ABSTRACT

Pixilation is one of the most popular techniques for anyone who wants to jump right into animation with little or no experience. The early "trick film" artists like Georges Melies knew how to utilize the unique qualities of single-frame manipulation and add a sense of drama. This chapter explores some of these tricks and advantages of pixilation. It explains how to use pixilation, especially with human subjects, which can really complement the emotional or visual storytelling aspect of animators' filmmaking. When animating a pixilated film, there are at least two important roles that need to be addressed. One is the person behind the camera, or the director, and the other is the person(s) in front of the camera, or the actor. "Squash and stretch" is an exaggeration of the way movement occurs and how weight and form shifts within that movement. These classic principles of animation apply to pixilation as much as any other form or technique of animation.