Characters Telling Stories: Animation Types

Once upon a time...

When someone on the Internet wants an animation, there are a few kinds to choose from.  Any of those kinds can have characters, but the importance of those characters can change depending on the type of animation they're in.  To be clear, this is a post about animation and character types.  To read about animation detail and quality, see "Characters on the Grid" in this same blog.

Character Animation

If you ask an animator what character animation is.  They would tell you that character animation is the animation that is done to make a character come to life.  Animating a character.  That animator would be right, but that's not what we're talking about here.  What we're talking about is an animation that is driven by a character, and that's really quite different.  

Usually, it's pretty simple.  Got a story?  Got a  situation?  If the answer is yes, then you probably have a main character, and that means you probably have a character animation.  But, don't get carried away because its not always that simple.  A storyline with a character may not necessarily be a character based animation, especially if the individual characters aren't all that important.  Sometimes, informational or explainer videos, which will be described in more detail later, can have characters and storylines, but they may not actually be character animations because the character isn't really what you're there for.

Character consideration: Arnold

Arnold is a little boy, singing and dancing in his kitchen.  Sometimes he drums on a pot with a spatual.  Sometimes he plays macaroni and cheese boxes like marachas.  He does silly dances and sings a silly song for about two and a half minutes.  

The Novamation MEDIA character animation, "Everybody Dance" features a nameless little boy (we gave him the working name, Arnold) singing a song and dancing in a kitchen.  The child is the main character, and the prime subject is the song.  The character here is important.  Novamation MEDIA engaged in an intense character design process with the client to get this character just right.  In the end, the character's design carried the entire feel of the animation. 

 

Character animations are often children's stories, silly songs, situational sketches or historical accounts that somebody wants animated.  They are not usually designed to sell or influence.  Character animations are the show, not the commercial.

Demonstration

Sometimes you may want to show a product without actually having the product on hand or shooting actual video of the product.  You may want to show the product in action, or show areas of the product working where a video camera just wouldn't be practical.  This would call for a product animation.  Product animations require the product and its function to be recreated in an animated environment.  Sometimes, these animations require a lot of detail in the way the product looks, or the way the product works, or both.

"Kitchen Interior Design" is an animation created for an interior designer.  The video focused on the demonstration of a particular Samsung refrigerator.  Novamation MEDIA created an animation to showcase the refrigerator in the kitchen environment.  

Explainer and Training

Explainer videos are an internet specialty.  Designed to be instructional, and can be used for marketing or training, the explainer video can vary from a something that is all text, text and still pictures, or full animation.  The presentations are usually simple, and can often look like a PowerPoint presentation that runs all by itself.  An explainer video can have a character in it, but that character isn't really unique.  They just fit a specific character type.

Character consideration: Steve

Steve is a pest management professional who needs to inspect the roof of a building that he can't get access to.  Steve uses a drone to get a close look at possible rodent entry areas on his client's roof.  Steve saves time and money by using a drone to get access to high areas where he often can't go himself. 

The Novamation MEDIA explainer animation called "Advanced Inspection Tools" featured Steve and his challenges in inspecting client locations, but it was in no way a character animation.  Steve's identity comes from his uniform and hat.  He doesn't even have a face.  He is an icon that represents a kind of human being.  

Often training and promotional videos will have a storyline where a character experiences some sort of problem that is usually solved with a particular process or product.  There is a storyline here, but it's not a character driven storyline.  

These types of stories may begin something like this:

"This is Steve.  Steve is an IPM professional with a real problem..."  

And, the story ends something like this:

"Now, Steve is doing great because he uses [INSERT PRODUCT NAME HERE]".  Join Steve and thousands of others who lead happy lives  because they use [INSERT PRODUCT NAME HERE].

Infographic and Motion Graphic

Sometimes an animation is useful to show statistics or illustrate a concept.  There can be characters in this type of animation, but those characters are usually just representations of a part of the population. Animated logos also tend to fall into this category.  These animations tend to make up the largest part of Internet animation, and often customer needs can be easily handled by software animation packages that a client can use to animate a piece of clip art, or animate text.  

That being said, creation of these animations shouldn't be taken lightly.  Often, These tiny animations can carry a great deal of emotion, and can do more to reach potential customers than a long explainer or demonstration video.  They are often small enough to place in emails and presentations, as well as web pages and blog posts.  

