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Introduction
The animation and graphics industry is probably one of the most rapidly growing
industries in today’s times. What’s ironic is that very few people opt for this field as
very few realize its existence. The animation and graphic’s industry has its products
all around us, right from the packaging of the biscuit we eat to the advertisement of
the same biscuit on TV or in the newspaper it’s all done by this industry. Even our 1st
favorite channel was cartoon network which totally depends on this industry. Even
today each and every advertisement, movie, program has a lot of graphics involved in
it. No movie or advertisement is possible without at least a little bit of special effects.
It’s not only the entertainment industry that depends on graphics and
animation, almost every industry directly or indirectly depends on it. For example a
car manufacturing company would need graphic designers to generate 3D images of
models they plan to develop in the future. Besides that every corporate firm depends
on this industry for its promotion regardless of the media used. Be it banners, posters,
Television, newspapers etc it all happens because of the graphics industry.
Let’s get a rough idea about how big this industry really is, statistics show that
currently there are more than 515 over-the-air and satellite television channels
available in India. Hindi television channel have the highest market share and are
available throughout the country. In addition to that, numerous regional channels are
available for selective regions. The DTH subscriber base has grown to 23.77 million
viewers by the end of June quarter from 21.3 million users in the previous quarter,
The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) said recently. Each of these
channels show various shows every day, besides the shows, a lot of commercials are
also shown, each individual show and each individual commercial is directly a
product of the graphics industry.
The above statistics were only related to the Television media however the
graphics industry operates with various other Medias as well. For e.g. print media, the
World Wide Web, large scale banners etc.
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About The Animation and Graphic Industry
This industry can broadly be divided into two parts, the animation and the graphic
section. One would think of them as two totally different industries that function
independently, however both mostly work hand in hand together. For example the
L.G logo was made by graphic alone, however when the same logo is shown on TV
the smiley winks, this is done because of animation. Besides every animation film has
some graphic special effects added to it as well.
Graphic Designing
Graphic design is a creative process – most often involving a client and a designer and
usually completed in conjunction with producers of form (i.e., printers, programmers,
sign makers, etc.) – undertaken in order to convey a specific message (or messages) to
a targeted audience. The term "graphic design" can also refer to a number of artistic
and professional disciplines that focus on visual communication and presentation. The
field as a whole is also often referred to as Visual Communication or Communication
Design. Various methods are used to create and combine words, symbols, and images
to create a visual representation of ideas and messages. A graphic designer may use
typography, visual arts and page layout techniques to produce the final result. Graphic
design often refers to both the process (designing) by which the communication is
created and the products (designs) which are generated.
Common uses of graphic design include identity (logos and branding), web sites,
publications (magazines, newspapers, and books), advertisements and product
packaging. For example, a product package might include a logo or other artwork,
organized text and pure design elements such as shapes and color which unify the
piece. Composition is one of the most important features of graphic design, especially
when using pre-existing materials or diverse elements.
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While Graphic Design as a discipline has a relatively recent history, with the name
'graphic design" first coined by William Addison Dwiggins in 1922, graphic design-
like activities span the history of humankind: from the caves of Lascaux, to Rome's
Trajan's Column to the illuminated manuscripts of the Middle Ages, to the dazzling
neons of Ginza. In both this lengthy history and in the relatively recent explosion of
visual communication in the 20th and 21st centuries, there is sometimes a blurring
distinction and over-lapping of advertising art, graphic design and fine art. After all,
they share many of the same elements, theories, principles, practices and languages,
and sometimes the same benefactor or client. In advertising art the ultimate objective
is the sale of goods and services. In graphic design, "the essence is to give order to
information, form to ideas, expression and feeling to artifacts that document human
experience."
In late 19th century Europe, especially in the United Kingdom, the movement began
to separate graphic design from fine art.
In 1849, Henry Cole became one of the major forces in design education in Great
Britain, informing the government of the importance of design in his Journal of
Design and Manufactures. He organized the Great Exhibition as a celebration of
modern industrial technology and Victorian design.
From 1891 to 1896, William Morris' Kelmscott Press published books that are some
of the most significant of the graphic design products of the Arts and Crafts
movement, and made a very lucrative business of creating books of great stylistic
refinement and selling them to the wealthy for a premium. Morris proved that a
market existed for works of graphic design in their own right and helped pioneer the
separation of design from production and from fine art. The work of the Kelmscott
Press is characterized by its obsession with historical styles. This historicism was,
however, important as it amounted to the first significant reaction to the stale state of
nineteenth-century graphic design. Morris' work, along with the rest of the Private
Press movement, directly influenced Art Nouveau and is indirectly responsible for
developments in early twentieth century graphic design in general.
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A graphic design project may involve the stylization and presentation of existing text
and either preexisting imagery or images developed by the graphic designer. For
example, a newspaper story begins with the journalists and photojournalists and then
becomes the graphic designer's job to organize the page into a reasonable layout and
determine if any other graphic elements should be required. In a magazine article or
advertisement, often the graphic designer or art director will commission
photographers or illustrators to create original pieces just to be incorporated into the
design layout. Or the designer may utilize stock imagery or photography.
Contemporary design practice has been extended to the modern computer, for
example in the use of WYSIWYG user interfaces, often referred to as interactive
design, or multimedia design.
The name "Graphic Design" first appeared in print in the 1922 essay "New Kind of
Printing Calls for New Design" by William Addison Dwiggins, an American book
designer in the early 20th century.
Raffe's Graphic Design, published in 1927, is considered to be the first book to use
"Graphic Design" in its title.
The signage in the London Underground is a classic design example of the modern
era and used a font designed by Edward Johnston in 1916.
In the 1920s, Soviet constructivism applied 'intellectual production' in different
spheres of production. The movement saw individualistic art as useless in
revolutionary Russia and thus moved towards creating objects for utilitarian purposes.
They designed buildings, theater sets, posters, fabrics, clothing, furniture, logos,
menus, etc.
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Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or
model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical
illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created
and demonstrated in several ways. The most common method of presenting animation
is as a motion picture or video program, although there are other methods.
Animation has become a popular career choice for many over the last few decades. As
animation movies are on the rise and with the advancement of technologies, this is a
field that combines art, creativity and cutting edge technology in the form of computer
graphics and more.
2D animation:
2D animation figures are created and/or edited on the computer using 2D bitmap
graphics or created and edited using 2D vector graphics. This includes automated
computerized versions of traditional animation techniques such as off, interpolated
morphing, onion skinning and interpolated rotoscoping.
2D animation has many applications, including analog computer animation, Flash
animation and PowerPoint animation. Cinemagraphs are still photographs in the form
of an animated GIF file of which part is animated.
3D animation:
3D animation is digitally modeled and manipulated by an animator. In order to
manipulate a mesh, it is given a digital skeletal structure that can be used to control
the mesh. This process is called rigging. Various other techniques can be applied,
such as mathematical functions (ex. gravity, particle simulations), simulated fur or
hair, effects such as fire and water and the use of motion capture to name but a few,
these techniques fall under the category of 3D dynamics. Well-made 3D animations
can be difficult to distinguish from live action and are commonly used as visual
effects for recent movies. Toy Story (1995, USA) is the first feature-length film to be
created and rendered entirely using 3D graphics.
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A Chinese zoetrope-type device had been invented in 180 AD. The phenakistoscope,
praxinoscope, and the common flip book were early popular animation devices
invented during the 19th century.
These devices produced the appearance of movement from sequential drawings using
technological means, but animation did not really develop much further until the
advent of cinematography.
There is no single person who can be considered the "creator" of film animation, as
there were several people working on projects which could be considered animation at
about the same time.
Georges Méliès was a creator of special-effect films; he was generally one of the first
people to use animation with his technique. He discovered a technique by accident
which was to stop the camera rolling to change something in the scene, and then
continue rolling the film. This idea was later known as stop-motion animation. Méliès
discovered this technique accidentally when his camera broke down while shooting a
bus driving by. When he had fixed the camera, a hearse happened to be passing by
just as Méliès restarted rolling the film, his end result was that he had managed to
make a bus transform into a hearse. This was just one of the great contributors to
animation in the early years.
The earliest surviving stop-motion advertising film was an English short by Arthur
Melbourne-Cooper called Matches: An Appeal (1899). Developed for the Bryant and
May Matchsticks company, it involved stop-motion animation of wired-together
matches writing a patriotic call to action on a blackboard.
J. Stuart Blackton was possibly the first American film-maker to use the techniques of
stop-motion and hand-drawn animation. Introduced to film-making by Edison, he
pioneered these concepts at the turn of the 20th century, with his first copyrighted
work dated 1900. Several of his films, among them The Enchanted Drawing (1900)
and Humorous Phases of Funny Faces (1906) were film versions of Blackton's
"lightning artist" routine, and utilized modified versions of Méliès' early stop-motion
techniques to make a series of blackboard drawings appear to move and reshape
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themselves. 'Humorous Phases of Funny Faces' is regularly cited as the first true
animated film, and Blackton is considered the first true animator.
Another French artist, Émile Cohl, began drawing cartoon strips and created a film in
1908 called Fantasmagorie. The film largely consisted of a stick figure moving about
and encountering all manner of morphing objects, such as a wine bottle that
transforms into a flower. There were also sections of live action where the animator’s
hands would enter the scene. The film was created by drawing each frame on paper
and then shooting each frame onto negative film, which gave the picture a blackboard
look. This makes Fantasmagorie the first animated film created using what came to be
known as traditional (hand-drawn) animation.
Following the successes of Blackton and Cohl, many other artists began
experimenting with animation. One such artist was Winsor McCay, a successful
newspaper cartoonist, who created detailed animations that required a team of artists
and painstaking attention for detail. Each frame was drawn on paper; which invariably
required backgrounds and characters to be redrawn and animated. Among McCay's
most noted films are Little Nemo (1911), Gertie the Dinosaur (1914) and The Sinking
of the Lusitania (1918).
The production of animated short films, typically referred to as "cartoons", became an
industry of its own during the 1910s, and cartoon shorts were produced to be shown in
movie theaters. The most successful early animation producer was John Randolph
Bray, who, along with animator Earl Hurd, patented the cel animation process which
dominated the animation industry for the rest of the decade.
El Apóstol (Spanish: "The Apostle") was a 1917 Argentine animated film utilizing
cutout animation, and the world's first animated feature film.
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Different careers in the Industry
3D Modelers FX Artist Multimedia Instructional Designer
3D Tracker Game Artists and Designers Production Designers
Art Directors Graphic Programmer Production Support Lead
Background Painter Inbetweener Special Effects Designer
Character Animators Independent Filmmakers Storyboard Artists
Character Riggers Interaction Designer Technical Directors
Color Key Artist Layout Artists Texture Artists
Compositing Artist Lighting Technicians Tools Programmer
Concept Artist Look Development
Painter Visual Effects Artist
Creative Project Manager Match move Artist Web Developer
Film and Video Editor Mathematical Modeler Visual Development Artist
Flash Directors Motion Capture Artists
Forensic Animators Motion Graphic Artists
Animation Computer Science Media Arts
Art History Digital Cinema Photography
Communication Fine Arts Physics
Development Game Design Studio Art
Computer Graphics and Motion Picture Technology
Game Programming Visual Computing
Software Development Interactive Media and Cinema Studies
Advertising Graphic Design Industry
CAD/Industrial Design
In-House Design for Sales or Related Industries
Computer Systems Design and Management
Instructional Technology Industry
Digital Consulting Services Motion Picture and Video Entertainment
Public Relations/Marketing
Gaming Industry Software Publishers
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Let us now look at some of the most prominent careers in detail
3D Modelers/3D Tracker: 3D Modelers/Trackers create 3D models and simulate
movement in their environments using animation software. 3D modelers/Trackers
work closely with technical directors in implementing ideas and bringing their work
to life, simulating motion picture camera perspective in a software environment. For
more information, go to CG Jobs- Society of Digital Artists website in the references
section, or Computer Arts 3D tracking
Art Directors, Creative Project Managers, and Production Leads: People who
work as Art Directors, Creative Project Managers and Production Leads are
responsible for maintaining managerial role to oversee a creative team from concept
to project finish. Production and Director positions combine both managerial and
artistic skills to lead implementation of a given project. Leadership roles require
design and technical skills to best understand methods of project implementation, and
to help solve problems within a range of animation departments.
Character Animator/Motion Capture Artists: Character Animators design and
create animate characters using a variety of methods, including but not limited to
animation software, 2Danimations, puppetry or 3D modeling. Character animators
bridge the gap from script to the screen, and work with team members to use their
character’s movements to tell a story.
