Motion Information and Media Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards derived from the lecture on Motion Information and Media, covering key terms, animation classifications, techniques, elements, and principles of design.

Motion

An act or process of changing place or position or being moved; comes from the Latin word movēre, meaning 'to move'.

Zoetrope

A pre-film animation device from the mid-19th century that uses a spinning cylinder, vertical slits, and sequential images to create a moving picture illusion.

Slow Motion

A technique used to convey dream-like or fantasy situations and emphasize reactions, such as grief or bewilderment.

Accelerated Motion

A technique that speeds up playback to increase excitement, pack more action into less time, or compress long processes into short clips.

Reverse Motion

A technique used to defy the natural flow of time, rewinding the action, making impossible events appear to happen or be undone.

Stopped Motion

A technique where the action is paused or frozen at a specific moment, signaling the transition from one time zone to another.

Motion Media

Any form of media that uses moving images to communicate information, tell a story, entertain, or educate an audience.

Visual Effects

Effects added to videos or films during editing to create scenes or enhance visuals that are difficult, expensive, or impossible to capture in real life.

Compositing

The process of combining two or more images or video clips into a single scene.

Animation

The technique of showing a rapid sequence of drawn, painted, or digital images to create an illusion of movement; comes from the Latin verb animare, meaning 'to give life to'.

Elementary Animation

The basic or simplest form of computer animation, involving simple movements or effects using basic software and tools without advanced techniques.

Hand-Drawn Animation

An animation technique in which every frame is drawn by hand to create the illusion of movement, commonly used in cartoon and abstract animation.

Computer-Generated Animation

An animation technique that uses computer software to create moving images and characters, producing 2D or 3D animations.

Model Animation

An animation technique that uses physical models (such as clay figures, puppets, or miniature objects) moved slightly between sequential photographs to create the illusion of movement.

Cel Animation

A traditional animation technique where each frame is drawn on a transparent sheet called a celluloid (cel).

2D Animation

An animation technique that creates movement using flat images that have only height and width, where characters and objects move on a flat plane without depth.

3D Animation

An animation technique that creates characters and objects with height, width, and depth using computer software to build models, add textures, lighting, and movement.

Path Animation

A computer animation technique where an object or camera moves along a predefined route defined by mathematical entities called vectors (splines), automatically moving along the specified path.

Puppet Animation

A type of model animation made by moving puppets or dolls slightly and taking pictures frame by frame.

Clay Animation

A type of model animation made by moving clay figures little by little and taking pictures of each movement.

Motion Graphic Design

A subset of graphic design that brings static artwork, shapes, and typography to life through digital movement, audio, and visual effects.

Motion Video

A combination of images and audio made up of still images called frames displayed one after another at a certain speed known as the frame rate.

Speed

An element of design referring to how fast we perceive an object to move onscreen, where pace refers to perceived speed of overall tempo and tempo/rate refer to perceived duration of individual event sections.

Direction

An element of design representing the motion path of elements in a shot, which can determine where the best cuts should be.

Timing and Transition

Elements of design that control the flow of motion graphics; timing determines when and how fast elements move, while transitions smoothly connect scenes.

Contrast

A principle of design that uses differences in colors (such as light and dark or warm and cool) to make elements stand out, express emotions, and guide viewer attention.

Hierarchy

A principle of design that organizes elements based on their importance, guiding the viewer's attention from the most important to the least important information.

Repetition & Variety

A principle of design that creates rhythm and visual interest by repeating elements while adding changes in size, color, shape, or position to avoid a boring design.

Value

A principle of design referring to the lightness and darkness of colors or tones, creating contrast and drawing attention to focal points.