A Few Reasons Why Animated Videos Are Amazing

Animation is a form of storytelling that appeals to vision in a way live action movies sometimes cannot. They can present vibrant colors, unique characters, and stylistic art in order to tell a story. An animated video can tell a story in a unique way and there are many reasons for that.

1. Creativity

One of the main appeals of animation is its ability to tell a story in a variety of ways. It doesn't even have to be grounded in reality so long as it is done well. The popular "I'm Just a Bill" video from Schoolhouse Rock is an example of that: a piece of legislation speaks (and sings) about how it becomes a law. Even as it approaches its 40th anniversary in 2015, the video is just as relevant today as it was in the '70s and still helps young students understand the legislative process.

An animated video awards creative freedom that cannot be done with any other medium. The world, laws, and appearance of things in the video are all entirely created by the artist and animation production team, and the possibilities are limitless. It is a realm for imagination to run completely wild. It is here, in animation, where some of the greatest videos and characters are born, telling viewers stories that could not be effectively told any other way.

2. Reach

Animation also has a far-reaching effect. Animated videos are more accessible and can be viewed by more people in a greater range of age groups than an ordinary video. People are drawn to videos that evoke a different sensation in the mind and take imagination to a different world. Cartoons and animated videos from other countries can be viewed all over the world and it would be easier to understand the message than with live action alone.

It is easier to view an animated video, no matter your age, because it illuminates the mind and brings a level of engagement nothing else can offer. Not every animated video is the same - there are different artists, designers, and producers, bringing a unique experience to the wide variety of videos.

3. Appeal

Animation is captivation. People are, by nature, visual creatures. Through vision we take in the world around us, and our eyes look for things that please them. Animated videos appeal to that desire and engage the viewer in a particular way. Concepts are better understood when they are shown rather than told, such as the "I'm Just a Bill" video mentioned earlier. Animation makes it easy to learn a new concept or take in a story.

An animated video captures the audience's attention, opens their eyes and minds to new ideas, and engages them in a unique, memorable experience. It is through animation that true storytelling is fully realized.

Powerhouse Animation is a traditional 2d animation studio based in Austin, Texas. 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.

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What Are The Best Uses For Original Video Animation?

Original video animation, or animated films and series made especially for release in home video formats, has become a burgeoning enterprise in the entertainment realm, particularly in Japan, where it originated. But OVA also holds promise here as a unique means to convey a corporate promotional message, especially when your audience is techno-savvy and entertainment-minded. Here are five ways animation can introduce or enhance a brand - or simply tell a story in a different way.

Introduce a world that supports your message - Yamaha created an animated video series called "The Master of Torque." It features stories told in two to seven minutes that contain various characters who experience all manner of adventures, many of which include rides on Yamaha motorcycles. The good guys always seem to outrace the bad guys, subtly suggesting that the Yamaha motorcycle is special.

 

Present characters that the audience will associate with you - A common theme in animation is the hero or heroine. As with conventional comic-book-based animated films, there can be flaws or complex circumstances that have rendered an unconventional protagonist. But the protagonist is almost always compelling - to the point that at the end of an episode the viewer can't wait to see what takes place in the next one. Speaking of...

Take advantage of the serial format - Animation is best employed when it is part of an ongoing series. Episode One introduces something that ties to Episode Two. Episode Two is wrought with adventures that create the need for resolution, which you find in Episode Three. And so on. If it is done well, original video animation creates a bond between the story's characters (and its adventures) and the viewer. Engaging the audience is top priority with any type of communication, and OVA is an excellent way to appeal to the demographic noted in the first paragraph.

Make beautiful music together - By together, we mean the integration of the images in the video and music you choose to share with your audience. MTV introduced the music video back in the 1980s, and gradually, as the first song that ever played on the network predicted, "Video Killed the Radio Star." Everyone wanted an image to go along with the song.

Why? Because a song took on a whole new dynamic as a video, as it escaped the sound realm and ventured into sight, as well. Video animating can do the same thing, only in a "next generation" way. Here's an example of a company creating compelling characters, enhancing their situation with music, and reinforcing just how cool this company is for doing all that, in just over three minutes, no less.

