5 Common Character Archetypes in Cartoons

Whether we're looking at Shakespeare or SpongeBob, there are common character archetypes that appear in stories across time and cultures. Archetypes are characterized or classified by the role they serve or their purpose in a story. The classical archetypes of a good story include the protagonist and antagonist, the mentor, the sidekick, and the love interest. Let's take a closer look at these five archetypes and how animation studios bring them to life.

The Protagonist

This protagonist is the main character in a story, show or movie. In many cases, this character turns out to be the hero. It is usually easy to identify the protagonist because the storyline revolves around them and their lives, problems and internal conflicts. Roughly, in Greek, the word protagonist translates to "player of the first part" or "chief actor."

Why is a protagonist so important? They aren't always the heroes; sometimes they are just the focal point in a show or even in an advertisement. A protagonist is typically on the "good side," and follows a moral compass that many deem good. The protagonist is likely to change throughout a story and that action expresses the theme of a story an animation studio is trying to put out. A protagonist serves as a doorway into an emotional story or an emotional heart. They tend to draw a viewer or reader into the story. The best protagonists are characters that people can relate to. As a viewer, you may have shared hopes, fears or goals with a protagonist.

When we look to animation and some of the most well known protagonists we see characters like Buzz and Woody or Superman. Though heroes in our eyes, protagonists are far from perfect. They hold some type of flaw, whether it be internal or within their environment. The conflict they face then causes them to fight back or fall back from the big obstacle, and the way they choose to react to a situation is how we choose to interpret the character's qualities.

The Antagonist

Classical forms of storytelling feature a main character known as the protagonist, which we discussed. This character will typically enter the story first. Then enters the antagonist. This character is typically depicted as the "bad guy" or the "villain." Antagonists are without a doubt entertaining and bring a moral conflict to light, which as a result puts our hero at a fork in a moral road.

These characters serve to teach viewers wrong from right. These characters are an essential component to any story for many reasons. They are the primary opposition for a protagonist. They elicit the protagonist in the story to change their perception and try to live in a less flawed world, no matter who or what they must hurt to attain it.

When an antagonist or a villain in any story is personifying a central conflict, it brings a different element to a story that will benefit it. The pressure an antagonist puts on the protagonist eventually brings forth inner conflicts. These characters typically test their counterpart's moral compass and commitment to being morally just.

The Sidekick

The role of a sidekick was once referred to as the "close companion." This role dates back more than a century. Specifically, we have our first literary glimpse at a sidekick in The Epic of Gilgamesh, which features a protagonist-sidekick. The main character seeks not only friendship, but also advice from Enkidu. This character has defined many of the consistent and quality characteristics we seek in a great sidekick in regards to a production of a film, book or television series and more.

Gilgamesh was unarguably the main character. However, the epic reveals that the secondary character, Enkidu, played a smaller but still meaningful role in the story. When Enkidu is killed, Gilgamesh responds aggressively because he has grown close to his friend and confidant. The depth of the reaction Gilgamesh has not only adds depth to him as a character, but also lets the audience know how significant the bond was between the protagonist and sidekick.

Another common trope of the sidekick is to infuse the story with humor. This is especially true of animated characters. Where would Bugs Bunny be without Daffy Duck to set him off? Some may see Daffy as more of an antagonist, but he's not really out to get Bugs. The two characters play off of each other and add lots of laughs along the way.

Other great sidekicks in time include Dr. Watson and Sancho Panza. These sidekicks perform different roles and functions in support of the main character they assist throughout a storyline. They serve a grander purpose than simply being a companion or assistant. They humanize the characteristics of a protagonist. They are also the character that moves the story.

The Mentor

The mentor is usually a great help for the protagonist in any story. They guard or protect them during a big quest or journey that involves both physically harmful obstacles as well as emotionally harmful obstacles. They can take many forms. Typically we imagine a grey-haired and aged man, but sometimes the mentor can take the most unsuspecting form.


These characters usually provide support and guide their "student" toward the right path. Mentors are known for having high morals and standards that can often challenge the student they are looking after. They always find a way to inspire them and push them to aspire for something good.

