Rotoscoping Research

Research on Rotoscoping

Rotoscoping in an animation technique in which animators trace over footage frame by frame. It is used in live action and animated films. Originally, the live action film was projected onto frosted glass panels and then was redrawn by animators frame by frame. The projection equipment was called a rotoscope, hence the name, but eventually, the device was replaced by computers. In VFX, the term rotoscoping refers to the technique of creating a matte by hand for an element on a live action plate so that is can be composited over different images and backgrounds

The rotoscoping technique was invented by Max Fleischer; the technique was first used in his series 'Out of the Inkwell' in 1915. Fleischers brother dressed in a clown outfit, as the character Koko the Clown. The same technique was used in many of Fleischers cartoons; his most famous being the Cab Calloway dance routines in the Betty Boop cartoons from the 1930's. Eventualy many other animators caught on to rotoscoping, including the producers of Looney Tunes, and Walt Disneys animation team used rotoscoping for the creation of 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' in 1937. From then, the rotoscope was mainly used for studying human and animal motion.

Lord of the Rings (1978) - Boromirs Death

This clip from the 1978 film 'Lord of the Rings' there is a fight scene before Borormir is killed; Rotoscoping is used to add the characters on to the background, the characters fighting Orcs and such, onto a background of a wooded area. The characters are placed onto the background to make them look as though they are interacting with the woods. The clip is fast flowing so that the viewer doesn't really have time to look for mistakes, or anything that is out of place. The animation focuses on the characters, and not so much the background. Due to the limits in animation at the time, this is a well executed piece of animation.

Animation can be useful when working in After Effects

Rotoscoping can be used to create shapes and then can be used to track each shape; for example creating the shape of a gun, and tracking it to the movements of a mans hand.

You can use the rotobrush tool to Isolate an image and put it on a different background, like in the 'Lord of the Rings' clip. This applies to us, as we can only film in college. You could shoot a section and then isolate it onto a background of a field. This gives the view of a character in a different location.