Rotoskoping

Rotoscoping is an animation technique where animators trace over live-action film, frame by frame, to produce realistic action in animated films. The live-action footage is projected onto a glass and a draughtsman traces it. This process is then repeated for each frame of the film. While rotoscoping can be very labor-intensive, it allows for a high degree of realism and fluid movement that would be difficult to achieve through traditional animation methods. The technique was pioneered by Max Fleischer in the early 20th century and was used extensively in early animated features like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Gulliver's Travels. More recently, it has seen a resurgence in popularity with filmmakers like Richard Linklater, who used it in films such as Waking Life and A Scanner Darkly, and in music videos and independent animation. Software has been developed to streamline the rotoscoping process, but the fundamental principle of tracing over live-action remains the same. The term "rotoscoping" itself comes from the Rotoscope, a device invented by Fleischer.