Enjoy the sizzle, but focus on the steak - Almost any technological bell or whistle will hold some appeal for a time, but unless it gives the audience a practical reason to respond or react to a brand, product, or service, it is doomed to be a near miss. You want hits. A well-focused original video animation can hit a home run.

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Revisiting Woody, Wonder Woman and the Fantastic Four

I have not written much lately. I used to write daily but that was a long time ago. It is true that work, family and a home business have taken up a lot of my time. But, I have not felt as driven to write as I used to feel, too. This entry is my attempt to get back into writing and discussing comic books and classic cartoons.

I have not watched any old Woody Woodpecker or Andy Panda cartoons for a few years. I need to spend an evening introducing my daughter to the good old cartoons I grew up watching. That said, she has watched Pink Panther and loves him. I even bought her a collection of the earliest Pink Panther cartoons. (I forgot he actually talked in a few of them.) Soon, I will find time to show my girl who Woody Woodpecker is and why he is a classic character. I've said it before but I'll say it again, the best Woody cartoons were the earliest years when he was pestering Wally Walrus, had a larger body and crazy eyes.

Regarding animated/comic book characters, I am very excited to see the new Fantastic Four movie coming out this summer. There has been a lot of controversy over the movie and Marvel Comics fans are split on whether it will be a good or bad film. Of course, we will not really know until the movie comes out.

But, why are some comic book readers upset about the upcoming Fantastic Four movie? Some fans are upset that the tone of the movie is going to be more serious than past FF movies. Other fans are upset that an African-American actor is cast as the Human Torch. Meanwhile, others are upset that Doctor Doom's last name has been changed. None of these changes really upset me and I am a longtime Fantastic Four fan. I am a little concerned that the Thing may be naked in the movie (as it appears in previews). However, I will be happy as long as there is heroics, drama and the four act like family.

Another comic book/cartoon character I have been revisiting recently is Wonder Woman. A few months ago I purchased a DVD set of the first season of Wonder Woman from the 1970s. I remember seeing the show a few times as a child but never really watched it back in the late 1970s and early 1980s (when it was still in reruns). However, I am very impressed by the series. The first year of the television series was set in the 1940s and has Wonder Woman fighting Nazis alongside Steve Trevor. It even had her close friend Etta Candy and sister Wonder Girl in the show. The first year of the show is a perfect representation of the Golden Age Wonder Woman. I feel Lynda Carter was the perfect choice to play the role, too. She looks like I would expect Wonder Woman to look in real life.

Let's continue to remember classic characters of the past, such as Woody Woodpecker and Wonder Woman, while being open to new interpretations of our favorites, as in the case of the Fantastic Four.


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Paprika Anime Analysis

Paprika is an amazingly complex and entertaining anime. It takes us into a different world and shows us incredible events mainly from the perspective of Doctor Atsuko Chiba and Detective Toshimi Konakawa. Chiba leads a research team in the development of a device to be used for psychotherapy called the DC Mini. She starts using it to treat Konakawa, but somebody steals the DC Mini and throws the world into chaos as dreams and reality begin to merge. Paprika is a representation of contemporary Japanese society as it deals with issues of becoming an increasingly technological society.

Paprika shows the dangers and benefits of technology. The idea that technology can have good and bad components is common to many other anime in science fiction, apocalyptic, and mecha genres. J. P. Telotte terms the idea of celebrating technology while being wary of its destructive and dehumanizing potential "double vision" (Napier 86). 

Paprika shows various examples of how technology, represented by the DC Mini, can be used to benefit humankind. Chiba uses the DC Mini medically to treat Konakawa's recurring nightmares and ultimately resolve his psychological conflict. The DC Mini is also a device of empowerment. It opens up the dream world in a way where people can learn to actively resolve their internal, psychological problems. Konakawa ultimately resolves his issue of dealing with his friend's death by confronting his problems in the dream world. Chiba uses her alternate personality named Paprika in the dream world to help others through psychotherapy. The DC Mini is shown as a technology that can have a great potential to help others.