Characters on the Grid: Elements of Style

Draw It Like This...

Animation can take a lot of forms.  The computer and the artistic mind work together to create all kinds of possibilities that weren't available decades ago.  Often, clients come to Novamation MEDIA knowing exactly what they want their animation to do, but they aren't quite sure how they want their animation to look.  Our animation projected time and cost is often calculated based on the complexity of the design.  At Novamation MEDIA, complexity is measured by Detail and Realism.  We can see a comparison of detail and realism by looking at a single object represented in different ways, like this plant.

To the extreme left is a photo of a plant.    It has a high level of realism because it is real.  It is a literal representation of a plant with nothing left to the imagination, and this also gives it a high level of detail.  The flecks in the soil and veins in the leaves have areas where the light illuminates and shades them.  It looks like a plant because it is a plant.  Next to it is a computer generated 3D model plant.  It has full shading, shadow and texture.  It looks like a plant because it has everything that the photo has including light and shade.

The more detail we take out of the representation, the more your brain needs to fill in the blanks.  The demonstration drawing of a plant doesn't have as much detail or realism as the 3D model, but you can still tell its a plant.  The image on the extreme right is an abstract drawing of a plant.  The "S" shaped green line looks like a stalk, and the two marks on the top look like leaves.  Your brain has to tell you this is a plant, but it is abstract or stylized with little detail or realism.  Your brain tells you it's a plant, but you would never think it's a REAL plant.

In this example, we increase and decrease detail and realism at the same time, but the truth is, you can separate detail and realism so that you can increase one without increasing the other.  In fact, you can even move them in opposite directions.  At Novamation MEDIA, we take detail and realism and place them on a grid that we call the McCloud rating system.  We use this to rate the complexity of the animation we are creating, and even use it to help calculate our project bidding.

Why "McCloud"

We call our rating system "McCloud" because it is based loosely on something called the picture plane, created by author Scott McCloud.  On McCloud's picture plane, Realism and detail are at their highest in the bottom right corner.  As you move to the right, detail drops.  As you move up, realism drops.   At the very top, images become so abstract that your brain can't tell what they represent.  At the far right, images aren't even images anymore, and words need to be used.

At Novamation MEDIA, we take the picture plane and turn it into a five by five grid, that doesn't come to a point at the top.  That's because our images can become abstract without losing realism, as we'll see.

Artist - Verica Hupe

We don't commonly animate A1 characters, but if we did, they would look like this one.  This is a Daz3 character done by Verica Hupe, who is not a Novamation MEDIA designer, and that's why this image isn't featured on the grid.  This character is about as close to a real human as a character can get without being an actual photograph.  She has individual hairs, the light on her skin has subsurface scattering and her eyes have a specular sheen.  Her body dimensions are exactly those of a real human.

Joyce is not quite human.  She has the same body dimensions of a real human, and she has individual hairs, but her flat skin tone and simple eyes make her less realistic, so she has less detail than a Daz Character.

Katie is a waitress, and Meg is about to order dinner.  They're kind of human, and kind of not.  These characters have detailed clothes and hair, and sometimes even have actual human photographs as faces, but their blocky build only makes them look real from far away.  They're great for architectural renderings and as extras in a crowd.

Cartoon representations of people, or realistic representations of toys.  This image is both.  The detail of the people was reduced to create these caricature toys.  Then the toys were rendered with a high quality.  The people were made abstract, but the toys have the highest level of detail.

David works in an animation design room and was created for a promotional piece.  This character is clearly a cartoon.  He has large, cartoon eyes, his body is not proportioned like a real human, and he is far less realistic.  However, he is realistically shaded with a distinct skin texture.  The cloth of his shirt is a detailed knit, and each strand of his hair is individual.  This is the high level of detail that can be expected from a 3D rendered character

Arnold was created for a character animation called "Everybody Dance".  Like David, he also has cartoon proportions.  Unlike David however, Arnold looks more like a well shaded cell cartoon character than a 3D rendered character. 

This is a method known as Two and a half D, and there are examples throughout the McCloud scale. 

