Table Of ContentE S S E N T I A L E F F E C T S
Water, Fire, Wind, and More
E S S E N T I A L E F F E C T S
Water, Fire, Wind, and More
by
MAURO MARESSA
CRC Press
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Library of Congress Cataloging‑in‑Publication Data
Names: Maressa, Mauro, author.
Title: Essential effects : water, fire, wind, and more / Mauro Maressa.
Description: Boca Raton : Taylor & Francis, a CRC title, part of the Taylor & Francis
imprint, a member of the Taylor & Francis Group, the academic
division of T&F Informa, plc, [2017]
Identifiers: LCCN 2017004029| ISBN 9781138196926 (hardback : alk. paper) |
ISBN 9781138101074 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Computer animation. | Physical geography--Computer
simulation. | Cinematography--Special effects.
Classification: LCC TR897.7 .M3747 2017 | DDC 777/.7--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2017004029
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For my family,
without whose love and support
none of this would have been
possible, especially Cindy!
Contents
Foreword . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
Preface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Chapter 1: A History of Effects in Animation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Chapter 2: What Exactly Is a Traditionally Animated Effect? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Chapter 3: What Does It Take to Become an Effects Animator? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Chapter 4: Thumbnails . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Chapter 5: Caricaturing of an Effect . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
Chapter 6: Perspective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
Chapter 7: Water . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Chapter 8: Fire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
Chapter 9: Smoke . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 107
Chapter 10: Dust . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117
Chapter 11: Tones, Shadows, and Highlights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
Chapter 12: Rocks, Props, and Things . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151
Chapter 13: Trees, Leaves, and Grass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 175
Chapter 14: Pixie Dust, Mattes, and Slot Gags . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Chapter 15: Fantasy Effects and Ectoplasm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Chapter 16: Lava and Mud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213
Chapter 17: Lightning and Electricity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .239
Chapter 18: Explosions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .249
Chapter 19: Fire Hoses and Faucets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Chapter 20: Straight Ahead and Pose to Pose . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261
Chapter 21: Bouncing Ball . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 269
Chapter 22: Exposure Sheets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .275
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 281
vii
Foreword
I am very honored to have been asked to write this foreword to Mauro’s book on
traditional effects in animation. I was fortunate to have had Mauro come to work with
me at my studio back in the late eighties and early nineties. He added class to the
commercials we produced and raised the quality level above most commercials being
done back then. I was always thrilled at what he added to our work. When you read
about the golden age of animation, when they started taking effects animation seriously,
making it a special department at the Disney studio, you realize that the research that
went into the development of the different effects was astounding. Mauro would think
and attack individual problems on a project with the same attention to detail, and his
work showed it.
Personally, I’ve always been in awe of animated effects, probably because I have no idea
how they do it. I’m a character animator by trade and I’m always amazed that when an
animated film does well, it’s the lead character animators who are interviewed about
their part in the film. Being a character animator, you’d think I’d be okay with that. But
throughout my entire career I have admired everyone behind the scenes, all the unsung
heroes of these films. If it wasn’t for the visual development people, the layout people,
the voice talent, and so many others, I wouldn’t have had a stage to perform on or a voice
to inspire me. But it’s the effects animators who create the surrounding elements of the
world of the film and bring it to life. Traditional effects animators don’t copy reality, as is
often the case with computer animation today; they capture the essence of what we feel
when we see water or flames or smoke. They create effects as a design that audiences
accept readily, an impression of these elements. Effects, sometimes, become characters
themselves.
Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston expressed this quite well in their book The Illusion of
Life when they said, “The Effects Animator is a special kind of artist: he has a curiosity
about the way things work, a feel for the mechanical, and usually sees great beauty in
the patterns of nature … creating spirit in the movement of water and lava, drama in fires
and storms, and astonishing loveliness in the handling of falling leaves and snow.” In the
hands of someone like Mauro, when the characters of Pacha and Kuzco fall into the water
in The Emperor’s New Groove, as stylized as the water is, you feel wet. Their work feels
seamless; it doesn’t jump out at you as the main feature of the scene but enhances it.
Effects animators like Mauro know when it should be in the background, or when it should
be the main focus but always supporting the scene, so that we tend to take their work for
granted, as perhaps we should.
In CG animation, we are able to create effects that seem more real than reality, making it
very well suited for a live-action movie. Unfortunately, CG effects often do not relate well
to the character animation. By contrast, in traditionally animated films everything fits like
a glove, a perfect design. At my studio, I was so fortunate to have talented people, the
right people, and one of them was Mauro. When you look at Mauro’s accomplishments
in this business and in art in general, it’s impressive: from teaching his craft to being an
effects animator as well as a character animator, both in traditional 2D and his work with
computer animation in live-action films, as well as being an incredible sculptor. It’s a body
of work that reflects Mauro’s love of art and it shows in everything he does. Plus he’s a joy
to work with.
ix