Paprika also presents apocalyptic visions of Japan through its interaction with the DC Mini. The chairman steals the DC Mini in an attempt to merge everyone's dreams resulting in blurred lines between reality and dreams. This shows the potential for technology to be used selfishly to carry out an individual's personal desires leading to chaos in the world. Furthermore, this could be interpreted as a criticism on technology's capability to disengage people from reality and rely on "comfort-through-escape" (Figal). Figal applies this idea specifically to media as represented in Paranoia Agent, but a similar idea may be applied to the concept of the DC Mini in Paprika. In the dream world, even when people are dragged into the chaotic parade of dreams created by the chairman, people are shown to be in a crazed happy state.

Technology also has an ambiguous influence on identity. This is shown through Chiba's personality contrasted with Paprika, her alternate form. Chiba is shown to be a very serious, somewhat introverted woman committed to her work while Paprika is very extroverted and carefree. This might represent the struggle of identity on an individual level for people living in a high tech world.

This presents both positive and negative aspects of technology. The DC Mini allows Chiba to explore and display different aspects of herself in different worlds (the real world and the technological/dream one accessed through the DC Mini), but her two sides conflict with each other. This is manifested in actually arguments between the two characters. So while technology may provide a way for individuals to express various aspects of themselves they may not otherwise be able to, it also may present conflicts between different aspects of the self that someone may not be able to reconcile with.

Paprika presents the idea of "double vision" of technology. The DC Mini can at once be used for healing and empowerment, but also be used to take over the world and destroy order. It can provide a method for individuals to express conflicting sides of themselves.

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Animation - It Has Life In It

'Animation' the word itself bespeaks loud that it has life in it. It is all about putting life into characters and models and making them look real and life-like. The story goes, to a couple of years back when becoming an animator was like a dream come true. But going down twenty years, the dream was practically impossible, for many to achieve. Then becoming an animator meant going to college, studying an illustrative graduation degree or probably if you are lucky enough you might get yourself an apprenticeship from a professional animator. It was earlier a mere diploma degree. But these days the path to becoming an animator is easier as many of the colleges are offering a certified degree course in animation.

Disney Dreams are no longer intangible. With the advent of Pixar, Toy Story 3D, aspirations soared high in dreamy eyes and the animation industry got changed forever. Consequently, the demand for animators, both traditional and 3D including visual effects got increased with the success of each 3D movie. However during the economic recession that had hit worldwide, the booming industry saw a setback. Yet the spirits of the true animators could not be canned down and they fought their way out. Adversaries should never be allowed to dominate your spirit. 

Your goal is to put life into every non-living character and bring them closer to the human heart and life. The challenge is to make them appear so real that people are able to relate to them and yearn to see them even after the movie gets over. They become such real super heroes, that the fans go crazy about them. Films like Madagascar, Ice Age and Despicable Me got made into several sequels because there was a great furor amongst the public for the animated characters.

You might have dreamt to become an animator all your life, but have always discouraged yourself, only because you are not very skilful when it comes to drawing. You might have heard that the very foundation to animation is drawing.

He who is good at sketching or drawing sees his future as a good animator. Then let me tell you, that drawing is a crucial part of animation, but not the only thing about animation. Do not feel intimidated if you turn out to be bad in drawing? Not all are naturally gifted. But it is through practise that one can acquire expertise in his skills.

Drawing is like a muscle that requires to be flexed everyday, making your will and skill stronger with every passing day.It takes a lot to become an animator. Every shot is like a new challenge even to an experienced animator.

Being able to produce a good quality animation, is not an easy task. Learning of animation does not end with the animation school course. It is just the beginning. Animation of every new character is a new chapter that requires thorough learning. One has to be meticulous and observant in his work. It is like your baby to whom you put in life and allow it to breathe.

Meet the expert in multimedia, visual effects and the animation industry. Get acquainted with the spirit of an animator and learn to create the magic of animation.


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Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie

Utena is the perfect example of a shÅjo anime. The movie is complete with a naïve fantasy of princes and princesses and adolescent girls with characteristically big eyes, flowing hair, and magic powers. ShÅjo themes remain clearly present throughout the film. It includes intensely emotional scenes overflowing with roses and relationship conflicts. But this story is not a traditional shÅjo tale. Utena is unique because the storyline overtly displays the shÅjo using her abject female identity to overcome patriarchal societies' expectations of the ideal female.