The Love Interest

This character might often be over-looked, but also plays a very important role in many stories. They are the person with whom the main character falls in love with. They serve, as a catalyst in the journey a protagonist must go through. Depending on the ultimate goal of the protagonist, the person who is their love interest can be of great assistance and motivation, much like a mentor can be.

So the next time you're watching your favorite cartoons, pay close attention to more than the character design quality. Look into the roles you believe each character plays and their significant contribution to a story line. You'll find it is hard to have a compelling story without these staple archetypes.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Delota

Read More

Family Guy and the Parent Television Council

On February 8, 2015, Family Guy released an episode entitled "Quagmire's Mom." In the episode, the sex-addicted reoccurring character, Glen Quagmire, is arrested for having sex with a high school girl. After claiming that his mom is the reason that he grew up to be a sexual deviant, Quagmire is still sentenced to twenty years in prison. However, his mom then enters the episode and finds a way to get her son acquitted of his charges. While I am a huge fan of Family Guy, I personally thought this episode was mediocre. However, I apparently loved this episode compared to the Parent Television Council.

The Parent Television Council is probably more active in attacking Family Guy than any other major organization. Family Guy has made their yearly list of "worst prime-time shows for family viewing" three times and over forty episodes have been chosen for the Parent Television Council's "Worst TV Show of the Week." They have even gone as far as to launch campaigns for Fox network to cancel Family Guy.

 

I know that a lot of people hate Family Guy for multiple reasons including the cut-away gags, the lack of consistency, and of course the offensive humor. Most TV-watchers have a distaste for certain popular shows. I hate The Bachelor because I don't buy for a second that it's reality and I hate Downton Abbey because I find it slow, pretentious, and painfully boring. However, if those shows are popular, who am I to say they should be off the air? I just won't watch them. In fact, if I had the option to cancel those shows myself, I wouldn't do it because other people enjoy them and they aren't forced upon me. Likewise, no one is forcing the members of the Parent Television Council to watch Family Guy. I doubt they like anything about it. This means that they watch this show on their own choosing, not because there's anything about the show that attracts them, but just so they can complain about it later.

Humor is subjective and different people have different senses of humor. For example, I did not find the movie "Elf" the slightest bit funny despite its universal praise. But I'm not going to criticize other people for laughing at it or start a campaign against the movie because it didn't fit my sense of humor. The Parent Television Council can't seem to understand this. They think that if you find something funny that they don't, you're at fault and inferior to the sophistication of these elite intellectuals. In one of their recent articles complaining about the episode "Our Idiot Brian," Christopher Gildemiester stated "it was a typical episode of Family Guy - except for the lengthy middle portion of the episode mocking stupid people - which undoubtedly insulted many of Family Guy's biggest fans." These people constantly complain about Family Guy negatively generalizing certain types of people, yet they just outright called Family Guy fans "stupid people."

More than anything else, the Parent Television Council complains about Family Guy for indecency, such as mocking certain types of people or groups, violent or sexually explicit content, or offensive jokes about sensitive subjects. Now that would be like if I went to go watch "Dora the Explorer" and complain that it was too childish and silly. The members of the Parent Television Council are obviously not the target audience. Nor are people who tend to get offended by shock humor. This is the kind of show Family Guy is and always was. It's obviously not for everyone, but let the people who like the show watch it. The people of the Parent Television Council can watch whatever they want to watch.

Now, I would understand if they made this kind of complaint about a family friendly show. For example, in an episode of Spongebob called "Are You Happy Now?" there is a joke where Squidward is depressed and pulls up a noose saying "maybe this will help," implying that he will hang himself, only to pull up something else instead. This is clearly a suicide joke and of course it got a lot of backlash. See Spongebob is a kid's show and this kind of joke is out of place in a show that's expected to be a family friendly show. In this case, the show is at fault for the content the kids were exposed to. But Family Guy was always an adult cartoon. Sure it's gotten raunchier over the years, but it was not for kids to begin with. The Parent Television Council often complains about kids being exposed to Family Guy. I'm not a parent so I can't judge whether a parent lets his or her kids watch Family Guy or not. But Family Guy is clearly not a kid's show and whatever the kids are exposed to is on the parents. And I know the Parent Television Council complains about the time slot for Family Guy, how it airs too early when kids are still watching TV, but that isn't the show's fault either. That is the network's fault and that issue should be taken up with them, not the show itself.