Noah has flat color with almost no shading.  His proportions are like a cartoon character with large eyes and head.  He is clearly an animated illustration.  Noah is also Two and a Half D, with less shading detail than Arnold.  Noah is our last example on level C, but C's can have can have far less detail than Noah.

Hipster Joe has no features at all, he looks hand drawn but you can clearly see that he is a man with a beard holding a cup of coffee.  He looks hand-drawn, but he is Two and a Half D just like Noah, and bears the same detail number, even though he is the next level of abstraction from Noah.  Characters at this level of abstraction are used mostly for presentations and infographics.  They usually suggest a person type instead of an individual.

Steve is an IPM professional using a drone to perform a building inspection.  He is featureless, like Hipster Joe, but he has far more shading and detail, Steve is full 3D so he is both detailed and abstract.  Steve was designed for a training animation.  Like Joe, who is a hipster, Steve represents an archetype rather than an actual character.  

Earl is basically Steve with more detail.  Earl is colored like a cartoon, but is rendered a bit better than Steve.  Earl is basically still an archetype, but his the face and detail give Earl more personality than Joe or Steve, so he can fulfill the job of archetype or a character.  

Most story-line explainer videos ask for characters like Earl.

This is a jumble of geometric shapes, that your brain tells you is a little girl.  She's about as abstract as you can get a group of shapes and still have the audience see anything like a character.  Cartoon shaded like Hipster Joe and Noah, but far more abstract than either of them, this is more an icon than an actual character.  She was created to represent a statistic in an animated infographic.

That's not to say that something abstract can't have a high level of realism.  This is the same stylized little girl, but she is texturized and shaded with shadows and reflections.  She still looks abstract, but now your brain tells you that she's a sculpture.  This character icon has a high level of abstraction, and high detail.

To the right of the picture plane is where Scott McCloud puts text, and that's where you'll also find text on our scale.  We'll cover text-only animations in a different post.

Media Projects (aspect vs. resolution)

 

At Novamation MEDIA, we use the chart below to dictate the proper aspect ratio and resolution for all your video projects. These sizes have been tested by content optimizing services across the Internet and by Novamation MEDIA clients and have been found to be the best choices for online marketing and eLearning.  

We also offer eLearning course units with RCD (Responsive Course Design) so that your students experience the same course quality from a phone or tablet as they would at a computer or laptop.

To learn more about aspect ratios and their relation to resolution, visit our Project Size information post here - https://allaboutme-dia.blogspot.com/2021/05/project-size-aspect-vs-resolution.html

Instagram

     Square video post: 1:1, 1080 x 1080. Video length: 1 min
     Vertical video post: 4:5, 1080 x 1350. Video length: 1 min
     *Landscape video post: 16:9, 1080 x 607. Video length: 1 min
     *Instagram video story: 9:16 1080 x 1920. Video length: 15 seconds
     Carousel video ad: 1:1,  1080 x 1080, 2-10 images/cards per ad
     *IGTV can only be 9:16 or 16:9 (.mp4)

Facebook (4 Gig Maximum)

     Square video post: 1:1, 1080 x 1080 (Highest Cost Per Click (CPC) Agorapulse)
     Landscape video post: 16:9 (HDTV), 1080 x 607 or 1280 x 720 (2048K bitrate)
     Vertical video post: 4:5, 1080 x 1350 (Lowest Cost Per Click (CPC) Agorapulse)
     Vertical video post: 2:3, 1080 x 1620 (Uncommon format - Facebook Only)

Carousel

The Carousel ad is a collection of images or movies that create a story. They can be used on Facebook or Instagram, and the dimensions are the same for both.

     Carousel: 1:1, 1080 x 1080 (2 to 10 videos)

Twitter

     Landscape video post: 16:9 (HDTV), 1280 x 720 (2048K bitrate). 512 MB. 140ss

     Video post portrait: 1:1,  640 x 640 (1024K bitrate) 512 MB. Max time: 140ss

Digital Video

Widescreen or HDTV: (16:9 1280 x 720 (HD720) or 1920 x 1080 (Full HD)) You've seen this one before in the social media posts above. This is one of the best ratios for cinematic video because it fills an entire mobile screen, phone or pad. It doesn't have the best cost per click for social media, but it is great for streaming movies, presentations and training courses.

