P3D Re: Animated cartoons in 3D?

[Tony Alderson <aifxtony@xxxxxxx>]

Eddie Bowers wrote:
>I can't imagine the work that must have gone into that. There are 24 frames per second and there is at least 1 drawing every other frame. Doubling that and keeping everything in perspective, ouch!<

Actually, these cartoons were not drawn in stereo, except for a few
backgrounds. Animation stands generally have four sets of peg bars, two
on the top, and two on the bottom. This allows one to set up four to six
levels of depth--the fifth and sixth levels achieved by either taping a
bottom layer to the table or to the top platten glass. The scene was
photographed in two passes, shifting the peg bars between the passes for
the stereo offset. I acted as consultant for Marvel for a test of this
type during 1983D, it gets rather laborious. Fortunately for me, we had
a union cameraman to do the grunt work! (And in the '50s, not many
cartoons were animated on ones...) The 3D comics of the 1950s were
converted in a similar manner, which is why they never have more than
six levels (you couldn't see through the layers of cels!)

Of course, Disney had its multiplane camera, so more could be done at
that studio.

Bob Wier asked about Disney's "Melody." This was a semi-abstract cartoon
in the distinctive style of the time. It was part of their "Adventures
in Music" series (but the only one in 3D) I believe this was shot for
3-strip Technicolor. Disney did not shoot twin strips, of course, but
shot each frame 3 times in succession through separtation filters. Then
the pegs were offset and the next three frames were shot for the other
half of the pair. The elements were then "skipped out" on an optical
printer, and those intermediates used to make the Technicolor matrix.

A few years ago, I was lucky enough to see the surviving fragment of an
experimental Vectograph print of this cartoon at the California
Institute of the Arts. Only about half of the print survives, but it was
pretty cool.

If you ever get a chance to see "Melody", don't miss it. It's not as
thrilling as current computer cartoons, but pretty good and only nine or
ten minutes long. I expect it's even fun flat.

Tony Alderson