Animation has been used for many years and in a variety of ways. More recently it is used by businesses as a part of their marketing strategy and even as a way to impart knowledge to their staff members. An Animated Explainer Video can add an extra dimension to either way you market or business of perhaps to the way that you train your staff members or take new employees through the induction process. It is much more engaging than just sitting through numerous meetings or working your way through an online course.
But how did animation first begin?
This is not necessarily an easy question to answer and many people think of the start of animation as the period during which Walt Disney started to produce short films and programmes. However, long before this, versions of animation were being used.
Animation is essentially the process of turning static images into a movement of some description. This therefore means that the Victorians created some of the first types of animation that we know of as they create movement in still pictures by tricking the eye into thinking that the pictures were moving. This was created using a wheel that had a number of images on it that was then spun to create to the illusion of movement.
When we move into the use of animation for films there is one film that is long forgotten and that is ‘El Apostol’v which was created in 1917 in South America and was first shown in the theatres around the area. It was a film of 70 minutes duration and the frame speed was around 14 frames per second which was incredibly fast for those times. It is thought to be the first commercial and more importantly profitable animated film that was ever released. Unfortunately, the only copy of the film was lost during a house fire and little else is known about this pioneering film in animation.
It is however the rise of Walt Disney in the 20th Century that has led to further advancements in animated technology and the production of incredible films over the years. One of the first films to be released back in 1937 was that of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This was a truly magnificent film as each element was completely hand drawn. Many of the early works of Disney have now been digital remastered but they haven’t lost any of their beauty.