Character Riggers/Matchmove Artist: Character Riggers manipulate the geometry
of their created character in it’s interaction with the environment. Character Riggers
need a solid knowledge of physics and anatomy to fully understand how their
character should react to stimuli within the context of its digital environment.
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Color Key Artist/Background Painter/Look Development Painter: People who
work as color key artists, background painters, or look development painters are
responsible for creating the background paintings and color keys that lighting teams
and production teams can use for their projects. These artists help these departments
by developing color schemes in animations that will deliver the stylistic goals for their
projects, painting/designing animation backgrounds, and working with technical
directors to ensure correct light rigging.
Compositing Artist: Compositing Artists work closely with FX Artists and Lighting
Directors to develop compositing strategies and achieve an aesthetically balanced
overall look. Compositing artists are an important part of creating the final finished
animation project, and correcting any errors that other departments may not have
anticipated.
Concept Artist: Concept artists design a unique look for a creative project, working
closely with other art departments to create a visual style that will be reflected in each
part of the project.
Flash Directors: Flash Directors utilize software to create flash animations. Flash
animations are utilized in a variety of contexts, ranging everywhere from fine art to
website tutorials.
Special Effects Designer/FX Artist/Visual Effects Artists: FX artists create images,
elements and special effects to achieve goals of art concept and style. FX artists need
to have a strong sense of animation, and how things move to realistically portray them
in their work, and can also provide support on the tools/software needed to portray
these effects.
Film and Video Editor: Film and Video Editors process, cut and assemble film
footage for television, cinema, and other forms of digital media. Usually film and
video editors utilize computer editing software in assembling a finished film project.
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Forensic Animators: These animators help recreate crime scenes or accidents to
explain and produce legal evidence. Forensic animators collaborate with other experts
depending on the situation they are recreating to produce a realistic outcome backed
up by scientific data.
Game Designer: Game Designers utilize technical and artistic skills to conceptualize
and create video games. Game Designers take many areas into account when planning
games such as skill level, technical limitations, market and sound effects in game.
Graphic Artist/Designer: Graphic artists create and apply graphics to communicate
ideas in print, online, and other visual mediums. Graphic Designers can apply their
skills in a variety of areas, including but not limited to: website design, logo design,
signage, document layouts, and advertisements. Graphic artists meet with clients to
determine the needs their projects, and then implement these solutions with a focus on
design principles. Working conditions are varied, as graphic designers can produce
freelance work, work in a small business setting, or be employed by large
corporations.
Graphics Programmer: Graphics programmers help implement the visual and
technical ideas from other departments by developing the code that will be used to
execute graphical interface programming. Graphic programmers must have a strong
understanding of programming languages utilized in the industry, and the ability to
adapt to new technology to meet industry standards.
Inbetweener: Many animators get their start in the industry by working in the
Inbetween department. The Inbetween department is responsible for the continuity of
moment between scenes in an animation. Lead Animators draw out the key scenes for
an animation, and Inbetweeners are responsible for the character’s movements in
transitioning between (hence the name Inbetween Department) dramatic key
movement scenes.
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Interaction Designers: Interaction Designers utilize technical skills in marketing and
customer outreach. Develops and implements customer marketing campaigns that
directly engage the consumer and many times create opportunities for consumers to
generate their own content. Interaction designer’s work with many different
departments to implement marketing strategies that best fit their employer’s targeted
audience.
Layout Artists: Layout Artists create the background for animations. Their design
and layout skills are based upon the environment of the character and how the
character interacts within an environment. Layout artists must also take into account
how other objects in the background interact to give the illusion of depth and
perspective.
Lighting Technicians: Lighting Technicians use design knowledge of lighting and
shadows to create characters and environments that complement project aesthetics.
Lighting technicians usually work collaboratively with a lighting department on
creating color keys, light rigs, and compositing renderings for their shots.
Mathematical Modeler: People who build mathematical models can apply their
skills to a variety of fields to solve complex problems or illustrate processes using
math based models. Many times, people who build mathematical models utilize
software technology to animate and create 3 Dimensional representations of the
processes they are researching.
Motion Graphics Artist: This is a general job description for anyone who works
with graphics, video and animation technologies to create the illusion of motion. A
motion graphics artist can utilize a variety of programs such as Adobe After Effects,
Maya, and 3D studio Max.
Multimedia Instructional Designer: Multimedia Instructional Designers utilize their
technical knowledge to teach others using multimedia technologies. Instructional
designers are essential in providing new employees or clients with mentoring that will
help them utilize the tools and skills that promote the goals of the organization.
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Storyboard Artists: Storyboard artists plan and create layout for storytelling
elements of animation. Storyboard artists are essential to the planning stages of an
artistic project, as their storytelling structure dictates the foundation for the rest of the
project.
Technical Director: Technical Directors use lighting and design principles to bring
animations to life. Technical directors have a strong foundation in programming and
animation software, and can work with artists in a team setting to implement creative
ideas using animation software. Technical directors focus on principles such as
lighting and rigging in animating their projects.
Texture Artists: Texture Artists produce textures to be mapped onto 3-D objects, to
complement the visual style of the game. Texture artists are essential in achieving
realistic objects, as they can scan or create the textures that will respond to stimuli
such as light sources in the 3-D object’s environment.
Tools Programmer: Tools programmers create and design the software or tools used
in implementing a project. Certain animation projects require the use of specialized
software to best meet the stylistic and creative style of an animation; tools
programmers edit and create the technical tools that will make the animation process
easier for other departments.
Web Developer: This is a general position for anyone who develops a website, either
on the internet or a smaller network. Web development can span from coding,
developing web applications to maintaining day to day operations through the site.
Visual Development Artists: Visual Development Artists are multi-talented
individuals who can use their versatility to help guide the plot elements of an
animation. Visual Development Artists work with time-placement continuity in a
story, character emotions, and stylistic elements that assist in storytelling.
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Different fields in this Industry
Considering the amount of different Medias that are used, the graphics and animation
industry has a wide scope. Right from simple pamphlets to fully fledged banners,
from tiny advertisements to full feature films it all comes under this industry.
Advancement in technology is bringing out newer and more effective Medias day by
day. This is also increasing the scope on animations and graphics. The different fields
can be categorized into two main categories namely digital media which includes
web-sites, games, 3Dcartoons and animations, 2D cartoons, film special effects etc.
Following are some of the major fields in this industry:-
Digital Media
Digital art is any art in which computers played a role in production or display of the
artwork. Such art can be an image, sound, animation, video, CD-ROM, DVD-ROM,
videogame, web site, algorithm, performance or gallery installation. Many traditional
disciplines are now integrating digital technologies and, as a result, the lines between
traditional works of art and new media works created using computers has been
blurred. For instance, an artist may combine traditional painting with algorithm art
and other digital techniques. Often, the medium itself is considered the artwork. As a
result, defining computer art by its end product can thus be difficult. Nevertheless,
this type of art is beginning to appear in art museum exhibits.
Comic book artists in the past would generally sketch a drawing in pencil before
going over the drawing again with India ink, using pens and brushes. Magazine
illustrators often worked with India ink, acrylics or oils. Currently, an increasing
number of artists are now creating digital artwork.
Digital artists do, simply, what centuries of artists have always done by exploring and
adopting a culture's new technology toward the making of a personal imagery. In
doing so the culture is also reflected in the artwork as is the artist's personal vision. As
our culture becomes increasingly digitized, digital artists are leading the way in
exploring and defining this new culture. Digital Artists use a medium that is nearly
immaterial, that being binary information which describes the color and brightness of
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each individual pixel on a computer screen. Taken as a whole an image consisting of
pure light is the feedback devise that tells an artist what is being made and
simultaneously stored on the computer's hard drive. Digital Artists employ many
types of user interfaces that correspond to the wide variety of brushes, lenses or other
tools that traditional artist use to shape their materials. Rather than manipulating
digital code directly as math, these electronic brushes and tools allow an artist to
translate hand motions, cutting and pasting, and what were formerly chemical dark
room techniques into the mathematical changes that effect the arrangement of screen
pixels and create a picture.
Digital Art is created and stored in a non-material form on the computer's memory
systems and must be made physical, usually in the form of prints on paper or some
other form of printmaking substrate. In addition, digital art may be exchanged and
appreciated directly on a computer screen in gallery situations or simultaneously in
every place on the globe with access to the web. Being immaterial has its advantages
and with the advent of high quality digital printing techniques a very traditional long
lasting print of this artwork can also be produced and marketed.
Following are some fields within digital art/media
1. Web Designing: - Today almost every business and firm has its own website. Infact
it’s not just organizations but also individuals who have web sites these day. Many
models, actors, writers etc have their own web site. A web site is one of the best way
to connecting to the public. It convenient for both parties.
Web Sites not only help you connect to others but also help you earn. There are many
people and firms who earn sufficient revenue through sites. Advertisers are ready to
pay any amount of money for ad space on a web site. Besides this, sites like orkut and
facebook has made its owners millionaires. Web sites also help firms provide value
added services to its customers. For example banks now provide E-banking facilities
which let members perform all the banking functions from home itself. There are
many firms who also sell their products on web sites. Sites like Amazon.com perform
wholly as online shops and earn all of its revenue from there.
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This shows how important web sites are in today’s times, and thus it also shows how
important web developers and designers are in today’s time.
Web design is the process of designing websites — a collection of online content
including documents and applications that reside on a web server/servers. As a whole,
the process of web design includes planning, post-production, research, advertising, as
well as media control that is applied to the pages within the site by the designer or
group of designers with a specific purpose. The site itself can be divided into its main
page, also known as the home page, which cites the main objective as well as
highlights of the site's daily updates; which also contains hyperlinks that functions to
direct viewers to a designated page within the site's domain.
Basically web designing is all about making a web site for your client. It includes all
the functions right from content writing to final hosting. A web designer’s job does
not end once the web site is online and has begun to function. His job continues even
after this. The web site needs to be updated regularly. It also needs to be maintained
with respect to its content and links. SEO (search engine optimization) also needs to
be carried out on timely basis. Thus a web designer’s job needs a lot of patience and
planning.
The demand for web designers is on a constant rise today. With newer firms coming
into the market every day more and more web sites go online every day. Besides this
there is strong competition among firms to make their web sites better and more
functional every day. More and more people are using the internet every day. People
prefer online banking to traditional banking as it’s more convenient. Thus banks try to
add as much functionality to their sites as possible. Every site wants to land on the
first page of Google, thus there is a rapid need for search engine optimizers who are
also a kind of web designer. In many cases the web site is the first mode of
communication used by perspective customers of a firm. For example before opting
for a DTH (direct to home) services many of us may have visited the provider’s web
site to compare different schemes etc. Thus for many of us the web site formed the 1st
impression in our minds. A Firm’s web site speaks a lot about the organisation, for
example a site with good accessibility and layout creates a positive image in the
visitors mind.
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Web-Designing Pipeline
There are numerous steps in the web site design and development process. From
gathering initial information, to the creation of your web site, and finally to
maintenance to keep your web site up to date and current.
The exact process will vary slightly from designer to designer, but the basics are
generally the same.
1. Information Gathering
2. Planning
3. Design
4. Development
5. Testing and Delivery
6. Maintenance
Phase One: Information Gathering
The first step in designing a successful web site is to gather information. Many things
need to be taken into consideration when the look and feel of your site is created.
This first step is actually the most important one, as it involves a solid understanding
of the company it is created for. It involves a good understanding of you – what your
business goals and dreams are, and how the web can be utilized to help you achieve
those goals.
It is important that your web designer start off by asking a lot of questions to help
them understand your business and your needs in a web site.
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Certain things to consider are:
Purpose
What is the purpose of the site? Do you want to provide information, promote a
service or sell a product?
Goals
What do you hope to accomplish by building this web site? Two of the more
common goals are either to make money or share information.
Target Audience
Is there a specific group of people that will help you reach your goals? It is helpful
to picture the ―ideal‖ person you want to visit your web site. Consider their age, sex or
interests this will later help determine the best design style for your site.
Content
What kind of information will the target audience be looking for on your site? Are
they looking for specific information, a particular product or service, online
ordering…?
Phase Two: Planning
Using the information gathered from phase one, it is time to put together a plan for
your web site. This is the point where a site map is developed.
The site map is a list of all main topic areas of the site, as well as sub-topics, if
applicable. This serves as a guide as to what content will be on the site, and is
essential to developing a consistent, easy to understand navigational system. The end-
user of the web site – aka your customer – must be kept in mind when designing your
site. These are, after all, the people who will be learning about your service or buying
your product. A good user interface creates an easy to navigate web site, and is the
basis for this.
During the planning phase, your web designer will also help you decide what
technologies should be implemented. Elements such as interactive forms, ecommerce,
flash, etc. are discussed when planning your web site.