They also like to complain about certain messages they claim the shows gives off. They claim that Family Guy belittles the severity of serious issues like rape, racism, and abuse. However, they need to remember that Family Guy is comedy. Not just that, but it's completely absurd with no attempt at realism or logic. I'm not going to learn that it's okay to treat one family member like garbage because they do it in Family Guy. They aren't actively telling us that abuse is okay (except maybe with one or two rare exceptions like "Seahorse Seashell Party"). I can laugh at racist or suicide jokes while still understanding the seriousness of the issues. I know some people can't and that's just a difference in senses of humor. I can even laugh at jokes mocking aspects about me. I have Asperger Syndrome and I was never even a little offended by Family Guy's numerous jokes about autism. If others get offended by this dark humor, then they can watch more politically correct shows. The Parent Television Council needs to understand that just because a show offends them doesn't mean it shouldn't exist.

However, the tipping point for me to write this was the article about the episode mentioned earlier, Quagmire's Mom. The Parent Television Council complained that the episode joked about statutory rape. Now this was just baffling to me. Family Guy is not new to making these kinds of jokes. They have made jokes far more offensive than this, like pretty much any episode with the character Herbert, an elderly man who constantly tries to gain sexual pleasure from young boys. Even the focus character of this episode, Quagmire, has done far worse. Many other episodes have implied that he has committed numerous forcible rapes and even kept women locked up in his house for his own sexual desires. In fact, one of my complaints about this episode is that when Quagmire finally gets significant consequences for his actions, it's for something that, to be honest, wasn't even really his fault. He had consensual sex with a girl who lied to him that she was an adult and Quagmire was surprised when she revealed that she was a minor after they already had sex. I would say that the real-life injustice that this episode jokes about is that people can go to jail for twenty years for having sex with someone they thought was legal. But since this episode involved anything that included the word "rape" the Parent Television Council is going nuts about it. This episode isn't even that insensitive about the issue compared to other episodes. In fact, it actually takes the issue fairly seriously for a Family Guy episode.

The Parent Television Council, to me, represents the worst of modern-day censorship. If people want to publicly rant about how much they hate Family Guy, that's their freedom of speech. However, the Parent Television Council are actively trying to take the show down because they don't like it. People should be able to enjoy the entertainment that they prefer, but no one can tell you what to like. You can hate Family Guy all you want, but the best way to deal with that is to just avoid it. Hopefully the Parent Television Council will understand that someday.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Matthew_Wu

Read More

Benefits of 2D Animation

Since the 1990s, 3D animation has enjoyed an explosion in popularity. Nowadays, major motion pictures around the world use its techniques to create lifelike images that allow the viewer to feel as if they are part of the animated world being depicted on the screen. Despite the advantages and popularity of 3D animation, however, traditional animation in the form of 2D animation and elsewhere is still playing a central role in the world of animation. Since its advent in the early 1900s, it has provided a slew of benefits to animated projects. Following are just a few of the many advantages that 2D animation provides.

 

Efficiency

One benefit of 2D animation is the efficiency with which it can be produced. Animation by its very nature is never a simple process. As an art form, it requires a great deal of skill and creativity to produce objects, characters, and worlds that appeal to the target audiences and that accurately convey stories and messages. In addition, the numerous techniques and styles that have developed throughout the past century provide an array of tools from which the animator can choose.

However, while 2D animation demands as much skill as does 3D animation, it is generally faster to create simply because it does not require a third dimension. 2D animation companies do not need to create lifelike images the way that 3D animators do. Their cityscapes, for instance, do not need to consist of buildings with details that make them look like real buildings. This faster design can be beneficial to those who need a project completed in a timely manner.

Simplicity

A second benefit of 2D animation is the fact that its designs tend to be less complex than those provided by 3D animation. How beneficial a simpler design is depends upon the project. For instance, action films usually benefit from 3D animation because of the detailed action and complex images they use to draw the viewer in.

