Silhouette Animation
シルエット・アニメーション / 1910s– / Technique / Animation Techniques
Silhouette animation moves jointed black card figures one frame at a time on an underlit glass table. The films of Lotte Reiniger joined shadow play, cut paper and cinema into a language that tells through contour and gesture.
At a glance
Visual cues
- Sharp outer contours enclosing fully black figures and plants
- Limbs segmented by wire or lead joints
- Black foregrounds against pale or layered translucent backgrounds
- Profile gestures exaggerating fingers, chins and garment edges
Best used for
- Telling fable and myth through posture and outline rather than facial detail
- Uniting figures, lettering and plants in one black-shape system for title sequences
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Dictionary entry
- Type
- Cut lettering as solid shapes too, prioritizing open counters and readable contour over fine ornament.
- Composition
- Turn figures to profile and leave room in the direction of hand, face and movement. Move foreground, middle and pale background as separate layers.
- Material
- Cut black card, articulate it with small joints, and photograph it on glass lit from below. Layer tissue or translucent material behind it.
- Caution
- This is not an illustration filled with black. Cuttable contour, articulated joints and transmitted-light layers must form one system of movement.
- Further study
- Lotte Reiniger / Jointed card figures and underlit glass / The Adventures of Prince Achmed
Related entries
- Stop Motion (ストップモーション)Same Animation Techniques lineage.Compare Silhouette Animation and Stop Motion
- Direct Animation (ダイレクト・アニメーション)Editorially linked for a useful contrast.Compare Silhouette Animation and Direct Animation
More from Animation Techniques
Continue through styles in the same Animation Techniques family, prioritised by shared effects.
- Pinscreen Animation (ピンスクリーン・アニメーション)Shared effects: Calm / Nostalgia.
- Sand Animation (砂アニメーション)Shared effects: Calm / Nostalgia.
- Limited Animation (リミテッド・アニメーション)Shared effects: Nostalgia.
Browse all Animation Techniques entries
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- https://indexstyle.org/styles/silhouette-animation
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- [Silhouette Animation — IndexStyle](https://indexstyle.org/styles/silhouette-animation)
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