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Phase Three: Design
Drawing from the information gathered up to this point, it’s time to determine the
look and feel of your site.
Target audience is one of the key factors taken into consideration. A site aimed at
teenagers, for example, will look much different than one meant for a financial
institution. As part of the design phase, it is also important to incorporate elements
such as the company logo or colors to help strengthen the identity of your company
on the web site.
Your web designer will create one or more prototype designs for your web site. This
is typically a .jpg image of what the final design will look like. Often times you will
be sent an email with the mock-ups for your web site, while other designers take it a
step further by giving you access to a secure area of their web site meant for
customers to view work in progress.
Either way, your designer should allow you to view your project throughout the
design and development stages. The most important reason for this is that it gives you
the opportunity to express your likes and dislikes on the site design.
In this phase, communication between both you and your designer is crucial to ensure
that the final web site will match your needs and taste. It is important that you work
closely with your designer, exchanging ideas, until you arrive at the final design for
your web site.
Then development can begin…
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Phase Four: Development
The developmental stage is the point where the web site itself is created. At this time,
your web designer will take all of the individual graphic elements from the prototype
and use them to create the actual, functional site.
This is typically done by first developing the home page, followed by a ―shell‖ for the
interior pages. The shell serves as a template for the content pages of your site, as it
contains the main navigational structure for the web site. Once the shell has been
created, your designer will take your content and distribute it throughout the site, in
the appropriate areas.
Elements such as interactive contact forms, flash animations or ecommerce shopping
carts are implemented and made functional during this phase, as well.
This entire time, your designer should continue to make your in-progress web site
available to you for viewing, so that you can suggest any additional changes or
corrections you would like to have done.
On the technical front, a successful web site requires an understanding of front-end
web development. This involves writing valid XHTML / CSS code that complies to
current web standards, maximizing functionality, as well as accessibility for as large
an audience as possible.
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Phase Five: Testing and Delivery
At this point, your web designer will attend to the final details and test your web site.
They will test things such as the complete functionality of forms or other scripts, as
well last testing for last minute compatibility issues (viewing differences between
different web browsers), ensuring that your web site is optimized to be viewed
properly in the most recent browser versions.
A good web designer is one who is well versed in current standards for web site
design and development. The basic technologies currently used are XHTML and CSS
(Cascading Style Sheets). As part of testing, your designer should check to be sure
that all of the code written for your web site validates. Valid code means that your site
meets the current web development standards – this is helpful when checking for
issues such as cross-browser compatibility as mentioned above.
Once you give your web designer final approval, it is time to deliver the site. An FTP
(File Transfer Protocol) program is used to upload the web site files to your server.
Most web designers offer domain name registration and web hosting services as well.
Once these accounts have been setup, and your web site uploaded to the server, the
site should be put through one last run-through. This is just precautionary, to confirm
that all files have been uploaded correctly, and that the site continues to be fully
functional.
Phase Six: Maintenance
The development of your web site is not necessarily over, though. One way to bring
repeat visitors to your site is to offer new content or products on a regular basis. Most
web designers will be more than happy to continue working together with you, to
update the information on your web site. Many designers offer maintenance packages
at reduced rates, based on how often you anticipate making changes or additions to
your web site.
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If you prefer to be more hands on, and update your own content, there is something
called a CMS (Content Management System) that can be implemented to your web
site. This is something that would be decided upon during the Planning stage. With a
CMS, your designer will utilize online software to develop a database driven site for
you.
A web site driven by a CMS gives you the ability to edit the content areas of the web
site yourself. You are given access to a back-end administrative area, where you can
use an online text editor (similar to a mini version of Microsoft Word). You’ll be able
to edit existing content this way, or if you are feeling more adventurous, you can even
add new pages and content yourself. The possibilities are endless!
It’s really up to you as far as how comfortable you feel as far as updating your own
web site. Some people prefer to have all the control so that they can make updates to
their own web site the minute they decide to do so. Others prefer to hand off the web
site entirely, as they have enough tasks on-hand that are more important for them to
handle directly.
That’s where the help of a your web designer comes in, once again, as they can take
over the web site maintenance for you – one less thing for you to do is always a good
thing in these busy times!
Other maintenance type items include SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and SES
(Search Engine Submission). This is the optimization of you web site with elements
such as title, description and keyword tags which help your web site achieve higher
rankings in the search engines. The previously mentioned code validation is
something that plays a vital role in SEO, as well.
There are a lot of details involved in optimizing and submitting your web site to the
search engines – enough to warrant its own post. This is a very important step,
because even though you now have a web site, you need to make sure that people can
find it!
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Skills and qualifications needed to be a web-designer
There's no nationally recognized professional web design qualification, although there
are various design courses you could take. Clients and employers are more interested
in the portfolio and past works rather that his educational qualification. Anyone
having the right knowledge about web-designing along with sufficient creativity can
go on an become a web designer. However having a certificate from a government
recognized institute can provide additional weightage.
Following are the skills needed to be a web-designer
Graphical user interface (GUI) design using HTML/XHTML/CSS, Adobe Fireworks
& Flash
Web standards compliance and basic accessibility issues (as they pertain to XHTML)
Planning, designing, and implementing web site structure and navigation layout with
server side includes and dynamic content
Designing and planning additions to sites
Flash presentations
Design & layout of e-mail newsletters
Design & layout of press releases & white papers
Image optimization
Knowledgeable with TITLE & META tags and page content for search engine
optimization
Understanding of screen resolutions and how to design for them
Testing with multiple browsers and operating systems to ensure the best compatibility
possible
Software knowledge:
Adobe Dreamweaver
Adobe Fireworks
Adobe Flash
Adobe Photoshop
Adobe Illustrator (beginner)
Adobe Acrobat
Various FTP applications
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2. Animation: - The word ―animate‖ means to add life to an object. Hence lifeless
objects are also known as inanimate objects. Animation involves any process of
adding life to images, i.e. to generate moving images. Animation though sounding
like a recent term, the art has been in existence for years. Cartoons like Popeye the
sailor man, Bugs Bunny, Mickey Mouse, Tom and Jerry etc are more than 80-90
years old. It is quite astonishing to know that even today they win the hearts of
children just the way they did 80-90 years back. Infact a recent survey has revealed
that even adults prefer these shows as it helps them forget their worries.
Man is said to have attempted animation more than 2500 years back. Archeologists
have found vases, pots and other such objects which have a series of images painted
on them in such a way that when the vase or pot is spinned the image appears to be
moving. Over the years there has been a lot of changes in the process of animation.
However through-out all these phases of changes, the demand for animated films has
always been high. Traditionally animation was done by manually drawing each still or
frame by hand. All these frames would then be displayed at a fast rate to produce the
illusion of moving characters. Today most of the work is done by computers, however
unlike other tasks where the job gets easy after introduction of computers, here the job
has still been complicated to master. However the degree of realism has increased
considerably with the introduction of computers. Many a times an animation looks so
real that one can’t differentiate it from real film. As an animator a lot of planning and
organizing is required. Animators need to be very patient and calm as even a tiny
mistake needs them to redo a lot of work again. However this hard work pays off
handsomely most of the time. Movies like ratatouille, cars, Up in the air, Avatar etc
have been a huge success all over the world. We’ll heard and probably even seen
them.
Animation can be broadly divided into 2 parts
a. 2D animation
b. 3D animation
Both are further divided into a number of parts. Let us look at some of them in detail.
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A. 2D animation: - 2d animation is the creation of moving pictures in a two-dimensional
environment, such as through "traditional" cel animation or in computerized
animation software. This is done by sequencing consecutive images, or "frames", that
simulate motion by each image showing the next in a gradual progression of steps.
The eye can be "fooled" into perceiving motion when these consecutive images are
shown at a rate of 24 frames per second or faster. It involves any type of animation
where the Object can be measured in two dimensions which are height and width.
Hence the name 2D meaning 2 dimensions. Example of 2D animations would include
cartoons like Popeye, Tom and Jerry etc.
Compared to 3D, 2D is a far older technique having a history of about 70-100 years.
However many people prefer the simplicity involved in 2D animations. Cartoons like
Tom and Jerry, loony toons, Popeye the sailor man etc are all 2D animations and
today they’re considered as classics in the animation field.
People may think it’s easier to make a 2D animation as compared to a 3D one, but in
reality it’s just the other way round. This is because in the case of 3D most of the
calculations are done by a computer, while in 3D it mostly done by human effort.
Besides this, in 3D animation after modeling (designing) the character he can be
rotated in any direction without any problem, while in 2D even a tiny rotation needs a
lot of abstract imagination on the animator’s part.
The demand for 2D animation is falling in recent times because of the rise in 3D.
However this fall in demand is very gentle or rather negligent. Commercials cartoons
on T.V are still in 2D format even today. Even the most recent cartoons like choota
bheem, shinchan, etc are all in 2D form. 2D works are now taking place as a classic
form be it in the field of gaming for e.g.:- Mario and road rash or cartoons like Heidi-
the girls in the Alps. These works are never forgotten and still generate the same
entertainment as they did before. There are many full feature animation films like
Lionking, Aladdin, The Jungle Book, Tarzan and The Beauty and the Beast which are
animated with 2D technology.
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Production pipe line
The overall process of creating a 2D animation is divided into three parts: pre-
production, production, and post-production.
Pre- production: Pre-production involves establishing the plot of the completed
animation. Because each shot in animation is so labor-intensive, it's imperative to get
shots right during pre-production. Re-animating a shot (because a character uses
knowledge not gained until later in the story, for example) is very expensive,
especially compared to live-action filming. Most animations are storyboarded, in
which the main action in each scene is drawn in a comic book-like form. Storyboards
are usually pasted on large foam-core or poster board sheets, which can be quickly
read through by the staff. During pre-production, the staff reviews the storyboard for
consistency, and parts of the storyboard may be redrawn multiple times.
Production: Each shot in a 2D animation involves multiple single drawings of
characters. To demonstrate the concept, think of a still camera that can take many
photographs in rapid succession. Imagine aiming that camera at a person and taking
many quick photographs as the person walks towards you. Each photograph
corresponds to an individual drawing in an animation. Keys are important drawings
that convey the extremes of the character's movement--the first drawing is almost
always a key--while in-betweens are the remaining, less important drawings in the
shot. Typically, each drawing begins with a sketch, in pencil, of the character's pose.
This drawing is then cleaned up in pencil, though this is not always do Some
companies hand-ink each drawing, writing over the cleaned pencil lines with a pen.
Others--especially studios whose artists can draw very clean pencil lines--will scan
the pencils directly into the computer, then ink the drawing digitally.
The drawing is now considered a "cel." Before computers, the drawing would now be
photocopied onto a sheet of clear celluloid or acetate, then hand-painted. This created
a "cel," which was placed on top of a background painting and filmed with the click
of a film camera. Cels are still highly prized by collectors, though few true cels
remain. Many of those on the market are reproductions.
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Today, the digital cels are colored on a computer. Meanwhile, a background is drawn.
The background is imported into an animation program, and each cel is layered onto
the background in succession. This is then saved on the computer as a single video
file.
In practice, the keys are usually drawn by a top animator, and these are then scanned
and assembled into a "rough cut" of the shot while the keys are given to a junior
animator, who will draw the tweens. The film can then be assembled during
production, and junior animators can be directed in small adjustments to improve the
flow of each shot and scene. In Asia, this is typically when dialog is recorded, so that
the junior animators can match the tweens to the vocal.
Post- production: Even after all the tweens have been colored and added to the
animation, the film is far from complete. There's still music and sound effects to be
added, as well as visual effects (glows, hazes, etc.). The animation also may need to
be edited in the more traditional film sense; shots cut slightly short or held longer,
even scenes cut entirely.
It is in this process that all the tiny bits and pieces come together to finally form a full
feature film. This process is as complex, complicated and crucial as the production
process because it is at this stage where all the animations begin to make sense.
Videos are viewed minutely still by still or frame by frame to ensure the best bits get
into the final edit.
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Aladdin an example of 2d animation film
Aladdin is a 1992 animated feature produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation, and
released by Walt Disney Pictures on November 25, 1992. The thirty-first animated
feature in the Disney animated features canon, relates a version of the story of
Aladdin and the magic lamp from The Book of One Thousand and One Nights. It was
directed by John Musker and Ron Clements, both of whom had just finished writing
and directing The Little Mermaid.
Aladdin was released on November 25, 1992 to positive reviews, and was the most
successful film of 1992, earning over $217 million in revenue in the United States,
and over $504 million worldwide. The film also won many awards, most of them for
its soundtrack. Aladdin's success led to many material inspired by the film such as
two direct-to-video sequels, The Return of Jafar and Aladdin and the King of Thieves,
an animated television series, toys, video games, spin-offs, and merchandise.
