Monday, February 17, 2014

Origins of Video Art

Origins of Video Art



Even with the emphasis that the author put on it, the statement that the evolution of video was dependent on the development of technology is an understatement. we have come a long long way especially in just the last few decades. These days, anyone can pick up their iphone (if they have one, at least a fifth of the population of the WORLD does) and make at least a short film, and then upload it to the internet and distribute it to an audience. However, about a century ago this simple task that might take 100 times as long and require 20 times as many people depending on the content. A simple short film today might only hours, and can be done by yourself; a simple short video a century ago might take months, and require the help of several specialists etc. 

Animation is an overwhelmingly good example of this, since today there have propagated a numerous variety of tools to accomplish an animation. Back in the years of its birth, animation was done in a slow, frame by frame process where everything was hand drawn, and then transferred to film, and then developed into a production with enough recognition that could be distributed and shown to others, if there was a space/technology available to screen it. Several decades ago, animation took a transition to digital, and today there are hundreds of programs that allow an animator to make a full film and then send it right away to an internet audience (or transfer it to a disc for television). The efficiency that has come with the new animating technology has vastly expanded the possibilities of who can be a creator. This video demonstrates one way the technology has developed: color.
In the video, we see how film makers added color to their animation, piece by piece. It was a long and complicated process to achieve something that we don't even need to consider today. It is nearly completely taken for granted. Unless of course we are specifically setting a filter on our video editing program to make something black in white, ironically, to make it seem older.

No comments:

Post a Comment