Utena appears similar to a regular fairy tale on the exterior but is clearly different underneath. The fairy tale-like story is used to critique the illusions found in fairy tales (Napier 176). Like a classic fairy tale, Utena arrives at a castle-like academy dressed like a prince and must fight other duelists in order to save the Rose Bride, Anthy. But Utena diverges from the regular fairy tale because Utena is female and the castle-like academy and princes are only illusions. Utena and Anthy created the illusion when they denied and rationalized the negative aspects of their princes' identities. 

After their idealized fantasy is shattered, Utena makes the revolutionary decision to leave their current fairy-tale world with Anthy. Upon leaving, the fairy tale academy is shown to be a dark and empty place filled only with straw dolls. The world is destroyed once Utena and Anthy decide to leave it behind since it was a fantasy upheld only by their imagined ideals of a patriarchal fairy tale land.

Utena really brings home the idea of shÅjo and possibilities available to the abject female identity because Utena uses her identity to carry out an apocalypse of the fairy tale world. According to Frenchy Lunning, the shÅjo is the perfect vehicle for potentially creating new female social identities because she is able to escape patriarchal societies' expectations of a woman by switching between the image of an innocent girl and a mature woman (Lunning).

Utena is a unique shÅjo because she consciously recognizes her potential to change the world. Utena carries out in the storyline what Lunning states that the shÅjo does through repeated manifestations in our society. Shes takes it one step further by seizing the opportunity created by her abject identity to create a new identity.

She does this through conscious rejection of patriarchal ideals. Utena and Anthy reject the existence of princes and the idealized female by deciding to leave behind the role of the oppressed Rose Bride and false memories of their princes.

Utena used the potential in her adolescent, not-quite-set shÅjo identity to pursue new identities and a relationship with Anthy. Utena takes the shÅjo story one step further because she is a shÅjo character herself but actively uses her identity to create new possibilities for herself.


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Revolutionary Girl Utena: The Movie

Utena is the perfect example of a shÅjo anime. The movie is complete with a naïve fantasy of princes and princesses and adolescent girls with characteristically big eyes, flowing hair, and magic powers. ShÅjo themes remain clearly present throughout the film. It includes intensely emotional scenes overflowing with roses and relationship conflicts. But this story is not a traditional shÅjo tale. Utena is unique because the storyline overtly displays the shÅjo using her abject female identity to overcome patriarchal societies' expectations of the ideal female.

Utena appears similar to a regular fairy tale on the exterior but is clearly different underneath. The fairy tale-like story is used to critique the illusions found in fairy tales (Napier 176). Like a classic fairy tale, Utena arrives at a castle-like academy dressed like a prince and must fight other duelists in order to save the Rose Bride, Anthy. But Utena diverges from the regular fairy tale because Utena is female and the castle-like academy and princes are only illusions. Utena and Anthy created the illusion when they denied and rationalized the negative aspects of their princes' identities.

 After their idealized fantasy is shattered, Utena makes the revolutionary decision to leave their current fairy-tale world with Anthy. Upon leaving, the fairy tale academy is shown to be a dark and empty place filled only with straw dolls. The world is destroyed once Utena and Anthy decide to leave it behind since it was a fantasy upheld only by their imagined ideals of a patriarchal fairy tale land.

Utena really brings home the idea of shÅjo and possibilities available to the abject female identity because Utena uses her identity to carry out an apocalypse of the fairy tale world. According to Frenchy Lunning, the shÅjo is the perfect vehicle for potentially creating new female social identities because she is able to escape patriarchal societies' expectations of a woman by switching between the image of an innocent girl and a mature woman (Lunning).

 Utena is a unique shÅjo because she consciously recognizes her potential to change the world. Utena carries out in the storyline what Lunning states that the shÅjo does through repeated manifestations in our society. Shes takes it one step further by seizing the opportunity created by her abject identity to create a new identity. She does this through conscious rejection of patriarchal ideals.

 Utena and Anthy reject the existence of princes and the idealized female by deciding to leave behind the role of the oppressed Rose Bride and false memories of their princes. Utena used the potential in her adolescent, not-quite-set shÅjo identity to pursue new identities and a relationship with Anthy. Utena takes the shÅjo story one step further because she is a shÅjo character herself but actively uses her identity to create new possibilities for herself.