Composer Alan Menken and songwriters Howard Ashman and Tim Rice were praised
for creating a soundtrack that is "consistently good, rivaling the best of Disney's other
animated musicals from the '90s."
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Production of the film Aladdin
In 1988, Howard Ashman suggested Disney make an animated musical version of
Aladdin. After writing a storyline and songs with partner Alan Menken, Ashman
delivered it to directors John Musker and Ron Clements. In 1991, the script was
delivered to studio chief Jeffrey Katzenberg, who thought the script "didn't engage",
and only approved it after rewrites from Clements, Musker and the screenwriter duo
Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Among the changes, the character of Aladdin's mother
was removed, Princess Jasmine became a stronger character, Aladdin's personality
was reworked to be "a little rougher, like a young Harrison Ford," and the parrot Iago,
originally conceived as a "British" calm and serious character, after the filmmakers
saw Gilbert Gottfried in Beverly Hills Cop II was turned into a comic role, voiced by
Gottfried. The concept of calm, serious British bird would later be worked into The
Lion King's Zazu.
Most characters' designs were based on the work of caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
Aladdin was drawn originally based on actor Michael J. Fox but during production it
was decided that he wasn't "appealing enough" and they decided to make him
resemble actor Tom Cruise instead. Computer animation was used to develop some
features of the movie, such as the tiger entrance of the Cave of Wonders, the magic
carpet, the scene where Aladdin tries to escape the collapsing cave, the full view of
Agrabah, and the clouds in "A Whole New World".
The weakest-looking aspect of Aladdin is its computer-generated animation. With the
integration of CG within a 2D world still in its infancy in 1992, it often sticks out like
a sore thumb.
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Watching this film will give animation buffs the opportunity to study and admire the
fine animation work. The film mixed a variety of animation and art styles to come up
with a unique look. Though some influence from Richard Williams’ ―The Thief and
the Cobbler‖ (made from 1968 to the early 1990s) is apparently present, the crew of
―Aladdin‖ borrowed motifs from Tex Avery cartoons, Al Hirschfeld drawings, and
Arabian design. The colors, used in the film are rich and almost three-dimensional.
The film has the traditional touches many people associate with classic Disney
animation. The first element is story, the story of a young boy who wants to become
somebody. The sidekick characters are another element of Disney animation, and
there are many in this film and most of them are strong characterizations.
The strengths of this film are many and overshadow any minor gripes one might
have. Musker and Clements’ direction is solid. The animation and voice casting is
nearly perfect. It’s fun entertainment. The film is also an interesting time capsule on
Robin Williams. Of course, there’s also the top-notch artwork and music. There’s not
much doom and gloom to be found in Aladdin, as the colorful, smooth style of
animation really adds a layer of detail to the story. Character animation is pitch-
perfect, and the backgrounds are even better. Combined with the trademark Disney
style of orchestral music, Aladdin is a well-rounded effort that holds up well.
Image detail and contrast are superb, and really bring the colorful world of Aladdin to
life. Only a few minor nitpicks kept this presentation from being perfect, namely a
few instances of very mild edge enhancement and a few traces of interlacing.
Otherwise, this visual presentation is up to the high standard of Disney’s Platinum
Collection.
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3D Animation
3D animation is the creation of moving pictures in a three-dimensional digital
environment. This is done by sequencing consecutive images, or "frames", that
simulate motion by each image showing the next in a gradual progression of steps,
filmed by a virtual "camera" and then output to video by a rendering engine. The eye
can be "fooled" into perceiving motion when these consecutive images are shown at a
rate of 24 frames per second or faster.
Producing animation by using computer technology, without doubt, is closely related
with the computer technology technique and a series of capabilities of this technique.
Computer gives the opportunity to the animator to use time, technique and
creativeness at a higher level and enables high quality products to be emerged.
It involves any type of animation where the object can be measured in three
dimensions which are height, width and breadth. Hence the name 3D meaning three
Dimensions. Examples of 3D animations would include shriek, cars, bolt, Up in the
sky etc. The degree of realism in 3D games and Movies is rising at an even steeper
rate. Many a times it is difficult to distinguish between real models and 3D ones.
Though stated earlier that creating 2D is more taxing than 3D, it never means creating
3D models is easy. It involves a lot of planning and patience. Though one is working
in a 3D environment the monitor can always show only a 2D image, this makes it
even tougher to design in 3D.It is like clay modeling but with just a finger and one
side at a time.
3D demand is on a steep rise, most of the animations of today are made in 3D
environment. 90% of full feature films realized these days are in 3D. More over 95-
97% games are also made in 3D. Examples of 3D movies would include Up, Cars,
Madagascar, Fly me to the Moon, Megamind, Cloudy chance of meat-balls etc. while
examples of 3D games would include counter-strike, GTA series, Hitman series,
crysis etc.
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Production pipeline
In the process of 3-d computer animation production, it is inevitable to realize some
series of steps related to production technique and methods based on both technique
and expression style. The information about these steps is as follows.
Design
Producing the models (modeling)
Determining the surface qualities of models.
Scene arrangement
Transformation
Rendering the objects
Assembling and special effects
Transferring to video, CD, or film.
First of all, an idea must be formed to produce an animation. And design enables the
transfer of the idea. ―The design process of animation production is a kind of planning
process in which the subject of animation, the message to be sent to target population,
the method to be followed in presenting the information, time and expression
characteristics are all taken into consideration and planned as a whole.‖ The event
takes its first form with the scenario. Scenario can be thought as the story of the
planned design. Besides this description, the drafts of characters, models, images and
sound which are going to be used in the animation are formed in mind. The event that
is going to be told, the message that is going to be given, relations, atmosphere,
manner and behaviors all form the text in this step.
3-d computer animation production begins with the modeling of the characters that
are made in the computer’s virtual space where width, length and depth are entered
with numerical values. In the first step, a three-dimensional skeleton of the model
which seems to be made of wires is made. On the surface of this skeleton color,
texture and material features are defined. These features are the simulations of the
objects surface characteristics in real life.
Animator produces very realistic images by defining the materials to objects like
transparent like glass and light permeable, bright like chromium and reflecting light,
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dull like plastic and absorbing light. After the surface qualities of the models are done,
the scene where the events will occur can be built. A placement is arranged on stage
according to the positions of characters, objects and accessories, and their movements
that will be performed in a planned time which is determined by shooting script and
storyboard. Light sources and cameras are also placed in this section.
Then the animation is added to the models. Till the process all the objects in were still
like statues. It is at this stage that movement is added to the objects and characters.
The key frames of the objects or the characters that are being planned to be moved are
placed on the time line. On these specific points, the movements are applied
according to the flow of scenario and the effect that the characters must follow. Each
individual object has a different set of key-frames for example a character’s hand
would have a different set while the legs would have yet a different set. Key frames
are simply frames where the movement is supposed to start and stop. The computer
then added the movement to the frames in between to create a smooth transition
between the two.
The last step is the rendering step, once the scene is designed three dimensionally. By
this operation, the defined surface characteristics, by the help of light sources, can be
viewed on the computer screen. Here the 3D models are converted from the the
animation software related format to a proper video format.
Producing 3-d computer animation comes to an end by playing all the frames in a
sequence. Using sound, music, effects can take the animation to its goal so easily.
After the editing of animation, it is transferred to any medium like film, video, CD,
etc.
Animation is being used very wide-spread in many fields today which have many
steps from design to production.
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Shrek: A 3d animation film
It is a wondrous, comical animated adventure that satirizes fairy tales and wears its
heart on its sleeve without ever winking too far to remind us that it is all a joke. It
wastes no time in making big impressions. The opening credits for the movie are
absolutely incredible. The opening credits interact with Shrek’s environment and are
pulled off so well that it is easily the best animated opening credits ever created.
The second computer-generated animated film from DreamWorks Shrek is a dazzling
display of creative artistry and sheer imagination. With animated characters never
looking so flesh-and-blood before ,the movie is nonstop candy for the eyes, with a
palette of bright colors jumping off the screen, and a round-up of central characters
who are not only likable, but also memorable and enchanting. The film is an ideal
viewing experience for both children and grown-ups alike.
Commercially successful on release in 2001, it helped establish DreamWorks as a
prime competitor to Pixar in the field of feature film animation, particularly in
computer animation. The film's success also made DreamWorks Animation create
three sequels: Shrek 2, Shrek the Third, and Shrek Forever After. There was also a
Christmas special called Shrek the Halls and a Halloween special called Scared
Shrekless.
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Production process of the film: Shrek
The production moves from story and concept artwork into 3-D modeling and
eventually render. DreamWorks Animation uses the popular Linux Maya commercial
package for 3-D modeling. Layout positions the characters in the scenes and
determines overall lighting. Models are ―rigged‖ with internal skeletons by the
Character TDs, and then given to the scene animators. Because of the complexity,
Shrek 3 animators were assigned in pairs to each of the hundreds of scenes. In the
past, it was one animator per scene. Lighting and any special effects are added, such
as cloth or flames. Then, the scene is rendered frame by frame on a 3,000+ CPU
Linux renderfarm.
Storyboard: A Story Artist's Rendition of the Scene.Each frame is assigned to a
different node of the renderfarm by grid software so that many frames can be output
simultaneously. The frames are edited into a movie using Avid software. Early in the
process, hand-drawn storyboard images are scanned, and a scratch audio track is
edited together creating a rough video representation of the movie. As each sequence
is completed, it replaces the rough storyboard footage, building the fully rendered
movie scene by scene.
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Layout: the Layout Artist's Blocking of the Camera Moves and Character Poses
Animation: at this stage, the animators create the character's performance for the
scene.
Lighting: Final Version of the Scene with Lighting and Textures Added to the Frame
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The issues with maintaining a large Linux-based pipeline are the same as maintaining
a large pipeline on any operating system. They unified the studio on one standard
pipeline a while ago, and now they have all productions at all times using the same
pipeline. They stress, push and develop the pipeline in different ways on each
production.
There was much specific technical advancement on the movie, including
advancements in hair, clothing, costuming and crowds as well as bringing the
secondary character animation (crowds) to a whole new level of performance. Long
hair may be the biggest technology advance in Shrek. In all of animation in the past
long hair is very little. It took months to do the hero-hair flick on Shrek 2. Hair is
everywhere in Shrek 3. How hair glides across a shoulder looks easy but is very
complicated to model. The way the hair moves had to become much more automated.
There isn't time for animators to position each hair by hand. With clothing they have
more interactions, including ripping of the cloth. Fast motion is always difficult to do.
Technically and creatively there were three major challenges; the human characters,
the complex environment and then the traditional visual effects — things like fire and
water and the elements. For human characters, some of the challenges were rendering
skin. Computers are really good at rendering things like plastic and metal, as they love
hard surfaces, but to date they haven’t been as successful dealing with translucent
softer surfaces and we didn’t find real applicable computer graphics research for
rendering skin that we would use.
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Qualification and skills needed to be an animator
Just like web designing there is no specified educational qualification for animators.
It’s all about your skill and creativity. However doing a course in a reputed institute is
quite necessary in the case of animation as very few firms can afford to trust an
animator with no experience. Besides it is almost impossible to work on free lance
basis as an animator. When looking for an animator employers look for the following
qualities in an individual.
Artistic Ability – Creative thinking, an understanding of composition and the ability
to draw are the foundation of an animation career. Whether you're creating
storyboards or putting the finishing touches on a series of computer generated images,
you'll need to have a good grasp on basic artistic skills.
Storytelling Ability –You need to be a good storyteller. This includes having a good
sense of timing and pacing, and knowing how to get your characters to express
themselves in a believable way. As an animator, you'll be responsible for portraying
characters' emotions—which means you need to understand character development,
even if you're not the one onscreen.
Technical Skill / Software Knowledge – With the increased use of computer
generated imagery (CGI) technology in the film industry—in both live action films
and animated movies—animation careers are becoming increasingly technical. You'll
need training in various software programs that are standard in the industry. In some
animation jobs you may also find math and physics helpful,
Teamwork – You not only need the ability to work with clients, but you'll also need
to thrive in a team environment. Animation projects involve many people, but the end
product needs to be consistent as if produced by one person. This may involve
following or giving direction, working to meet deadlines and communicating clearly
and effectively with other team members and clients.
Miscellaneous knowledge- It includes knowledge about geometry, physics,
mathematics etc. in order to be able to create a realistic scene it is necessary to know
how the real world functions. For eg, to create a realistic reflective surface the
animator needs to know how light it reflected and how it behaves in the real world.