Incidentally, if Novamation MEDIA creates an interactive training or information unit that uses javascript code (not a SCORM or xAPI), we usually use this ratio, but at the 854 x 480 (WVGA) resolution. Anything larger would start to lag.

Classic TV, or DVD: (4:3 1280x 960) This is the best way to go if you plan to stream from a service like Vimeo or YouTube. Also available in 1024 x 768 (XGA) or 640 x 480 (NTSC), but low resolutions are not recommended.

Classic Film: (3:2 1152 x 768) There should be mention here of the 3:2 aspect ratio. This format is the landscape version of Facebook's native vertical aspect ratio 2:3, but switching the numbers 1080 x 1620 (2:3) to 1620 x 1080 (3:2) will not give you a standard video format. Instead, the numbers 1152 x 768 are used.

3:2 is the ratio of a standard 35-millimeter photograph. While all social media services recognize it, many services like Vimeo, will not stream this format edge to edge and will place black spacers on the left and right sides of the video. It is not recommended for video.

Just a footnote. Cinemascope (21 x 9), while fantastic in the theatre, is also terrible for social media.

Novamation MEDIA - General Projects

Animation Project

Basic Animation

The base SOE for animation states that a minimum animation project starts at $450 with a minimum of 3 hours.  This occurs only if the client comes with a completed style sheet, storyboard and character models that are ready to enter the animation phase.  This is a Basic Animation.

This simplest or Foundation Basic Animation project usually includes:

• Up to 3 minutes of animation with some background and rendering work

Example: Basic Animation

Example scenario: A client already has a 3D logo and they have a video background they want it animated over.  They want to use the animation for social media, and they need it rendered in 3 different aspect ratios.  For this project, the base animation SOE applies.

Foundation Basic Animation project: Logo

Animation Work

• Character and environment set-up
• Timing
• Rendering

Minimum 3 hours | Starting quote $450

Animation Project minimum hours: 3  | Starting quote $450 

Character Animations

Most animation projects are Character Animation projects. With a character animation project, it is most likely that a client has an idea that needs to be designed, refined and shaped into a finished animation.  A Foundation Character Animation includes:

• Up to 3 Characters
• Up to 3 Locations
• Up to 3 minutes of animation

Sample scenario: A client has the audio all set, but needs some characters and their animated venue designed.

This project begins with the two base SOE's for Animation and Illustration combined because this animation project begins with illustration work:

Foundation Character Animation project:

Illustration Work

• Character Design
• Environment design/reference
• Storyboard

  Minimum 4 hours | Starting quote $180

Animation Work

• Character and environment set-up
• Timing
• Rendering

Minimum 3 hours | Starting quote $450

Animation Project minimum hours: 7  | Starting quote $630 

Example: Character Animation

Music and Voice

Animation project foundation quotes are primarily silent unless the client provides all audio.  Additional audio provided by Novamation MEDIA is quoted as needed.

Novamation MEDIA - Illustration Scope of Work

Illustration

Per Hour:$45

Minimum Hours: 4

Starting: $180

An illustration is any non-video product we produce.  That is, an illustration is not necessarily a static image.  An illustration includes

• Static images provided for reference including style sheets, character designs, storyboards and environment references.
• Any comic strip.
• Interactive GUI's, infographics,  
• Interactive panoramic images and tours.
• eLearning units including microlearning units, SCORMs and xAPI courses.

Character Design - Characters created for product identity or marketing require a character style-sheet with the character in at least three different poses.  Character style sheets are usually delivered in Adobe Illustrator format in 8.5”x11 to 11”x 17”.  (Note: Finished product is an electronic document only.  No hard copies.)  A unique character illustration usually takes 10 business days for production starting on the day of the first agreed upon mock-up with the first mock-up delivered in the first 48 hours of the project agreement.  There can be as many as two revisions during the 5 business day period.

Web Illustration - Illustrations can be produced for web or video (no print), and can be refined from client hand drawings or general concepts and ideas.  A web illustration is a static work is usually delivered in .jpeg, or .png format.  A unique illustration for web usually up to 5 to 8 business days* for production starting on the day of the first agreed upon mock-up with the first mock-up and movement test delivered in the first 48 hours of the project agreement.  There can be as many as two revisions during the 5 to 8 business day period, however, there can be no revision once the rendering of the final animation begins. (* This time can vary based on the length and complexity of the static or motion graphic.)