 

However, when the design needs to highlight the message, the services of a 2D animation studio are usually preferable. For instance, a clean design is often more effective in advertising, because it more clearly conveys the advertiser's message to the viewer. Certain games, such as Candy Crush, also depend upon a simpler design to appeal to their audiences. Some television shows, such as South Park, have built their success on a 2D animated design. Even some educational applications or explainer videos require a design that will not distract the viewers from the message that the project is trying to convey.

Cost effectiveness

The efficiency and simplicity of 2D animation lead to greater cost effectiveness, another boon to people who want the benefits of animation but who cannot afford the sometime steep price tag that accompanies 3D animation. The fact that this type of animation takes less time and is less complex means that it can be accomplished with fewer resources, savings that often translate into a smaller price tag. In fact, many projects utilize 2D instead of 3D animation at least in part because it is more cost effective for tight budgets and small companies. Any provider of 2D animation should be able to work with your budget to create a project that meets not only your creative needs but also your financial constraints.

Artistic freedom

Each type of animation brings with it numerous creative possibilities. However, 3D animation must always appear lifelike and realistic, no matter what scene, objects, or people it is depicting. As a result, the fanciful and exaggerated generally do not translate well to the 3D screen, and styles such as anime are more difficult to create through the use of 3D tools.

2D animation, on the other hand, makes entirely new worlds possible. For instance, through traditional animation, the animator can create people, animated cartoons, and more that do not exist in real life. As a result, anyone needing an animated project can use 2D animation to more easily create images and worlds that would otherwise be very hard to film and/or create using 3D tools. This aspect of 2D animation also lends itself well to creating projects targeted to specific audiences. Not only can the animator use their imaginations to create characters and worlds that are not lifelike or realistic, but, by doing so, they can engage in character design and other practices that result in projects tailored to the sensibilities of specific audiences.

Because of the artistic freedom that 2D animation provides, this type of animation requires a high level of talent that makes the animator as skilled as anyone working on a 3D project. The animator must use their creativity and knowledge of the art form to develop characters and worlds that meet the needs of the project, instead of focusing simply on creating as lifelike images as possible. From concept design to character design to storyboards, they must utilize their expertise to create exactly the type of project being envisioned and the goals that are in place for the project.

Choosing 2D animation for your animated project does not mean that you are limiting your choices. Instead, its efficiency, simplicity, cost effectiveness, and the artistic freedom that allows the animator to bring your idea to life provide you with advantages that in many cases make it a better choice than 3D animation for successfully completing your animated project.

Powerhouse Animation is a traditional 2D animation studio based in Austin, Texas with offices in Burbank, California. Since 2001, Powerhouse has been making ideas come to life through animation, illustration, and motion graphics. With a staff of 35 in-house artists, animators, videographers and designers, Powerhouse works on a wide variety of projects and has created animation for companies including Disney, Sony, Marvel, DC, Old Spice, Miramax, the USO and more. To learn more about some of these projects visit
 http://entertainmentmedia24.blogspot.com/2015/07/benefits-of-2d-animation.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Stephanie_Delota

Read More

Jeff Beck 'Truth'

Jeff Beck's debut release showed how good and credible heavy metal could be, at a time when media hacks threw the label on any band that played their guitars louder than The Beatles did. Estranged from The Yardbirds, he found himself at odds with the members (one of which included Jimmy Page, initially hired as bassist, promoted to guitarist), his tardiness and quest for perfectionism at odds with the laborious touring schedule the British band had to meet. Now, duly departed from the band, Beck had the time and influence to record an album as he and producer Mickie Most best saw fit, as sessions for 'The Jeff Beck Band' began in June 1967.

Armed with a group of bandits, each of their contribution more than eye candy for the prickly guitarist, each found a niche for themselves on the record. Drummer Micky Waller gave depth to the record when it needed it most, Ronnie Wood's bass playing had a finesse he never equalled on his preferred instrument, guitar, and Rod Stewart, sidelined to backing vocalist on Beck's debut single 'Hi Ho Silver Lining' now given the reign to sing to his heart's content. Sufficently far from his 'Sailing'and 'D'ya Think I'm Sexy' days, the twenty-two year old proved a blues singer par excellence; sufficiently so, he was the singer the remaining members of 'Small Faces' approached following Steve Marriott's departure.

