rrw@naucse.UUCP (Robert Wier) (02/03/89)
I've been following the discussion in COMP.MISC about computer assisted animation in Who Framed Roger Rabbit, and thought that the following might be enlightening: Ed Jones - optical supervisor says:" ... we felt that we had to do something different for Roger Rabbit because we didn't want it to look like the animation in Mary Poppins or Pete's Dragon. What we came up with we call '2&3/4 dimension' - basically sculpting two dimensional animation with color to create a three dimensional look and thus marrying the animation into the scene" "Making the Toon characters look '2&3/4 dimensional' - but not quite three-dimensional - was important because the filmmakers agreed that the characters should not look too *too* real. "Our purpose," (Ken) Ralston commented," was not to make something so ultra three-dimensional that it looked like a computer graphic or something these cartoon characters never were. We didn't want people to say, 'Hey, that's not the cartoon character animation I remember.' I don't remember any mention of any computer assist in this article. This is extracted from issue number 35 of CINEFEX magazine, which I consider to be among the best (if not THE best) periodical devoted to motion picture effects (not limited to CG). In this issue, 33 pages (in a format somewhat smaller than the standard 8&1/2 by 11) were on RR, and the second feature (also 33 pages) were on Willow. Cinefex - published quarterly / 4 issues $17 P.O. Box 20027, Riverside California 92516 (posted with permission) - I have no connection with Cinefex except as an extremely satisfied reader. -Bob Wier at Flagstaff, Arizona Northern Arizona University ...arizona!naucse!rrw | BITNET: WIER@NAUVAX | *usual disclaimers*