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5 Reasons to Use Animation to Reach Younger Audiences

As an advertiser, you know the importance of capturing your target audience's attention with appealing and relevant ads. For years, static ads have been good enough to do just this. However, in today's market, animated ads offer an exciting and effective way to garner you the kind of customer attention you need to successfully grow your company, especially if you wish to target younger audiences. Following are a few of the reasons that using animation to reach younger audiences is the smart move to make.

Animated Ads Are Engaging

Part of the reason that animated ads are an effective way to reach younger audiences is that they are by their very nature more engaging than static ads. For instance, they tend to be more unique than static ads, and therefore more likely to grab your audience's attention.

In addition, people are hardwired to respond to movement. As a result, the activity in animated ads draws the consumer's attention away from whatever they are doing and focus it on your company's message.

Finally, animation advertising is an engaging way to communicate your brand because it allows you to create appealing characters and worlds that draw the viewer in and give them a positive impression of your brand. Mascots such as Manny Mo and Jack from Pep Boys put a friendly face on a business that will make young consumers more likely to trust that business. Once drawn to these characters and worlds, your target audience will be more likely to respond to your brand, giving you more customers than you could have achieved with more traditional ads.

Animated Ads Are Easy To Understand

The goal of any advertisement is to communicate the company's message to the consumer. Today's young people tend to have shorter attention spans and, therefore, need advertisements that are concise and easy to digest quickly. The less engaging and more complex static ads, as a result, can make it more difficult to convey your message simply and quickly. This is especially the case if the message you are communicating is complicated or difficult to understand.

Animated ads, on the other hand, prove the old adage that "a picture is worth a thousand words." Because they rely on pictures and characters to communicate instead of words, they can, within just a few moments, convey the essence of your brand in a way that static ads cannot do. In the hands of an experienced advertising animation company like Powerhouse Animation, your animated ad can boil your message down into a fun, appealing, and easily grasped format that will be more likely to convert younger audiences into paying customers.

Animated Ads Are Memorable

As an advertiser, your goal is to make your brand or product stick in the minds of the people who view your ads. In part because they are engaging and easy to understand, animated ads tend to accomplish this goal more effectively than do static ads. In fact, an animated ad enables the viewer to retain up to 58 percent more of the material than do other forms of advertising.

Today's culture, which is so dependent upon screens like smartphones and tablets, is especially ripe for the use of visual representations in advertising. Because of short attention spans and the ease with which pictures and videos can be digested on a small screen, animation provides a way to more effectively help younger audiences remember your brand. As a result, a commercial animation studio like Powerhouse Animation can provide the expertise and material you need to create an advertisement that will communicate your brand in a memorable way to the younger crowds you want to reach.

Animated Ads Are Modern

Younger audiences tend to be drawn to the modern and stylish. Animated ads, because of their use of graphics, motion, video, and design, are more likely to draw the attention of these audiences because they give your brand a more modern feel.

The very fact that animated ads use animation, motion, and appealing graphics make them a modern update on the more traditional static ad. They reflect more accurately the type of medium with which younger audiences are familiar and comfortable.

In addition, depending upon the design and characters you use, you can create an ad that communicates style, polish, and savvy to the audiences you wish to reach. Alternatively, you can, with the help of your chosen animation company, design an animated ad using your own unique style and personality to draw in younger audiences who resonate with the qualities your brand embodies.

Animated Ads Are Fun

Finally, you may want to consider using animated ads to reach younger audiences because they are fun. Rather than just reading words or looking at a single picture, your audience will be drawn into the world and characters that you and your animation partner create together. Excellent character design, creative and well-designed worlds, and the right amount of movement and action will create a story around your brand that your audience will enjoy watching. The more fun they have watching your advertisement, the more likely they will be to remember your brand and purchase your products in the future.

Advertising animation has many advantages if you want to target younger audiences. This type of advertising has the ability to connect with young people through a medium with which they are familiar, characters with whom they can relate, and motion graphics that they will find both entertaining and memorable. As a result, it offers an effective and appealing way to promote your brand.

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