But it was Beck whose name featured on the record and it is his playing that gives the album its necessary weight. An acoustic guitar contribution from Jimmy Page notwithstanding, the remaining guitars are Beck's, his gorgeous succulent playing on 'Greensleeves' a nice counterpoint to the psychedelics on ' Shape Of Things', again a shade to the loud dynamics heard on album closer ' I Ain't Superstitious'.

'Beck's Bolero' gave Beck his best loved song, though it was recorded long before the other tracks were recorded (1966, in fact), as a result future Led Zeppelin John Paul Jones and incumbent The Who drummer Keith Moon played rhythm to Beck's and Jimmy Page's soaring guitar parts. A fine Spanish part played by Page, it is Beck's slide playing that pointed the way to heavy metal records of the seventies. A fine performance of sound and substance, it was Page, however, who received the song-writing royalties, a bone of contention which still niggles Beck decades later. Jones also played a delicate organ solo on Muddy Waters cover 'You Shook Me', amalgamating Stewart's earnest vocals, though it was a similar organ arrangement he used on Led Zeppelin's version less than a year later, one that understandably irked Beck even more.

While later albums showed Beck´s capacity to over-indulge, here his playing restrains itself to a handful of overdubs, most of it recorded on an eight track, as a way of emulating the sound of a live performance. Where the album was recorded during the ´Summer of Love´, Beck´s playing owed less to Hendrix than it did to blues record, his slide playing on ´Shapes of Things´ and album closer ´I Ain´t Superstitious´an indictment of this, while ´Ol´ Man River´ had an intricacy to it nowhere heard on any version before or since. Boston´s Tom Scholz, seventies guitarist extraordinaire, claimed the album as his all time favourite, and the album would herald the riff frenetism of the nineteen seventies.

Sadly, the band never equalled ´Truth´. Stewart and Wood played on the album´s follow up ´Beck-Ola´(further evidence of who called the band´s shots!) before leaving to form the more widely celebrated Faces. Beck himself found his second ´Jeff Beck Group´ a disappointment and called time on that unit after a mere two albums. Despite flashes of brilliance here and there, it was his 1985 collaborations with Rod Stewart that re-opened his taste for hair -raising playing.

Eoghan Lyng has written a number of articles about hard rock and heavy metal bands. If you have a query about his work, check out his WordPress ´EoghanLyng´.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eoghan_M_Lyng

Read More

Fingerstyle Solo Guitar - Lenny Breau Was A True Innovator!

Lenny Breau was born on August 5, 1941 in Auburn, Maine and was discovered by top country guitar player Chet Atkins in Winnipeg, Canada. Thought by numerous jazz guitarists to be the most ingenious guitar player to have appeared on the jazz scene in the 1960s, Breau lived for the majority of his life as a recluse. This was mostly due to his drug addiction and the associated physical and mental problems that went along with it. His recordings definitely prove that he was a dazzling, versatile, and very innovative jazz guitar stylist!

Lenny Breau started to play the guitar at the age of seven. By the time he was twelve he had the ability to play professionally with his parents who were country and western singers Hal "Lone Pine" Breau and Betty Cody. He initially ended up being interested in jazz guitar music at the age of seventeen. Lenny listened to the recordings of most of the leading guitar innovators of the 1950s including Barney Kessel, Tal Farlow, Joe Pass, Wes Montgomery, and Johnny Smith.

Nevertheless, the unique approach of guitar playing that Lenny eventually embraced was primarily influenced by the fingerstyle approach of country fingerstyle guitar legend Chet Atkins and the jazz piano approach of Bill Evans. When Chet Atkins heard Lenny Breau in Winnipeg, he instantly recognized the young performer's special talent and signed him to record an album for the RCA label. After the success of his very first recording for RCA, Breau spent a decent amount of time residing in Los Angeles. There he acquired prominence in jazz circles when he played at drummer Shelley Manne's jazz club, "The Manne Hole" and other jazz clubs.

