The technique of rotoscoping is famous in the world of animations and filming. It brings the reality of our universe to the animated screens, making fictional characters move more naturally and humanly – or fight moves more similar to those of real masters.
Developed by Polish-American Max Fleischer, the technique consists of redrawing the frames coming from footage to be used in animations. Although it is a technique refined throughout history, it was basically this that started animations.
Developers illustrate the entire movement and, in some productions, the face of the actor performing the scene. It is hard work, because it is necessary to illustrate frame by frame.
Nowadays, animations usually use 60 frames per second – the famous 60 FPS (frames per second). This means that each second of the film has a total of 60 pictures. The illustrator must redraw the movement sixty times. Ensuring, thus, the naturalness of the movement and its smoothness.
Despite the great manual work that creators perform when using the technique. The results – if used well – bring great respect and appreciation from the public. Not to mention that it can sometimes be easier than drawing from scratch.
Speaking in this way, we can imagine that rotoscoping is quite similar to stop motion. Both use frames to create an animation, but rotoscopy usually takes these frames directly from movie reels or photographs.
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Rotoscoping in Japanese Anime
The anime that reaped good fruits from the rotoscoping technique were the films Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie. They were the two great works responsible for popularizing this technique in anime.
The method not only provides a naturalness in anime but also reduces the production costs of it. This is the case of Neon Genesis Evangelion. A movie highly anticipated by fans. Produced in 1997, it was when rotoscoping began to be an option for artists.
However, with a tight budget, it was the only way the creators found to make the film possible. The fight of Asuka Langley – one of the most important scenes in all of Evangelion – was an example of the quality of the technique employed. However, what propelled its popularity was the movie Cowboy Bebop: The Movie.
Unfortunately, some people use the Rotoscoping technique the wrong way, just to have less work when drawing the frames manually. This ends up creating works of low quality or that burn the eyes of those who watch.
Anime's biggest rotoscoping disaster
A common problem when discussing rotoscoping is the anime Aku no Hana. It tells the story of a boy who loves to read books and ires his muse Nanako Saeki from afar. When a small problem arises that leaves him uncertain about what to do, he is also blackmailed by an introverted girl from the class. The young man feels frightened and consumed by guilt.
At first, the synopsis of Aku no Hana attracts the attention of fans of the shonen. Another drama of Japanese school life that brings to light the romance characteristic of the style.
The idea was interesting, the studio wanted to create something original, an anime com traços únicos e diferentes, despite the animation flaws, the person in charge also made the mistake of not being a good director, ruining everything with the script and animation.
The interesting script provided the worst reception of rotoscoping in the history of anime. It has even become a reference when talking about the illustration method. So, if you've ever heard the words "rotoscoping" and "bad" in the same sentence, the blame is on Aku no Hana.
The bad reputation of the manga adaptation, originally from 2009, arose due to the immense reality that the illustrators brought to the anime – which had only thirteen episodes. Thus, the beautiful script was left behind due to the quality of the animation. And, unfortunately, humans are capable of ing the bad parts.
In 2015, a movie called Hana to Alice: Satsujin Jiken was released, presenting to the public what the true technique of rotoscoping is. Viewers assess the quality of the production: despite the clearly visible low quality in some scenes, the authors' proposal was certainly fulfilled.
Kowabon is another anime that used the tool in its production. In the horror genre, at first it seems more like a low-quality production – in the style of Aku no Hana. However, the poor quality of the technique used, according to the viewers, provided a darker and more bizarre atmosphere to the script. In this case, the text and the texture of the image became intertwined. Generating fear and many scares.
What do you think of the Rotoscopy technique? Have you ever liked a work that uses this technique entirely or partially? If you liked the article, don't forget to share and leave your comments.
