I'm working on an animation right now (I'm a pen and copy paper kind of guy) and thought that someone out there might know the answer to this question.
Does anyone know how to get that nice bright glow that you see on lights in traditioinal cel animation? For instance, the glowing rod that Homer drops in the opening credits of the Simpsons.
I've been able to get some okay results using a computer, but I'd like to know what technique is used in cel animation.
thanks
You mean traditional cel animation that actually used cels, or current-day cel animation, which only has cel in the title? Nowadays, it's a digital effect (I'm relatively certain that's how the Simpsons does it). Back in the day it had to do with backlighting, multiple exposures, and optical printing.
Has the opening sequence changed since 89/90/91/whenever that came out? It might be a more old-fashioned effect if that's the case. I always figured, especially since the backgrounds are animated through a lot of that intro anyhow, they had some way of using like DSB said a backlight or lightbox-esque-but-under-the-camera device that would let light and its glow creep out into areas left untouched in the cel. But keeping it colored too is another thing.
Thanks guys. That helps out a lot.
got everything right. either a black board with the right shape cut out, or a cel with everything unneeded blocked out by black paint. or a combination of both-the cardboard acting as a section blocker, and the cel for the trace-out.
the top lights are turned off, the bottom lights beneath the platen (or lightbox) are turned on, burning the film directly on top of it.
you can put a colored gel on top to give it... well, color.
sometimes they pan a rippled mirror on top to give it the 'ol wavy effect.
Don't worry. All shall be well.
Actually there are ways to come up with that effect that have nothing to do with backlights or special compositing effects. Painters have done it for a long time. Think white highlights. It can even be done in vector.
Pat Hacker, Visit Scooter's World.
here's how we used to do it in film:
if you're shooting your pen & copy paper artwork on a stand with front-lit lighting, you can try a rear-lit "glow" double exposure, which you can get by doing an exposure with a positive & negative matt of whatever you want to glow. sandwich some diffusing material (vellum, tracing paper) in between the positive & negative. it will take some testing to get the correct exposure. it won't work well if you have light backgrounds. this is a real antique method. what are you shooting your final artwork on?
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