In the late 1960s Breau returned to Toronto, moving to Winnipeg in 1973 till 1975. For numerous years he lived in Killaloe which was likewise in Canada, however rarely gave any public performances. With the persuasion of Chet Atkins and others, he did spend some time in Nashville teaching jazz guitar master classes and playing occasional club dates. From 1977 - 1981 Lenny made a number of new recordings which once again made evident his enormous amount of skill.

At this point in his career Lenny Breau was playing a 7 string guitar constructed to his own design. This instrument had an extra treble string, a high A, rather than the additional bass string, a low A, made famous by George Van Eps on his 7 string guitar. In November 1983 Lenny moved to Los Angeles where he taught private students and jazz guitar workshops. He likewise wrote a regular instructional column (edited by Jim Ferguson) for Guitar Player Magazine. He appeared every Monday night playing live with world-famous jazz guitar player Tal Farlow at the famous Donte's Jazz Club.

On August 12, 1984 he was found dead in what was initially believed to be a pool mishap. Later evidence points to the very real possibility that he was murdered. Lenny Breau, although little known to the typical jazz music enthusiast, is regarded by guitarists in addition to those jazz artists who worked with him as one of the most original and influential jazz guitar players of all time. He was also an unbelievably versatile guitarist as well playing country, flamenco, folk, concert classical, and Indian music with the same proficiency and level of excitement as he played jazz!

Peabody Conservatory trained guitarist Steven Herron is an expert on solo jazz guitar playing. He has spent most of his adult life playing professionally at clubs and restaurants as well as teaching private students at his studio. Sign up now for his Free "Guitar Chord Harmonizations Report" and find out more about Lenny Breau guitar solos.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_M_Herron

Read More

Jazz Guitar Courses - Mickey Baker Wrote The First One!

Mickey Baker was born on October 15, 1925 in Louisville, Kentucky. His fame among many guitarists is mostly as an author of numerous guitar books and courses. He has actually also been a professional guitar player mostly in the field of rhythm and blues music. He is still musically active and now resides in Paris with his spouse Sylvia.

As a boy Mickey Baker resided in an orphanage and it was in this organization's marching band that he initially established an interest in music. At the age of sixteen he ran away from the orphanage and ended up in New York earning his living as a laborer. By the time he was nineteen, having listened to many leading jazz musicians including Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, Baker decided that he wanted to be a jazz musician.

The trumpet was his first instrument of choice but the cash needed to buy this instrument was too much so at nineteen he decided to buy a guitar instead. After a couple of years of study, including a brief spell at The New York School of Music, Mickey Baker chose to form his own jazz group in 1949. While he was trying to make the money required to get back to New York, Baker heard blues guitarist Pee Wee Creighton.

Mickey liked what he saw and heard and he also liked that Creighton was earning a good living! The outcome was that Baker changed his guitar approach and went back to New York as a blues guitarist. His decision showed itself to be a good one as Mickey Baker, blues guitar player, discovered himself in demand for the Atlantic, Savoy, and King record labels as a backing guitar player for leading blues artists including Ray Charles, Big Joe Turner, Ruth Brown, and The Drifters.

During the 1950s Mickey felt he could enhance his monetary situation by emulating the chart topping duo of guitar wizard Les Paul and vocalist Mary Ford. He decided to join forces with an ex-student of his whose name was Sylvia and in 1957 they recorded a smash hit with a song called "Love Is Strange". Their appeal lasted right through to 1961. With this success behind them the Bakers were economically able to create their own publishing and recording companies in addition to their own night club.

Since the early 1950s Mickey Baker had been writing and creating his jazz guitar courses along with his music albums and now through his own publishing company he established international distribution for these works. In spite of his success as a blues and pop guitarist Baker felt that he still wanted to play jazz guitar again. And for that reason, he decided to move with his wife to Europe where he hoped he could develop a more satisfying musical life.

