To start the project we were given an introduction about the
Zoetrope and the history behind the animation piece. The toy was originally
created in 1834 by William Horner who called the piece “The Wheel Of The
Devil”. Then Williams’s invention was lost for 30years until 1867 when it
became rediscovered in England by M.Bradley and in America by
William.F.Lincoln. It was renamed to “Zoetrope” which means the “Wheel Of
Life”. Also in 1867 the first zoetrope
film was created by Milton Bradley Company which was called “Zoetrope No.1”.
The Zoetrope is a device that produces an illusion of motion when the cylinder
is spun at a fast pace to create a small animation piece. Around the cylinder,
slits are placed to allow the observer to see the pictures moving around at a fast
pace. These images blur together at a fast pace to produce a repeated short
animation and if the spin is faster, the smoother the progression of image. In
college a handmade Zoetrope was created for the workshop task and it had a
different layout compared to a traditional Zoetrope. The cylinder shape has
changed to a circular base which allows pieces of paper to be slot onto the
sides to create the Zoetrope. For the slits and observation to work on the
Zoetrope the circle base has a large surface area so that the paper can slotted
equally in order for the animation to work.
Firstly, I started to create an initial design character for
my animation piece. I decided to focus on creating a character based around my
pet dog Riley because he has specific features that I thought would be
effective for the Zoetrope piece. A feature that my pet dog has is that he can
run very fast because of his breed (whippet) which I thought would be similar
to the fast paced Zoetrope animation. Also, another feature that my pet dog has
is that he has a strong figure which was suitable to create a character from.
To create the initial designs I identified the specific features that my dog
had and created a final character layout for the piece.
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| Final character outcome and first final image for the zoetrope. |
After creating my final character layout I started to create
a storyboard for the final images for the Zoetrope. A problem I faced when
creating the storyboard was that I found it difficult to start drawing the
running image of my pet.To solve the problem, I collected secondary research of
the same breed as my dog and the running body shape that I needed which allowed
me to take inspiration and draw my outline.
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| The development of the storyboard |
As I completed the first image for the zoetrope, I traced
the outline and used it for my second image which was changed slighly in order
to create the running theme animation. Also, the outline was traced in order to
create an equal characters for the Zoetrope to work efficiently. This process
was repeated throughout the storyboard and each individual character of my dog
was changed slightly so that the images combined will create a running scene. I
found creating the running scene challenging because I found it difficult to
split the different actions so that they will all connect equally. Also I found
the scene challenging because I originally created 6 dog outlines which wasn’t enough
for the Zoetrope base. However, I overcame the problem and created two extra
outlines of my character which made the overall images more detailed. Once the
storyboard was completed the 8 character designs were transferred onto card.
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| Drawing the final outlines for the storyboard. |
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| Final 8 outlines on my storyboard for the zoetrope |
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| Final drawings of my character and storyboard in pen. |
To transfer the characters onto card, I used the same
tracing process and measured out where the images were going to be placed so
that it would create an equal, finished Zoetrope piece. Once the outlines were
complete I faced a problem which was that the characters didn’t stand out. To
solve the problem I collected a black pen and traced around the outline which
made each individual character stand out. When the character outlines were
traced in pen, they were ready to be placed onto the Zoetrope device.
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| Final images that were ready to be placed onto the Zoetrope. |
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| The final Zoetrope and design in the workshop. |
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| The Zoetrope device and design in the photography studio. |
To film the final outcome, I placed the Zoetrope into the photography room so that a spotlight would hover across the device and the rest of the environment would be darkened so the Zoetrope would be emphasised.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZlMNfEhBFzY- My Final Zoetrope Outcome Video
Overall, I am really pleased with my final outcome of my
zoetrope because it worked successfully through the device. Also, I think it is
successful because the separate images combined into the zoetrope flow together
to create an equal, successful animation. I also believe the piece is
successful because of the outline as black ink makes the piece stand out and
present the features that move specifically which makes it better for the
zoetrope to work. Finally, I am pleased with my final outcome because it
matches the initial idea I have wanted to create and the action that my final
character is performing on the zoetrope. The piece reflects the task and myself
as it is based around my pet dog. To improve my piece I would also include
colour to emphasise the black lines further and also give my character more
personality. Also, to improve my piece I would improve my time management and develop
my scene on the images I have created. If I was to develop my scene further, I would
complete a scene featuring my dog chasing a rabbit. I would create this scene because
it relates back to my pet dog as his breed is known for chasing rabbits and
rodents. This piece relates to a traditional zoetrope as it uses the same
process to achieve the spinning, animation effect. However, the zoetrope device
is different to the original zoetrope because it is not a cylinder shape and
uses a circle base to allow the pieces to be slot together. The handmade zoetrope
had an effective outcome as it produced good quality animations with the same
effect.
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