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Special Effects
The illusions used in the film, television, theatre, or entertainment industries to
simulate the imagined events in a story are traditionally called special effects (often
abbreviated as SFX, SPFX, or simply FX).Special effects are traditionally divided
into the categories of optical effects and mechanical effects. With the emergence of
digital film-making tools a greater distinction between special effects and visual
effects has been recognized, with "visual effects" referring to digital post-production
and "special effects" referring to on-set mechanical effects and in-camera optical
effects.
Optical effects (also called photographic effects), are techniques in which images or
film frames are created photographically, either "in-camera" using multiple exposure,
mattes, or the Schüfftan process, or in post-production processes using an optical
printer. An optical effect might be used to place actors or sets against a different
background.
Mechanical effects (also called practical or physical effects), are usually
accomplished during the live-action shooting. This includes the use of mechanized
props, scenery, scale models, pyrotechnics and Atmospheric Effects: creating physical
wind, rain, fog, snow, clouds etc. Making a car appear to drive by itself, or blowing
up a building are examples of mechanical effects. Mechanical effects are often
incorporated into set design and makeup. For example, a set may be built with break-
away doors or walls to enhance a fight scene, or prosthetic makeup can be used to
make an actor look like a monster.
Since the 1990s, computer generated imagery (CGI) has come to the forefront of
special effects technologies. CGI gives film-makers greater control, and allows many
effects to be accomplished more safely and convincingly – and even, as technology
marches on, at lower costs. As a result, many optical and mechanical effects
techniques have been superseded by CGI.
Today even a tiny advertisement on television has atleast some amount of special
effects added to it.
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Pipeline process of Special effects
A special effect can be accomplished in a number of ways depending on what kind of
effect is needed. The process is generally a mixture of 2D and 3D. Basically special
effects are the fusion of animation with real world graphics.
In olden times special effects was created by physically manipulating the film
(negative). Artists would manually paint on them, or a number of films were
combined to generate a new fused image. However in today’s time it’s all done
―digitally‖. That is today all special effects are ―digital visual effects‖.
The word digital in the term digital visual effects means that the process primarily
uses computer hardware and software to create its effects. Computer-generated effects
make imaginary characters like Godzilla possible, and they also create almost every
effect that used to be done using models. The advantages of CG (computer generated)
effects are their realism, flexibility and relatively low cost (compared to the
alternatives).
The team of graphic artists works with the movie's director both during filming
(production) and then extensively after filming (post-production) to create the effects.
Involvement during production helps the director make creative decisions so that the
effects can be integrated into the film more easily, and also allows them to add
different markers and other features to each scene to make post-production work
easier. For example, in certain scenes the camera might be fitted with encoders that
will allow for easier integration of the effects that is created. During post-production,
the director works extensively with the artists to make sure that the effects in each
shot have exactly the right look for the film.
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Following are some of the procedures carried out but special effect artists in the
process of establishing an effect. It’s not necessary for all of these procedures to be
used for every project. Every project is different and thus these techniques can be
used in any order as per needs.
Scanning and printing – This process used equipment to scan film at extremely high
resolution (up to 12,750,000 dots per frame), store it, manipulate it digitally and then
write it back out to film at the same resolution.
3-D Character modeling and animation - The artists can create and realistically
animate characters and then integrate them into scenes -- everything from Godzilla to
a platoon of British soldiers can be added to a film. Artists can also create ships,
water, background scenery, clouds, flags, buildings, vehicles, explosions and so on.
These CG elements are totally realistic and are seamlessly integrated either into CG
backdrops or filmed scenes.
3-D camera tracking - In order to lay 3-D characters into a filmed scene, there must
be a model of how the camera moves and zooms when the scene was shot. This model
can be created by adding encoders to the camera, or it can be created after the fact. In
either case, artists create a 3-D model of the scene and how the camera moves within
it.
Rotoscoping - Rotoscoping is the process of outlining and "lifting" elements of a
filmed scene off the frame so that other elements can be added to the frame either in
front of or behind the rotoscoped elements.
Painting - Painting involves the creation of imaginary scenery. It also involves what
was once called "airbrushing" -- the process of adding or removing things from a
scene.
2-D compositing - Compositing is the process of adding all of the different layers of a
shot together to create the final shot.
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The Patriot(2000) - A movie rich in special effects
The Patriot is a 2000 Historical war film directed by Roland Emmerich, written by
Robert Rodat, and starring Mel Gibson, Chris Cooper, and Heath Ledger. It was
produced by the Mutual Film Company and Centropolis Entertainment and was
distributed by Columbia Pictures. The film mainly takes place in South Carolina (and
was entirely filmed there) and depicts the story of an American swept into the
American Revolutionary War when his family is threatened. The protagonist,
Benjamin Martin, is loosely based on real Continental Army officer Francis Marion,
Andrew Pickens and other Revolutionary War figures. The Patriot was nominated for
three Academy Awards: Best Sound, Best Cinematography, and Best Original Music
Score.
Though there are many movies like 2012, Jurassic park, 300 etc which have made
much more use of special effects than this movie, the process used in this is far more
easier to understand.
Let us now see how a certain war scene was made in this movie.
The scene we’re going to study involves a surprising number of techniques to
completely change the landscape from a wooded field to a seaside town!
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This is the original shot without effects
The shot arrives as a piece of film, and the first step is to scan this film into digital
form so it can be manipulated. Scanning is done frame by frame (movie film is shot at
24 frames per second), and then each frame is stored as an individual full-color image
with a resolution of 2,048 by 1,556 pixels. The section of video shown in the two
previous videos is 20 seconds long, or about 480 frames.
First, a variety of things might be done to the original shot to clean it up, correct the
color and so on. Since the camera pans across the scene in this shot, the next step is to
build a 3-D model of the camera so that all of the visual effects the team will create
will mesh with the original scene exactly.
One of the first steps taken to add visual effects to the scene is the rotoscoping. An
artist sits at a computer and, frame by frame, outlines the portion of the original shot
that will be used in the final version. The breastworks, a portion of the field and
several of the running soldiers will all be used, but the explosion seen on the left and
everything else will be removed. The artist will outline these elements and essentially
"lift" them out of the frame.
Another camera crew has created an ocean shot -- in this case the ocean is not far
from the CFX studio in Hollywood! Once the ocean shot is cleaned up and color-
corrected, it and the rotoscoped scene can be integrated:
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This is how the scene looks with the added ocean
Another artist in the paint department has been working on a matte painting of the
town. This is a high-resolution digital image created using a painting/illustration
package.
The “painted image”
The scene with the added town.
In this shot there are a number of boats encircling the town and firing on it. The boats
are all computer generated. Each one is modeled and then added to the shot:
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The scene with the boats added to it
The cannon fire for the boats is its own stand-alone effect that is created separately
and then added to the shot.
The scene with boats and canon fire
A variety of other effects are added to the shot, including things like smoke over the
town, people in the town, a large explosion on the right, etc.
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The final step in the process is compositing all of the different components of the shot
(the rotoscoped foreground, the water, the town, people in the town, the boats, the
cannon fire, the smoke, the explosion, birds flying overhead and so on) layer by layer
to create the final shot as it will appear in the movie. Once digitally composited, the
shot is written back to film so that it can be spliced into the movie.
The small images used here don't really do justice to the shot -- when you see "The
Patriot" on a huge screen in a theater, you can see the incredible detail that has been
added to make this shot look totally realistic.
As you might imagine, creating a scene like this is time-consuming. Even though the
shot only appears on screen for 20 seconds, hundreds of hours go into the visual
effects to create a rich, convincing visual image. It is an amazing process that involves
an entire team of people, and this process may be repeated several hundred times in a
single film! In "The Patriot," 150 shots in the film involve visual effects like these.
While this was the case in just a 20second clip one can imagine the amount of time
and energy going into movies like 2012, Titanic, Godzilla, Jurassic park etc.
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Qualification and skills needed to be a VFX artist
Animation and visual-effects programs are offered at a number of universities, but a
degree or certificate isn't required. More important is an eye for artistic detail, such as
light, shadow and texture, says Mark Tobin, managing director of The Moving Picture
Co.'s Los Angeles office. "You can teach the technical knowledge, but you can't teach
a great eye," Mr. Tobin says. "The key is getting your foot in the door."
Newcomers usually enter the industry through internships and apprenticeships—
sometimes unpaid. Expertise in software such as Autodesk Maya and Adobe
Photoshop helps. A strong reel (a short video showing clips) is critical. Since it's a
tight-knit industry, networking is also key.
Employment in the industry is cyclical and tied to film studio budgets and appetites
for films with extensive special effects. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
employment for artists and related workers is expected to increase 12% through
2018—on pace with other occupations.
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Game Development
Game development is the software development process by which a video game is
developed. Development is undertaken by a game developer, which may range from a
single person to a large business. Mainstream games are normally funded by a
publisher and take several years to develop.
Indie games can take less time and can be produced cheaply by individuals and small
developers. The indie game industry has seen a rise in recent years with the growth of
new online distribution systems and the mobile game market.
The first video games were developed in 1960s, but required mainframe computers
and were not available to general public. Commercial game development began in
1970s with the advent of first generation video game consoles and home computers.
Due to low costs and low capabilities of computers, a lone programmer could develop
a full game. However, approaching 21st century, ever-increasing computer processing
power and user expectations made it impossible for a single developer to produce a
mainstream game. The average price of game production slowly rose from US$1M–
4M in 2000 to over 5M in 2006 to over 20M in 2010.
Mainstream games are generally developed in phases. First, in pre-production,
pitches, prototypes, and game design documents are written. If the idea is approved
and the developer receives funding, a full-scale development begins. This usually
involves a 20–100 man team of various responsibilities, such as designers, artists,
programmers, testers, etc. The games go through development, alpha, and beta stages
until finally being released. Modern games are advertised, marketed, and showcased
at trade show demos. Even so, many games do not turn a profit.
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Pipeline of Game Development
Making a game today is as good as making a fully fledged film. Because is included
developing sounds, story lines, dialogues, employs voice artists etc. Hence it is
probably one of the most complex processes in graphics. This field combines both
coding (programming) and graphics. It also needs a great deal of knowledge in the
field of audio editing.
Development of a commercial game usually includes the following stages.
Pre-production
Pre-production or design phase is a planning phase of the project focused on idea and
concept development and production of initial design documents. The goal of concept
development is to produce clear and easy to understand documentation, which
describes all the tasks, schedules and estimates for the development team. The suite of
documents produced in this phase is called production plan. This phase is usually not
funded by a publisher, however good publishers may require developers to produce
plans during pre-production.
The concept documentation can be separated into three stages or documents—high
concept, pitch and concept; however, there is no industry standard naming
convention, for example, both Bethke and Bates refer to pitch document as "game
proposal", yet Moore, Novak refers to concept document as "game proposal".
The late stage of pre-production may be also be referred to as proof of concept, or
technical review when more detailed game documents are produced.
Publishers have started to expect broader game proposals even featuring playable
prototypes.
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a. High concept:-High concept is a few sentences long description of a game.
b. Pitch: - A pitch, concept document, proposal document, or game proposal is a short
summary document intended to present the game's selling points and detail why the
game would be profitable to develop. Verbal pitches may be made to management
within the developer company, and then presented to publishers. A written document
may need to be shown to publishers before funding is approved. A game proposal
may undergo one to several green-light meetings with publisher executives who
determine if the game is to be developed. The presentation of the project is often
given by the game designers. Demos may be created for the pitch; however may be
unnecessary for established developers with good track records. If the developer acts
as its own publisher, or both companies are subsidiaries of a single company, then
only the upper management needs to give approval.
c. Concept: - Concept document, game proposal, or game plan is a more detailed
document than the pitch document. This includes all the information produced about
the game. This includes the high concept, game's genre, game play description,
features, setting, story, target audience, hardware platforms, estimated schedule,
marketing analysis, team requirements, and risk analysis. Before an approved design
is completed, a skeleton crew of programmers and artists usually begins work.
Programmers may develop quick-and-dirty prototypes showcasing one or more
features that stakeholders would like to see incorporated in the final product. Artists
may develop concept art and asset sketches as a springboard for developing real game
assets. Producers may work part-time on the game at this point, scaling up for full
time commitment as development progresses. Game producers work during pre-
production is related to planning the schedule, budget and estimating tasks with the
team. The producer aims to create a solid production plan so that no delays are
experienced at the start of the production.
d. Prototype: - Writing prototypes of game play ideas and features are an important
activity that allows programmers and game designers to experiment with different
algorithms and usability scenarios for a game. A great deal of prototyping may take
place during pre-production before the design document is complete and may, in fact,
help determine what features the design specifies. Prototyping may also take place
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during active development to test new ideas as the game emerges. Prototypes are
often meant only to act as a proof of concept or to test ideas, by adding, modifying or
removing some of the features. Most algorithms and features debuted in a prototype
may be ported to the game once they have been completed. Often prototypes need to
be developed quickly with very little time for up-front design. Therefore usually very
prolific programmers are called upon to quickly code these testbed tools. RAD tools
may be used to aid in the quick development of these programs. A successful
development model is iterative prototyping, where design is refined based on current
progress.
