Rotoscope Animation – Complete Explanation
Rotoscope animation is a technique that is used to animate live-action motion picture footage frame by frame. Today Rotoscope animation is mainly done on computers. Rotoscoping is also important for live actions films. Though it can be time-consuming, rotoscope animation allows animators to create live characters, who move just like humans in the real world. The technology of rotoscoping also made lightsabers possible. To create these visual effects in the original Star Wars films, animators drew the color and glow of each of the lightsabers onto cast sticks placed on each frame in which they appeared. Now rotoscope animation is used for creating fully animated versions of video footage. Rotoscoping is placing mattes over videos to transform live actors into fantasy creatures or smaller versions of themselves.
These days rotoscope animation is a very popular and useful effect for animation. It is used by millions of people. In the visual effects of industry, rotoscope animation is the technique of manually creating a matte for an element on a live-action video so it can be combined over another background.
Today, filmmakers use computer programs to rotoscope digitally. Animators use this effect to create animated movies and video games. Videomakers and filmmakers can create Visual Effects (VFX) for live-action videos and movies with the help of mattes.
In 1915 the rotoscope technique was invented by the great animator Max Fleischer and he used it in his groundbreaking Out of the Inkwell, the first animated film (1918–1927) via rotoscope. Then after it is very easy to animate films. After that many filmmakers start creating rotoscope animation films.
Some Popular rotoscope animated films are
1. The Adventures of Pinocchio
2. Alice in Wonderland
3. All Dogs Go to Heaven
4. Alois Nebel
5. Cinderella
6. A Christmas Carol
7. An American Tail (Human characters