GUI - A GUI or infographic is usually powered by JavaScript, PHP or HTML5, and is a product of both art and programming.   At its core, a GUI can take 10 business days for production starting on the day of the first agreed upon mock-up with the first mock-up delivered in the first 48 hours of the project agreement.  There can be as many as two revisions during the first 5 business days of production.  

eLearning Units - Created from a collection of graphics, video or animated units and interactive programming, these units have a unique cost that is based on several factors including the source of the content and the complexity of the deliverable.  These units are usually bid based on the accumulated complexity of their parts, and can be bid partially at the animation and illustration rate. 

Panoramic Virtual Tour - All panoramic pieces must be scoped individually and can vary based on the complexity of the architectural environment.  A virtual tour's completion time is variable depending on the complexity of the architectural environment.  

Novamation MEDIA - Animation Scope of Work

Animation

Per Hour:$150

Minimum Hours: 3 

After minimum - (3 hours work = 30 seconds animation)

Starting: $450 + $180 (Standard Illustration for Development) $630

An animation is any multi-framed product that can be used in a video or social media environment.  This can include animated graphics created to be added to a video project, a completed editing project with live video and animation included or a full-length animation project.  Motion Graphics, while commonly considered illustration work, also fall into the animation category as far as the scope of work is concerned.  

Character / Product- This means that a fully or partially articulated character, or group of characters, is/are animated for use in a video, film or as a motion graphic.  Character Animation is usually accompanied by a Character Style Sheet which carries its own cost and timeline (See Illustration Scope of Work, Characters).  Character Animation is usually accompanied by a shooting script and/or storyboard which carries its own cost and timeline (See Illustration Scope of Work, Print).  Character animations can vary by the project's complexity.  Each character animated carries a per-second charge, an individual style sheet, and an individual completion time frame.  Character animations with background images carry an individual charge and time frame for each separate background created (See, Illustration Scope of Work, Web).  Finished animated work is usually delivered in .gif, animated or .mpg, and can be rendered in many possible aspect ratios and resolutions (See, Project Size (aspect vs. resolution)).  Animation work is timed and priced by the second.  At Novamation MEDIA, animating one character for up to 5 seconds of move time can take 2 business days.  Movement revisions can add time and cost to the project. The animation begins upon approval of the Style Sheet, Storyboard, and background images if any.  Certain types of rendering can take more time and cost more.

This animation, Sarah at Desk, is a ten-second animated gif that required minimum illustration time for character, desk and logo design (Foundation Illustration=$180) and about a half-day to animate and render (Foundation Animation=$450); Approximate Cost:$630

Industrial / Video Finishing - Industrial Animation includes product demonstrations, architectural fly-throughs or animated backgrounds for video.  Video finishing includes editing, special effects, voice over music beds and animated identification or tagging.  These projects usually require individual quote per project, but there are some basic time frames that can be followed.  Editing usually takes a day per 15 minutes depending on the complexity of the project.  Editing includes assembly project editing, text-only titling, and key and matte effects. Animated products are animated as characters, and character animation rules apply.  Each product is treated as a character.  Architectural animation usually follows the same turnaround time as character animation as well, but the time for delivery can vary depending on the complexity of the architectural project and extra elements (characters, furniture, accessories, etc.).Animation work is timed and priced by the second.  Editing work is priced and timed by the minute.  At Novamation MEDIA, animating one character for up to 5 seconds of move time can take 2 business days.  Movement revisions can add time and cost to the project. At Novamation MEDIA, editing can take a day per every 15 minutes of project time, not including the time and cost for voice-over, music bed, and audio effects.  Certain types of rendering can take more time and cost more.

This animation, Falcon Chair, is a three-second animated gif that animates a client provided design and model (Foundation Animation=$450); Approximate Cost:$450

Explainer Video is usually produced in segments.  They usually require a combination of text and simple character animation designed to help illustrate an explanation script.  Video finishing includes editing, voice over music beds and animated identification or tagging.  Editing usually takes a day per 15 minutes depending on the complexity of the project.  Editing includes assembly project editing, text-only titling, and key and matte effects. Animated products are animated as characters, and character animation rules apply.