Production
Production is the main stage of development, when assets and source code for the
game are produced.
Mainstream production is usually defined as the period of time when the project is
fully staffed. Programmers write new source code, artists develop game assets, such
as, sprites or 3D models. Sound engineers develop sound effects and composers
develop music for the game. Level designers create levels, and writers write dialogue
for cutscenes and NPCs. Game designers continue to develop the game's design
throughout production.
a. Design: - Game design is a collaborative process of designing the content and rules of a
game, requiring artistic and technical competence as well as writing skills.
b.Programming:- All the while, the game designer implements and modifies the game
design to reflect the current vision of the game. Features and levels are often removed
or added. The art treatment may evolve and the back-story may change. A new
platform may be targeted as well as a new demographic. All these changes need to be
documented and dispersed to the rest of the team. Most changes occur as updates to
the design document.
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c. Level creation: - From a time standpoint, the game's first level takes the longest to
develop. As level designers and artists use the tools for level building, they request
features and changes to the in-house tools that allow for quicker and higher quality
development. Newly introduced features may cause old levels to become obsolete, so
the levels developed early on may be repeatedly developed and discarded. Because of
the dynamic environment of game development, the design of early levels may also
change over time. It is not uncommon to spend upwards of twelve months on one
level of a game developed over the course of three years. Later levels can be
developed much more quickly as the feature set is more complete and the game vision
is clearer and more stable.
d.Game art design: -Game art design, a subset of game development, is a process of
creating 2D and 3D game art for a video game. A game artist is a visual artist who
creates video game art, such as concept art, item sprites, character models, etc.
e. Audio production: - Game audio may be separated into three categories—sound
effects, music, and voice-over. Sound effect production is the production of sounds by
either tweaking a sample to a desired effect or replicating it with real objects. Sound
effects are important and impact the game's delivery. Music may be synthesized or
performed live. There are several ways in which music is presented in a game. Music
may be ambient, especially for slow periods of game, where the music aims to
reinforce the aesthetic mood and game setting. Music may be triggered by in-game
events. For example, in such games as Pac-man or Mario, player picking up power-
ups triggered respective musical scores. Action music, such as chase, battle or hunting
sequences is fast-paced, hard-changing score. Menu music, similar to credits music,
creates aural impact while relatively little action is taking place. A game title with 20
hours of single-player game play may feature around 60 minutes of music. Voice-
overs and voice acting creates character game play interactivity. Voice acting adds
personality to the game's characters.
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f. Testing: - At the end of the project quality assurance plays a significant role. Testers
start work once anything is playable. This may be one level or subset of the game
software that can be used to any reasonable extent. Early on, testing a game occupies
a relatively small amount of time. Testers may work on several games at once. As
development draws to a close, a single game usually employs many testers full time
(and often with overtime). They strive to test new features and regression test existing
ones. Testing is vital for modern, complex games as single changes may lead to
catastrophic consequences. At this time features and levels are being finished at the
highest rate and there is more new material to be tested than during any other time in
the project. Testers need to carry out regression testing to make sure that features that
have been in place for months still operate correctly. Regression testing is one of the
vital tasks required for effective software development. As new features are added,
subtle changes to the codebase can produce unexpected changes in different portions
of the game. This task is often overlooked, for several reasons. Sometimes, when a
feature is implemented and tested, it is considered "working" for the rest of the project
and little attention is given to repeat testing. Also, features that are added late in
development are prioritized and existing features often receive insufficient testing
time. Proper regression testing is also increasingly expensive as the number of
features increases and is often not scheduled correctly. Despite the dangers of
overlooking regression testing, some game developers and publishers fail to test the
full feature suite of the game and ship a game with bugs. This can result in customer’s
dissatisfaction and failure to meet sales goals. When this does happen, most
developers and publishers quickly release patches that fix the bugs and make the
game fully playable again.
g.Milestones: - Commercial game development projects may be required to meet
milestones set by publisher. Milestones mark major events during game development
and are used to track game's progress. Such milestones may be, for example, first
playable, alpha, or beta game versions. Project milestones depend on the developer
schedules. There is no industry standard for defining milestones, and such vary
depending on publisher, year, or project. Some common milestones for two-year
development cycle are as follows.
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First playable: The first playable is the game version containing representative game
play and assets; this is the first version with functional major game play elements. It is
often based on the prototype created in pre-production. Alpha and first playable are
sometimes used to refer to a single milestone, however large projects require first
playable before feature complete alpha. First playable occurs 12 to 18 months before
code release.
Alpha: Alpha is the stage when key game play functionality is implemented, and
assets are partially finished. A game in alpha is feature complete, that is, game is
playable and contains all the major features. These features may be further revised
based on testing and feedback. Additional small, new features may be added,
similarly planned, but unimplemented features may be dropped. Programmers focus
mainly on finishing the codebase, rather than implementing additions. Alpha occurs
eight to ten months before code release.
Code freeze: Code freeze is the stage when new code is no longer added to the game
and only bugs are being corrected. Code freeze occurs three to four months before
code release.
Beta: Beta is feature and asset complete version of the game, when only bugs are
being fixed. This version contains no bugs that prevent the game from being
shippable. No changes are made to the game features, assets, or code. Beta occurs two
to three months before code release.
Code release: Code release is the stage when all bugs are fixed and game is ready to
be shipped or submitted for console manufacturer review. This version is tested
against QA test plan. First code release candidate is usually ready three to four weeks
before code release.
Gold master: Gold master is the final game's build that is used as a master for
production of the game.
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Crunch time: Overtime is expected in the games industry. Particularly, crunch time
or crunch mode is unpaid overtime requested by many companies to meet project
deadlines and milestones that negatively affect game developers. A team missing a
deadline risks the danger of having the project cancelled or employees being laid off.
Although many companies are reducing the amount of crunch time, it is still
prominent in smaller companies.
Many companies offer time-off, called comp time or extra paid time-off after product
ships to compensate for crunch time's negative effects. Some companies offer bonuses
and financial rewards for successful milestone reach. Sometimes on-site crunch meals
are offered and delivered to the team during crunch time.
The International Game Developers Association (IGDA) surveyed nearly 1,000 game
developers in 2004 and produced a report to highlight the many problems caused by
bad practice.
Post-production
After the game goes gold and ships, some developers will give team members comp
time (perhaps up to a week or two) to compensate for the overtime put in to complete
the game, though this compensation is not standard.
Maintenance:- Once a game ships, the maintenance phase for the video game begins.
Games developed for video game consoles have had almost no maintenance period in
the past. The shipped game would forever house as many bugs and features as when
released. This was the norm for consoles since all consoles had identical or nearly
identical hardware. In this case, maintenance would only occur in the case of a port,
sequel, or enhanced remake that reuses a large portion of the engine and assets. In
recent times popularity of online console games has grown, and online capable video
game consoles and online services such as Xbox Live for the Xbox have developed.
Developers can maintain their software through downloadable patches. These changes
would not have been possible in the past without the widespread availability of the
Internet. The PC development is different. Game developers try to account for
majority of configurations and hardware.
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Making of Dungeon Siege II.
Preproduction
Every game begins with a story. Often story ideas come from game designers
themselves or are pitched by outsiders, but increasingly they are based on other forms
of entertainment like popular movies. Other common sources are sequels or spin offs
of existing games and simulations of real-world events.
Once the basic game concept is decided upon, writers and artists work together on a
storyboard. A storyboard consists of rough sketches and technical instructions
sequentially organized to depict each scene of the game. It is a visual representation
of the story and a reference for the writers, artists and designers just as it would be for
a film. But while a film has a single storyline, a video game can have thousands of
outcomes. Therefore various levels, or "worlds," of the game must be sketched out.
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Creating the Characters
As the storyboard is made, designers begin to create the characters. Rough sketches of
major characters are drawn and redrawn until they are perfect. It's important for the
artists to refine the characters as much as possible at this stage because it will be
costly to make changes later.
Once the character design is finalized, it's time to transform the sketches into
controllable 3D characters. According to Steve Thompson, art director for Gas
Powered Games, it takes about five days to design and program a character.
The sketches are first scanned into the computer. Then, a digital exoskeleton is
created to define the character's shape and to give the computer the control points
necessary to animate the figure. The more detailed this exoskeleton is, the more
realistic the motion of the character will be. Next, layers of "skin" are added, followed
by layers of color and texture.
Putting It All in Motion
At this point, the character is basically a digital marionette. The game programmers
bring this figure to life by instructing the computer to move the character. Several
techniques can be used to do this, depending on the type of game and motion desired.
In some games (not Dungeon Siege II), the motions of a human actor are captured
using a special suit of sensors to represent the control points of the character's
skeleton. These movements then can be mapped onto the character's skeleton to
produce ultra-realistic motion.
The Game World
One of the most important aspects of modern game creation is the environment.
Subtle touches like reflections in shiny surfaces and varied cloud patterns often go
unnoticed by players, but they help create a much more immersive environment. And
often such details can propel the story forward: for example, a twig snapping under a
character's foot can signal approaching danger.
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As the power of home computers rapidly increases, game developers are able to create
ever more realistic and complex environments. Levels of detail that were
unimaginable only a few years ago are now commonplace. It's hard to imagine the
game worlds that await us in the future.
The majority of 3-D objects created for computer games are made up of polygons. A
polygon is an area defined by lines. Each polygon has a set of vertices to define its
shape, and it needs information that tells it what to look like. The most commonly
used method to transmit this information is "texture mapping."
You can think of texture mapping much like wrapping a present. Each side of the box
being wrapped is a blank polygon and the "paper" is an image of the texture to be
applied. Most video game consoles and computers contain a special chip and
dedicated memory that store the special images used for texture mapping and apply
them to each polygon on the fly. This allows games to have incredibly detailed 3-D
environments that you can interact with in real time.
Code
Unseen to the user, but making all of the game elements work together, is the code.
Code is the set of computer language instructions that controls every aspect of the
game. Most games are written with custom code based on the C programming
language. A 3-D code engine is almost always used to generate the incredibly
complex code necessary for all of the polygons, shadows and textures the user sees on
the screen.
Another important aspect of the code is the artificial intelligence component. This is
the logic of the game, and it also establishes the physics of the game world, detecting
the interactions and collisions between objects and controlling their movement.
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Postproduction
Once the game is complete, it enters the postproduction phase. This phase includes
extensive testing, review, marketing and finally, distribution.
Testing
The job of the testers is to play the game repeatedly to find all the mistakes, or "bugs."
Problems are prioritized in many ways, from "fatal" bugs which must be resolved
immediately, to minor issues which may or may not affect the game's release. When a
problem is discovered, a detailed report is sent back to the developers and the error is
corrected.
The first version sent to testers is called the "alpha" version, and it is tested to detect
any major flaws in the game while they are still relatively easy to fix. Once all of the
major flaws are addressed, a "beta" version is released, often to a larger group of
testers that sometimes includes the public. The beta version is exhaustively tested,
fixed and re-released until the developers are satisfied that the game is ready for
primetime.
Usually during this testing phase, a copy of the game is sent to the Entertainment
Software Rating Board to be given a rating. These ratings are intended to give
consumers an idea of the content of the game and its appropriateness for different age
groups.
Marketing
Games are big business. According to the Entertainment Software Association, a
blockbuster game like Grand Theft Auto: Vice City can cost between $3 million – $5
million to develop, with an addition $10 million for promotion and marketing.
All of this is done so that buyers will be willing to spend $15 to $60 (or more) to be
immersed in the imaginary world that that game designers worked so hard to bring to
life.
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Qualification and skills needed to be a game developer
Game development is probably the most complex sector in the whole graphics
industry. It needs much more than mere creativity with respects to graphics. It
demands high amount of knowledge in programming and physics as well. The games
of today have a very high degree of realism, so much that at times its hard to
distinguish real from fake even in games. This realism not only comes from graphics
but also from the programming part. For example when a car jumps and lands back on
the road, its suspension bounces to show the impact. This suspension effect is a result
of programming where the programmer determines who hard it should bounce. Hence
the knowledge in physics. A video game designer must have a strong set of skills,
including programming, video graphics and hardware essentials. Video games are
essentially sophisticated computer software that runs a routine while also accepting
commands and data from controllers. Software contains the basic language that brings
games to life. To work in the world of video game design, a game designer must be
knowledgeable about computer programming and writing software. Computer
animation and graphics also play a huge role in video games, and game designers
must have at least some skills in these areas. Graphics is what the player actually sees
on the screen, while animation refers to bringing items within a game -- such as
characters and background -- to life by putting them in motion. Many players tend to
judge the quality of a video game based on realism and creative application of the
graphics and animation. If the software program is the "brains" of the game, graphics
and animation are its "body."Video game designers also need a thorough knowledge
of the workings of various game consoles like Playstation 3, Nintendo Wii and
Microsoft Xbox. Each brand operates in its own way using its own operating
characteristics. A video game designer must be aware of these characteristics to
ensure their software is compatible with the console for which it's meant. This means
game designers must have some familiarity with operating systems, chip design and
other factors that determine how a console operates.
