Nov, 2007]
- Fusion Product Inc./ Yury Norshtein (2008) The Works of Yury Norshtein, Fusion Product Inc.,
Tokyo, Available from: < http://www.comicbox.co.jp/norshtein/top.shtml> [Accessed 25th Feb,
2008]
- HarperCollins Publishers Ltd (2007) HarperCollins Children’s Books Paddington, HarperCollins
Publishers Ltd, UK, Available from:
on> [Accessed 27th Nov, 2007] - Iwai, T (2006-2008) Iwai-san ti web, Toshio Iwai, Tokyo, Available from: - Iwai, T (2006-2008) TENORI-ON Development Logbook, Toshio Iwai, Tokyo, Available from: - Kajiki, N (1987) A Study on Parents' Needs and Evaluation of a Play Space for Children with Play Leaders: A Case Study of "Play-School". Tokyo, Journal of home economics of Japan. Vol.51, No.6(20000615) pp. 497-508. The Japan Society of Home Economics (JSHE), Available from: order_no=Z00000014766154&ppv_type=0&lang_sw=&no=1203965969&cp=> [Accessed 25th Feb, 2008] - Norvic Philatelics (2006) GB New Stamps and Special Postmarks, Norvic Philatelics, Dereham, Available from: - Paddington Bear TM the official website (2003) Peggy Fortnum, Paddington and Co. Ltd., UK, Available from: Nov, 2007] - Paddington Bear TM the official website (2003) R. W. Alley, Paddington and Co. Ltd., UK, Available from: Nov, 2007] - Paddington Bear TM the official website (2003) Film Fair, Paddington and Co. Ltd., UK, Available from: Nov, 2007] - Paddington Bear TM the official website (2003) Ivor Wood, Paddington and Co. Ltd., UK, Available from: Nov, 2007] - Perceptual Computing Group (1996) The KidsRoom – An Interactive Narrative Playspace, MIT Media Laboratry, UK, Available from: 2008] 15 - The V&A Museum of Childhood (2007) Collections - Teddy Bears & Soft Toys - English Bears, The V&A Museum of Childhood, London, Available from: - Toon Boom Animation (2008) TOON BOOM DIGITAL PRO – High-Performance Animation Software, Toon Boom Animation Inc., Available from: 25th Feb, 2008] - TVPaint Developpement (2008) TVPaint, TVPaint Developpement, Maizieres Les Metz, Available from: < http://www.tvpaint.com/ > [Accessed 25th Feb, 2008] - Worthers (2005) Worthers'Original (SHADOW MONSTERS), London, Available from: - Yamamura Animation (2007) Franz Kafka A Country Doctor Trailer, SHOCHIKU, Tokyo, Available from: < http://www.shochiku.co.jp/inakaisha/trailer.html > [Accessed 25th Feb, 2008] - Yamamura, K (1997-2008) Yamamura Animation, Yamamura Animation Inc., Tokyo, Available from: < http://www.yamamura-animation.jp/index.html> [Accessed 25th Feb, 2008]