He purchased a house in Paris and established permanent French residency there. Since that time Mickey Baker has actually prospered by writing, arranging, and playing with numerous groups and has to a great extent fulfilled his desire to continue playing his own distinct style of jazz blues guitar. To this day his now legendary jazz guitar course books are still enthusiastically recommended and used throughout the world by many guitar players!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Steve_M_Herron

Read More

Architectural Animation - Useful Info

Architectural animation refers to the art of creating architectural movies or buildings with a computer. It can be used in creating beautiful buildings with nice landscapes and other attractions right on the computer. Normally, the process requires a lot of time and energy. Well trained architects and artists usually use the technique in drawing building plans.

Architectural animation involves the use of graphics and images in creating all kinds of buildings. At the end of the process, a unique movie clip is developed. The images can be played back as often as possible. It can turn out to be a real movie that can be played on a camera or DVD. During the creation of the movie clip, a computer-related environment can be included around the designed building. This is meant to make the movie more real. It's also meant to bring out the real message of the created designs.

Oftentimes, architectural animation is used alongside architectural rendering. Both of them work hand in hand when it comes to building constructions and real estate development. Both techniques can be used in drawing gigantic building plans. Several architects and artist use the two methods in creating all kinds of images and graphic designs meant for building construction.

In the recent times, architectural animation services are highly demanded across the globe. Several firms have come into the business. Diverse kinds of techniques are now used in the process. 3D animations and several forms of rendering techniques are mainly used. Such techniques are engaged in servicing the needs of customers who require different kinds of building projects. Today, several associations of builders and architects are using the techniques. They are now changing the world of building construction for the better.

Meanwhile, only well trained experts, artists and architects can make use of the 3D animation techniques. In most cases, they have to go through several training sessions before they can master the details of the techniques. Oftentimes, they have to work as teams before they can realize tangible results. Today, the techniques are used in city planning, landscape planning, 3D rendering, product simulation, design engineering, and a lot more.

In all, architectural animation as an art is fast developing across the globe. New techniques and approaches are constantly introduced into it. New computer applications and other latest technologies are also being used in the art. The future of the art is indeed very bright.

Architectural animation is the art of creating architectural movies or buildings with a computer. It's becoming very common among modern day architects and artists.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Cassie_Songs

Read More

Choosing a Decent 3D Animation Studio

It is crucial to choose a decent 3D animation studio when your business is in need of a marketing solution via 3D animation. In fact, the entire success or failure of the marketing campaign depends upon the type and quality of animation, pricing, and project delivery. Although, it is quite difficult when it comes to choosing a decent 3D animation studio that can cater for your marketing requirement in the best possible way. Below are few suggestions that might help you out choosing a 3D animation company.

1. The requirement of animation varies from campaign to campaign and company to company. Therefore, before you proceed with your marketing campaign via animation, be sure to find out what solution best suits you i.e. television advert, short animation film, animated banner, or animated presentation. 3D animation studios providing animation services, on the other hand, specialise in one or several solutions. For instance, some studios thrive in providing animation services for architecture, some in film production while others in other industrial sectors and so on. Choose a studio that can cater best for your needs. Although, before choosing any studio, be sure that they have a good portfolio, along with relevant experience.

2. Search for an animation studio that has project managers or accountable persons with similar skills. This is crucial because, no matter how talented animators are, they might not understand your exact marketing requirement. An accountable person or a project manager has skills to understand various marketing requirements, and can guide the animators in creating the best solution that matches your marketing needs.

3. Whatever the marketing campaign be, it is crucial that the project is finished on time. Late project delivery can restrain the effectiveness of the marketing campaign. You might even lose a good opportunity to make the most out of the campaign if the project is not delivered on time. Therefore, be sure that the 3D animation studio that you choose is pretty well equipped with a talented team of animators, who can ensure to complete your project on time. Studios with inadequate resources or studios burdened with many projects may fail to deliver your project on time. This is the reason why, you should avoid such studios at all costs.

4. Pricing is the final aspect that needs due consideration. Be it in UK or US or elsewhere, 3D animation studios differs in term of their pricing structure. In fact, studios in the same region will differ in pricing. Although, considering the quality and the budget you are ready to spare, choose a studio accordingly.

Considering the above 1 to 4 suggestions, you might be able to choose a decent 3D animation studio to work with your animated marketing campaign. Working with the decent studio on a marketing campaign will enable you to make the most out of the campaign.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Adam_M_Thomas

Read More