Many colleges, technical schools and universities offer classes, certificates and
advanced degrees in areas such as computer programming, computer engineering,
software development, computer animation and computer graphics. Acquiring
accredited training in these areas will show a prospective employer you are serious
about your chosen field.
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Print Media
Printing is a process for reproducing text and image, typically with ink on paper using
a printing press. It is often carried out as a large-scale industrial process, and is an
essential part of publishing and transaction printing.
It is one of the oldest forms of publicity, which is used even today. Printing is done on
a lot of media, for example newspapers, brochures, banners, boards and even on
objects like t-shirts, key chains, etc. In olden times the graphic designing of what is to
be printed was done on specific material based on where the printing would occur.
However with the rise in technology today all the designing happens on the computer
and is then transferred for printing through printers.
Some of the more common printing technologies are:
Blueprint: - And related chemical technologies.
Daisy wheel: - Where pre-formed characters are applied individually.
Dot-matrix: - Which produces arbitrary patterns of dots with an array of printing
studs.
Line printing: - Where pre-formed characters are applied to the paper by lines.
Heat transfer: - Like early fax machines or modern receipt printers that apply heat to
special paper, which turns black to form the printed image.
Inkjet including bubble jet: - Where ink is sprayed onto the paper to create the
desired image.
Electro photography: - Where toner is attracted to a charged image and then
developed.
Laser: - A type of xerography where the charged image is written pixel by pixel by a
laser.
Solid ink printer: - Where cubes of ink are melted to make ink or liquid toner.
Gravure: - Is an intaglio printing technique, where the image to be printed is made up of
small depressions in the surface of the printing plate.
Offset printing: - Is a widely used printing technique where the inked image is
transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket, then to the printing surface.
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Types of Print Media:
Newspapers: Newspapers are the most popular forms of print media. The advertiser
in this case can choose from a daily newspaper to a weekly tabloid. Different types of
newspaper cater to various audiences and one can select the particular category
accordingly. Advertisers then design press advertisements where in the size is decided
as per the budget of the client.
Newspapers are the most popular and easily recognizable form of print media.
Newspapers can be published daily or weekly and cover local and international news
stories. A newspaper is usually divided into different segments, news, opinions,
advertisements, announcements, sports news, cartoons and television listings. A
newspaper is a useful means for the dissemination of information, which is why it has
remained popular despite the advancement in technology which gives people the
option of reading their news online. The most important story is usually featured on
the front page, under a headline with a byline stating the name of the reporter who
wrote the story. Different types of newspapers cater to different readers. For instance,
some daily papers focus on the stock exchange, some focus on current affairs while
others focus on sensational news stories. The newspapers with the most circulation
usually generate the most revenue because advertisers are willing to advertise in them
since they know they will get more value for their money.
Magazines: Magazines also offer advertisers an opportunity to incorporate various
new techniques and ideas. Magazines are one such form of print media that give a
more specific target group to the client. The client can make a choice of the particular
magazine as per the product.
A magazine is a publication which is published on a set schedule: weekly, fortnightly,
monthly or quarterly. A magazine is usually funded by advertisers, outright purchase
at magazine stands, from vendors and other distribution outlets, and through
subscription by readers. Magazines usually have a niche audience since they focus on
a specific interest; a magazine focusing on horses would target those who have
interests in horses, and magazines focusing on housekeeping or women's health
usually target women of a certain demographic. Magazines can be available in
specific regions or cities, in the whole nation or even internationally.
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Newsletters: Newsletters also form an important part of print media. These target a
specific group of audience and give information on the product.
A newsletter is a publication which usually deals with one topic which its subscribers
find useful and which is distributed on a regular basis. Clubs, societies, churches,
businesses and associations regularly produce newsletters to provide information to
their members, employees and customers. Some newsletters are used as a means for
making money because they are sold directly to subscribers.
Brochures: Brochures give detailed information about the product. These are mainly
distributed at events or even at the main outlet when a consumer needs to read in
detail about the product.
A brochure (also referred to as a pamphlet) is a type of leaflet. Brochures are most
commonly found at places that tourists frequently visit, such as museums, major
shops, and tourist information. Brochure racks or stands may suggest visits to
amusement parks and other points of interest. Another type of brochure is
interpersonal brochures, which are brochures based on other people. Then there are
pamphlets that you can find in health clinics and hospitals that give help and advice to
do with your health. Booklet brochures are made of multiple sheets most often saddle
stitched (stapled on the creased edge) or "perfect bound" like a paperback book, and
result in eight panels or more. Brochures are often printed using four color process on
thick gloss paper to give an initial impression of quality. Businesses may turn out
small quantities of brochures on a computer printer or on a digital printer, but offset
printing turns out higher quantities for less cost. Compared with a flyer or a handbill,
a brochure usually uses higher-quality paper, more color, and is folded.
Posters: Posters are forms of outdoor advertising. The message in a poster has to be
brief and eye-catching as it targets a person on the move. A poster is any piece of
printed paper designed to be attached to a wall or vertical surface. Typically posters
include both textual and graphic elements, although a poster may be either wholly
graphical or wholly text. Posters are designed to be both eye-catching and
informative.
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Importance Of Graphics In The Corporate World
Design is not an expense – it is an investment
Graphic design is not just the difference between beautiful and boring. It is the
difference between customers choosing you and choosing your competitors. A
powerful tool for business, graphic design is really not an expense. It is an investment
– not only in looking good, but in the success of your business.
Your image is the only thing potential buyers can connect with. Make sure the
impression you are making is the right one.
Proper design has the power to:
1. Improve your image and strengthen your brand
2. Make your business stand out from your competitors'
3. Sell your messages to customers more convincingly
Graphics in any form be it in the form of web sites, advertisements, logos, trademarks
or even simply things like the packaging is always the 1st impression on a perspective
customer. Human behavior is such that people tend to believe more of what they see.
We tend to judge a products quality and reliability according to the quality of the
advertisement, website or even packaging material.
This is the reason firms functioning in every field pay a lot of attention to every aspect
dealing with graphics in the firm. It is the graphics industry that creates an interface
between the people and the firm. It is like the front face of the firm.
Let us now look at a few functions of corporate firms that are handled by the graphic
industry. We’ll also see how each function affects the firm directly and indirectly.
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1. Advertisements
Advertising is a favorable representation of product to make consumer, customers and
general public aware of product. It let the potential buyers, general public and end
users to be aware and familiar with the brands and their goods and services. Before
going on the importance of advertising, we would have an introduction to advertising
first. Advertising can be define as a paid form of non – professional but encouraging,
complimenting and positively favorable presentation of goods and services to a group
of people by an identified sponsor. In simplest words advertising is introduction, to
consumers and general public, of services and goods. Many people think that
advertising a product means to sell it. But real aim of advertising is to make general
public and potential buyers aware of goods, products and services available under a
brand.
In most cases products are seen or noticed by the public for the first time in
advertisements. Hence in most cases this is like the 1st impression of the products.
This 1st impression goes a long way in the minds of the people. For E.G even today
most people remember ―maggi Noodles‖ as a ―two-minute noodle‖ because the initial
ads emphasized more on this aspect.
Besides this people tend to judge a product according to the advertisement. For E.g.
vicco turmeric cream ads are simple and plain, they feature small time actors with
simple dialogues, hence people think of the product as a simple one with not much
features too. On the other hand Olay cosmetic ads are produced on large budgets with
high profile celebrities, thus when we see the ad we think of Olay as a good brand as
well.
For any product to flourish in the market, advertising about it is necessary. While
some firms prefer to make and publish the ads themselves, many are opting to consult
advertising agencies. Advertising agencies are third party firms that specialize in all
the functions of making and advertisement. In simple terms an advertising agency is a
branch of the advertising agency itself.
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Let us now look at the importance of an advertising agency.
Many of the firms have their own department of advertising whose aim to advertise
the company’s merchandise and services to the potential buyers and make general
consumers aware of different aspects of their brand.
While, on the other hand, many organizations depends upon advertising agencies for
promoting their brands and services with are available under their roof for the
consumers’ disposal. Organizations are supposed to pay a certain amount to those
agencies for the promotion of their brand name.
Advertising agencies have expert consultants and executives to make proper strategies
to promote your brands. They are always there to suggest, help and make most of
your advertising cost by promoting your brand on right place by appropriate means at
suitable time for apt duration.
Advertising, in fact, is proper promotion of the products not selling of item. By means
of it organizations can give proper information about their brands to the costumers
and consumers. Good advertising helps to increases sale and assist salesman to sale
goods and services. It facilitates general people to buy advertised brands. Potential
buyers are more interested in buying those brands which are advertised in an
attractive manner.
Advertising can form a connection between company and customers. It won’t be
wrong in calling advertising a mean communication between companies and their
customers. Advertising does not give a proper awareness of brands but a nice
introduction of companies as well. Attractive advertising increases the demand of
public which directly boost sales of brand.
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2. Web-site
The web-site is one of the most popular interfaces between customers and the firm.
Traditionally there was little scope of interaction between the firm and the people.
People had to spend their own money to make phone calls in order to complain. While
feedbacks and suggestions had to be mailed by post. People had to visit a number of
stores to purchase products. However now all this can be done from home or
anywhere in the world where a computer and internet connection is available. From
purchasing a product to lodging a complaint about it, everything can be done over the
internet. We may have read a lot of articles about how the internet has revolutionized
the way commercial buying and selling takes place. However they’ll be very few
articles about how web sites made it easy for us to use the internet in the first place.
Initially commands had to be typed in text and sent over the internet and information
would return in the same text form. Imagine having to do that even today. Hardly
anyone would prefer using the internet in that case. It is web sites that made it easy for
everyone to use the internet. Buying and selling had become easy not only because of
the internet but also because of the changing trends in web site layouts. Now just
hovering over an image of a product will open a fly-out showing all the necessary
details on the product. Web-designers are responsible for making these web pages.
They have to keep them self in the viewers place n create a web site that would be
convenient for the final viewer. Just like advertisements people tend to just the firm
based on the quality of the web-site the visit.
For E.G a person visiting a web-site which takes time to load and does not respond in
time is likely to leave the site even though the products are of good quality. On the
other hand when he visits a site that gives him a pleasant surfing experience, he’s
more likely to invest in that firm. This is the main reason why some site flourish so
well while others eventually wither off.
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Let us now look at a few benefits a firm can have by owning a web site.
There are approximately 970 million Internet users, 15% of the world's population.
Thus it is a most efficient way to get potential customers from all over the world
through internet marketing.
Websites have no boundaries as far as place or region or country is concern. It is
international. If you have a website, then you have something international that
overcomes the limits between countries and continents.
Through website designing you will get identity, global presence and good business
channel once you make entry in the www (World Wide Web) and promote the website
through web marketing.
There are competitions in every business. This is like going for a business exhibition on
internet. You cannot stop competition in any business but at least make your identity so
that your potential customers are given a chance of comparing and subsequently buying
your products or engaging your services with the help of professional business website.
If you own small company and you want to explore globally than website is the only
effective media to connect people by creative web design India with web promotion.
If you have a SEO friendly website, potential customers are inclined to know more
about you. Then you can explain to them why your products are great or how excellent
and reliable your services are and, also satisfying them by showing your work profiles.
Having a website means your business is open and reachable round the clock and
throughout the year. Your web site is your online shop and it is open for 24/7. Website
transmits your message in a few seconds.
In website, content can be changed very easily. You can get good ranking in search
pages by writing SEO friendly copy writing in your website.
Professionally design Websites can easily fit on CDs and their content can be presented
as the company’s virtual business card or as the company’s portfolio.
There are various types of website designing such as Static Web site Design, Flash Web
Site Design, Dynamic Website Design, Hybrid Websites Design, SEO Website. The
type of website depends on the type of your business.
Static websites are generally text base. Static websites are more search engine friendly
websites for internet marketing India.
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Flash web sites are for entertainment, game, animation or visual effects. Flash sites are
very useful to represent your product or service in innovative way. Flash site gives
unique and novel look to your web site.
