Forget fashion and focus on the classics

However, if one were to render an 'atmospheric' cinema- graphic style of texture, tone, light and shade to 'atmospheric' 3D computer animation - a whole wealth of creative possibilities opens up to advertisers.

Guide the viewer's eye

Film cinematography is a critical element in creating and focusing our attention on the 'narrative' atmosphere of a piece. It is a technique employed to guide the viewer's eye, and therefore interest. Guiding it from an overall view of a given scene to the particular element, person or object considered to be the most important. In addition, when used to good effect, it helps to develop and drive our understanding of the plot/message forward.

It is easy to see that Pixar has nailed the art of character animation; however, as in film, animation is not just about performance. There are any number of other components that contribute to the overall impact and projected narrative of a piece of moving imagery. These range from performance, camera moves, composition and art direction through to sound and editing. One of the most important and easily overlooked areas in animation is the art of cinematography.

Great cinematography has been used by directors in television advertising to create some of the most powerful and memorable imagery. Many of these directors have film experience, most notably the Scott brothers. In his commercial for Apple's launch of the Macintosh "1984", Ridley Scott directed a piece of advertising history by using both the content of George Orwell's 1984 and the cinema-graphic style he'd used in Blade Runner.

Voted tops

The commercial is frequently voted top in surveys of influential marketing campaigns. For example, Advertising Age named it the 1980's "Commercial of the Decade", and in 1999 the US TV Guide selected it as number one in its list of "50 Greatest Commercials of All Time".

This is but one example where advertising draws on the language of film in order to achieve its marketing aims. Scott's use of cinematography was able to produce such an enduring commercial - if it were good enough for him; surely it is good enough for us? So where does animation sit in all of this?

Examples of traditional film cinematography in animation can most readily be seen in game cinematics. This is where short introductory sequences are produced to set the scene for the game context. These sequences are like short movies, hence the term "game cinematic" and in many ways epitomise the use of cinematography in 3D computer animation.

A great example is the cinematic for the upcoming game "Assassin's Creed" which certainly engages the audience on a number of levels.

Learn from gaming industry

Animation used in advertising could certainly learn a few lessons from the gaming industry, particularly in execution. Animation is not just about a witty message delivered in the most efficient manner ala much of the MTV-style animation around at the moment. It is also about the emotional and emotive content of a piece of narrative, produced using great performance and the traditional language of the cinematographer.

All the same basic rules and needs of film making apply, such as the need for good writing and ideas, lighting, composition, performance etc. The only difference is that the subject matter to be produced by animation is only limited by the imagination of the artist and his ability to render any reality he decides upon.

Animation is a moving painting. If one looks at the importance of painting in the development of the communicative arts before the digital age, then one begins to see something of the importance of animation to the development of future communication in the digital age. It enables the director to turn an unthinkable reality into the thinkable.

The medium is the message.