“Animation is not the art of drawings that move but the art of movements that are drawn.” – Norman McLaren
The visual medium is an interesting phenomenon; it presents an evolving domain of endeavor that lends itself to diverse possibilities. The earliest known use of the visual medium emerged in the form of hand-drawn cave paintings many millennia ago. The use of digital technology in the present day enabled certain expressions of creativity, progress, and sophistication, leading to the creation of animated films/clips brought to life on the silver screen. Action and animation can now be developed/engineered to appear on computer screens, smartphones, electronic billboards, video streaming platforms, electronic games, computer-generated art, and other devices and platforms.
Action and animation (rendered in 2D and 3D) find representation in feature films, video advertisements, children’s films, music videos, public relations messages, and education and instruction packages, among others. When we seek the definition of animation, it appears as “a method in which figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most animations are made with computer-generated imagery, also known as CGI.”
- Storyboards: Visual Engineering
Creators can storyboard, design, and develop large segments of on-screen action and animation sequences within spaces of connected diagrams, such as flowcharts. Such actions serve as visual engineering, wherein animators can render sequences of movement within said spaces; they may also use specific technologies to develop a variety of movements that animate on-screen stick figures, for instance. They may revise the sequence of movements, inject variations in terms of visual expression, experiment with the use of on-screen colors, thereby imparting new meaning to the creation and rendering of action and animation. Therefore, if we consider flowcharts as creative mediums, one that enables animation to gain traction in domains of entertainment, instruction, learning, and others.
- Leveraging the Power of Zoom
Zoom can be deployed creatively when animators and action specialists work on their domains. Creators can insert zoom functions within completed sequences of action and animation rendered within flow-based diagrams. This activity is thus an advanced form of storyboarding, wherein creators insert variety into animated narratives. The flowchart serves as a backdrop that enables creators to ideate on the application of zoom functions to attain visual effects. Further, creators can embed sets of rules inside flowcharts as part of boosting the outcomes of implementing action and animation in a developing narrative. Meanwhile, subsidiary editions of diagrams can frame detailed expressions of rules designed to guide an evolving journey of creative endeavor mediated by digital technologies.
- Analyzing Motion
Capturing the nuances of motion is critical to ensure success in action and animation endeavors. It would be necessary to deconstruct motion into a sequence of stages and aggregate these stages into smooth on-screen motion. In this scenario, animators and motion specialists may engineer various segments of flow diagrams to depict swathes of action pertaining to various characters developed for film. The idea of deconstruction is important because it enables creators to develop a variety of storylines – therefore, it is possible to view flowcharts as depictions of specialized storyboards that remain key to action and animation projects. Creators may re-visit sequences of animation – in a bid to impart more texture and layers of meaning – to visual narratives developed in flowcharts.
- The Significance of Time
The practice of imparting time spans to action and animation remains central to the operation of such ventures. Creators can allocate various time spans to a variety of on-screen movements; they could also calibrate time spans in tune with requirements of storyboards. This composite stance could be enabled when they append expressions of time to sequences rendered inside flow-based diagrams. Observers note that creators may expand the idea by experimenting with different time spans to achieve variety of on-screen effects. In addition, the appropriate use (and development) of such technique can undergo exploration within flowcharts. Therefore, it is possible to view endeavors as central to the various aspects of action and animation productions. Creators and creative professionals may explore certain ancillary aspects to boost individual images, and the actual rendering of animated productions – thereby validating the use of flowcharts in action and animation sequences.
- Utilizing Shapes to Drive Animation
In-diagram shapes can aid creators in developing action and animation ventures rendered through the agency of connected diagrams. A variety of such shapes can serve to encase text-based instructions that embellish storyboarding efforts. For instance, creators can position shapes within connected blueprints as part of efforts to build detailed storyboards; in-diagram shapes can also be deployed to impart greater meaning to (development of) action sequences. Further, the idea of developing custom-designed shapes that elevate the art and science of modern animation is worth considering. In addition, such shapes can spur the use of flowcharts in the creative community – hence, shapes would act as enablers of the trade, and also guideposts that point to greater transparency that benefits all stakeholders.
- 3D Animation
Digitally-modeled 3D characters represent the proverbial bleeding edge in the domain of action and animation development. Creators could thus build/construct special features of 3D characters or landscapes within flowcharts. Such activity could entail a detailed analysis of the appropriate elements, and multiple phases of rendering to arrive at the completed image. Flowcharts and their constituent spaces can assist creators to execute various lines of such activity; these diagrams may serve as in-process storyboards that contribute to the learning and skilling of contemporary animators – thereby driving the evolution of this area of creative endeavor. Additionally, skillful experimentation may lead to the emergence of evolved versions of legacy characters, thereby enriching and expanding the scope of action and animation in modern entertainment.
- Many Storylines
Confluences (or convergences) within storylines can take shape when developers of action and animation utilize the agency of flowcharts. Thus, individual storylines serve as expressions of connected diagrams, and creators may examine the span of each storyline to locate the convergences and develop these locations in tune with the demands of projects. Each instance of convergence may allow creators to develop additional contours to a storyline. Hence, readers may consider confluences as an interesting phenomenon, ones that encourage creators to explore their abilities in alliance with flow-based diagrams. Further, points of convergence can empower the average creator to ideate on subsequent divergences – thus contributing to the complexity of connected diagrams.
- In Conclusion
These explorations can enlighten readers and animation professionals in the application of flowcharts to domains of action and animation. It would consider flowcharts as a versatile platform that enables ideation on multiple levels; these constructs also empower the human imagination to develop new insights into on-screen representations of creative endeavors. Meanwhile, original ideation and derivative techniques could take shape inside connected diagrams, thereby boosting our engagement with the said domain. Ideation could emerge in the form of novel techniques that elevate the visual effects of animated programs; ideation could also upgrade/enrich levels of interaction and functionality available to animation professionals.
It would help to review the idea of connected diagrams in alignment with new applications and tools that emerge in digital technology. Such revision could boost the horizons of action and animation, and enable fundamental re-inventions in this domain. This could improve the quality of performance in this domain, expand creative possibilities, and spotlight the importance of human skillsets allied to digital technologies. Therefore, it is possible to infer that flowcharts serve as handmaidens of innovation in the modern day.