Dynamic websites can be used for various applications, whereby from login pages,
company employees can login to update and report data directly in and from the
project’s database. You can opt to go for a dynamic website which will automatically
change your content based on changes to your business, like stock items, stock status,
prices, important messages, news, articles, services and more.
Hybrid website is mixer of static and flash sites. Hybrid site is useful when you wish to
make search engine friendly website with text, visual and flash animation.
Today, many businesses depend on their website. They gained vast exposure and have
increased their sales revenue by developing professional website design and search
engine friendly website.
To get maximum benefit of website you need to design web site by professional Web
Design Company and have web optimization by professional SEO Company.
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3. Packaging
Packaging is a very important marketing strategy to glamorize your product in order
to attract the consumer’s attention. Sometimes packaging is so important that it cost
more than the product itself in order to lure the consumers to buy it. Packaging should
definitely be included in the 4 major P’s of marketing (product, place, promotion and
price).
Most consumers judge a product by its packaging before buying. So it is logical to say
attractive packaging is crucial in order to get the first time buyers to buy your
products. Without attractive packaging, who would buy it in order to try it? Your first
step to enter the market is crushed if the packaging is ugly.
Having attractive packaging doesn’t mean you should neglect quality either. In fact,
you need to make high quality products in order to have repeated sales. Converting
first time buyers into loyal customers should be the main goal of your business and
packaging is the door to it.
Packaging is one of those crucial steps that is often neglected in business. Ask
yourself this question, would you buy a plain looking item or something excitingly
packaged that makes anyone drool?
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4. Product design
Product Design combines ergonomics with product and business knowledge to
generate ideas and concepts and convert them into physical and usable objects or
services. The discipline covers the entire range of activities from concept,
manufacturing, testing to product launch. Product Designers conceptualize and
evaluate ideas and themes they find profitable. They make these ideas tangible
through products using a systematic approach. A product designer plays diverse roles.
The designer has to be a marketing manager, product manager, industrial designer and
design engineer and should be able to use the rules of good design with a view to
create good products. The latest digital technology provides designers a number of
options to communicate, visualize and analyze ideas.
The designer should be creative and have analytical ability. Many industrial designers
use systematic design methodologies to satisfy their creative ability. Some of the
commonly used methods include sketching, research, comparative product research,
prototyping, model making and testing. The products are designed keeping in mind
the needs of the user and utility of the product. The product must directly relate to and
be compatible with human characteristics, needs and interests.
The product should be user friendly, efficient and should look good.
The product must be good in design, value function and appearance. It must be useful
to both user and manufacturer. Product designers are equipped and skilled to visualize
a concept and bring it to reality. They have a good knowledge of engineering and are
well versed with the concepts of industrial design,
The product designer must have a good idea of the concept and should be able to
refine the concept as he goes along. The designer should be able to work on creating
the product after looking into all aspects of the product. The designer should be able
to put all the activities relating to the launch of the product in a schedule and be able
to work within the schedule with a minimum cost and budget overrun.
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Life of a graphic designer
Graphic arts refer to the artistic interpretation and creation of design through artistic
expression. In other words, graphic art is the art of visualizing ideas. Graphic artists
use their creativity and talent to design, display, advertise, package and promote.
Graphic design is seen everywhere in the world around us – from books and
magazines, food products, cars, household appliances, clothing, computers, and
everything in between.
A graphic artist is also often referred to as a graphic designer. He or she uses a diverse
range of media to create designs and visually convey a message or an idea to the
public. Since the aim of a graphic designer is to enhance the image and salability of a
product, the work profile could encompass designs for websites, logos, stationery,
print material, advertisements, films and videos, posters, brochures, and other
promotional materials. Responsibilities could also include overseeing layouts during
printing of magazines, books and newspapers, designing sets for theatre and film and
even furniture design. Many graphic designers still use traditional tools such as pencil,
ink and paper but more and more now rely on computer aided technology and the
latest design software to enhance their work.
Graphic artists are required to hold a Graphic Arts degree or a diploma in Graphic
Design, Visual Art or Commercial Art. In addition to this, hands-on experience is
necessary along with a portfolio full of ideas and work. A graphic artist needs to be
independent and self motivated and possess the imagination and creativity to deal
with a range of subjects and products. A close attention to detail and an instinct for
color, shape and form is essential. A good graphic artist would be one with an
exposure to a wide range of media and communication techniques. He or she will be
fluent in handling all sorts of tools, techniques, drawings and models. Graphic
designers need to evaluate their customer’s needs and must be adept at all sorts of
sales and marketing strategies. Therefore, a comprehensive knowledge of theory and
methodology is required to excel in this type of career.
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Today, good Graphic Design Programs mix creativity with technology and business
skills. Course material should include (among others) – Web page design, Flash,
Typography, JavaScript, Web Animation, Photoshop, Illustrator, Pre-press
Operations, Internet Management, Marketing, Computer Fundamentals, and Desktop
Publishing.
Graphic designers have the choice to work alone or as a part of a large design team.
They could opt for consultancy services or freelance work if they do not want to be
tied down to a particular design studio or advertising agency. Media opportunities for
graphic artists could be found in print, packaging, movie, video, television or radio.
Graphic artists can be employed by magazines or newspapers, books, advertising
agencies and graphic design firms as well as non-profit organizations, governmental
agencies, companies and for specific events.
A career in design could lead to various positions in the field of graphic arts such as
Art director, Directors - state, motion picture, television, radio, Visual artists,
Animators, Children book illustrators, Commercial and industrial designer, Fashion
designer, Interior designer, Set designer, Painters and illustrators, Cartoonist, comic
book artists, Camera operator, television, video or motion picture operators, Desktop
publisher, Composing room supervisor and Online producer.
And as the years go by, jobs for graphic designers are only expected to rise and
individuals with experience in animation and Web design will have the best
opportunity to qualify for the newer job positions being created in the fields of
technology. A career in graphic design is assuredly fast growing and one that is
becoming more and more competitive with every passing day. People now recognize
the earning potential of such a career and the flexibility and independence offered by
the choices within this field. Whether you work full-time in a small studio or large
agency or freelance full-time on your own terms, the bottom line is that graphic arts is
a great choice for people who need to express themselves creatively and earn well at
the same time.
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Freelancing
Many graphic designers work on freelance basis, which means they’re not employed
by any company. They work independently and take orders from clients. It is a good
option as you’re not working under anyone had there’s 100percent freedom and
flexibility. However there are cons as well. Following are a few pros as well as cons
in freelancing.
Ultimate Flexibility of Time
When it comes to freelancing, people generally have the idea that freelancers get to do
what they want, whenever they want it. With nobody to monitor them, it’s
understandable why people think of freelancing that way. In fact, it is in all likelihood
that this is the idea that leads most people to take up freelancing. Other than deadlines
to follow, there are usually no other time limitation as to how you wish to get your
work done. Instead of following a rigid 8-to-5 working schedule, you can now work
during any time of the day. What this means is that late sleepers who function best
during the wee hours of the night can finally avoid the drag-yourself-out-of-bed
syndrome. And what does this translate to? Greater job satisfaction and higher
productivity.
Besides, what’s really benefit is no more calls and complicated sick leave application
to do while you’re really sick. You no longer need to suffer from your bad cold under
the office temperature which is strictly 18 degrees Celsius. You won’t get scolded or
looked down by cold-blooded manager simply because you are ill. You’ll thank
yourself for being freelancer while resting on the bed.
Your Own Working Environment
How’s the world without co-workers? You can customize your working environment
to any style you like (heck, we even got showcase for you to refer)! You can do any
entertainment you like, says, playing rock music with the volume turn way up or stop
for a break any time to catch your favorite sitcom. You have the entire house for
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yourself instead of a cramped cubicle! No other office work can afford such control
over your working condition.
The other goodness is you can avoid the damned office politics. When there are
workers around you competing for promotions, it’s inevitable that we will get
ourselves tangled with politics. But if you’re working alone, the only one you’re
competing with is yourself and the market for freelancers. As the proximity of
competition for the latter is too far to be felt directly, such stress would somehow
affect you to a lesser extent.
Better Income Control
You can save a lot of income by working from home, can’t you? Commuting time and
cost for work are no longer applicable to you, except those times when you might
need to meet clients. You can also cut back on child care services since you are now
able to stay home with your children. Instead of depending on work appraisals by
your superiors for promotions and increments of pay, your income is now only at the
mercy of your own efforts. How hard you work will determine how much you can
earn. Rather than having your advancement being encumbered in office politics, you
can now determine your own income. You’re your own boss, don’t you remember it?
The Price of Freedom: Self-discipline
Nothing is absolutely good in this world, so it’s not surprising that such freedom
comes with a price. Setting income expectations is an essential initial step, but getting
it is another thing. You’ll need higher than average level of self-discipline and
motivation to keep your business going, and more if you want it to flourish.
A lack of supervision by a boss can result in such circumstances when you just take
your freedom for granted. After you got used to the idea of being free and powerful
over your work, you get complacent. This is when you start getting sloppy in your
work and miss deadlines. As this is indeed a recurring issue with most freelancers
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Solitude & Independence
When you’re running a one-man show, you need to be proactive and resourceful.
Sometimes the client might require you to do beyond what you’re familiar with,
which means you have to know where and how to acquire the necessary skills. The
problem is that you don’t have co-workers or an experienced mentor to consult with,
but the issue can be possibly solved by online forum.
Another issue with going solo as a freelancer is that you feel isolated if you’re
working alone day in, day out. This is also why motivation is hard to sustain as a
freelancer, unless you look forward to working quietly by yourself every day. It will
be good to maintain good social support outside of your work.
A short-term alternative is you can do a self review and appreciate the advantages of
freelancing when you are feeling very alone. You have to be serious in tackling the
issue of loneliness as it is mostly the root of depression that drags down your life
satisfaction like there’s no tomorrow.
Unity of Work & Life
Confucius once said that ―Choose a job you love, and you will never have to work a
day in your life.‖ With all due respect to his wisdom, I still think it might be a bad
idea to combine work with life. Even if you have the passion for what you’re doing,
there will still be trying times when you feel dreadful about certain aspects of your
work.
Well, the bad news is freelancer’s life is mostly a mix of work and personal life. With
your home as your office, and your office as your home, any problem you face in
either your personal life or work life might affect another significantly. Just imagine
that the moment you wake up, you’re already at work! Either you get your work and
personal life balanced, or you ensure that the satisfaction from work can boost your
personal life or vice versa.
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Future to come
According to a recent report by Pricewaterhouse Coopers International Limited, an
international business consulting service provider, the Indian animation industry is
poised to grow by, about 23% in the next four years! This means that the value of the
industry that was estimated at 18.5 billion in 2009 will be a whopping 54 billion by
2014.
This income has mainly come about as a result of the growing reputation of India as a
quality place to outsource animation work to. Production for films including the Lord
of the Rings, the Harry Potter series, The Chronicles of Narnia, and Spiderman 3 have
taken place here during the last few years.
Cartoons that were strictly in the domain of Cartoon Network are now a regular
feature of many channels including POGO, Hungama TV, Nickelodeon, Disney XD
and Disney Channel. From merely being a country that helps Hollywood studios
make animated films, we are now witnessing several Desi production houses evince
interest in making such films.
Some of the films that will be made during the coming years include Walt Disney's
Zokkomon and Krayon Pictures' Delhi Safari, amid others. What also works in the
favour of the growth of the animation industry is the anticipated phenomenal growth
of an allied industry - the gaming industry - that is expected to grow by about 36 per
cent in the next four years.
All in all, the growth of the industry means that the time is perhaps the ripest it has
been in recent years for students interested in dabbling with the virtual world.
The primary growth of the industry results from the increased volumes of outsourced
work that the country's animation studios have received. The industry is short of
people with quality skills. This fact shows how promising and opportunistic this field
is going to be.
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Professionals feel that the Government has to form a body like the UGC (University
Grants Commission) to standardize animation courses in the country like the US , this
is because a number of small time institutes are coming into existence in order to take
advantage of the growing demand of this field. It will also help provide the Indian
animation industry that needs about 25,000 skilled employees in the coming year to
get only the best skilled candidates.
Professionals from the field also suggest that a student interested in making a career
in this industry take up courses in animation or game development after finishing
Class 12. It is a creatively fulfilling industry. The animation industry is like any other
industry. As long as a candidate is genuinely interested, willing to learn continually
and have a desire to contribute creatively, a job here is easy to find.
Opportunities for students are abundant in the industry as things are definitely looking
upbeat. Courses in this industry can cost anywhere between 10,000 and 3 lakhs based
on the duration of the course and any possible affiliations that the institute may have
with foreign universities.
The animation industry may not seem too accommodating initially, if one is prepared
to spend time and gather experience, it will reap rich dividends.