Genres and Forms

Tv Animation

In general tv animation is usually developed for a comedic effect. The 1980s and 1990s was a renaissance of the cartoon series for children and adults. Various broadcast networks and media companies began creating television channels and formats designed specifically for airing cartoon series. Companies that already had these types of formats in place began to revamp their existing models during this time. Most of the animation is directed at children but certain animated programmes are targeted at an older audience such as Family Guy which is targeted at teenagers.

Channel Idents

Some tv channels have animated idents as they appeal more to the channels target audience, usually these channels are aimed at children, such channels like cartoon netowork and ceebeebies use them. Channels that are not aimed at children also use animation in their idents, such as E4 which is aimed at young adults.

Cinema

Even in the cinema there is animation, animated movies to be precise like the ones maybe by Disney or Pixar which are aimed at children. There are also films which use CGI which is a more realistic styled animation and is used in films such as Avatar.

Advertising

Animation is often used in advertisements. The pictures can vary from hand-drawn traditional animation to computer animation. By using animated characters, an advertisement may have a certain appeal that is difficult to achieve with actors or mere product displays. The animation is often combined with real actors.

Music Videos

Animation is also used a lot in music videos. It is used when the song has a story or a certain effect that cannot be given across via human actors. It also may be used when the target audience of the band are the kind of people who like animation such as childen.

Computer Games

Most computer games are animated but there are many styles of animation they try to cover, for example first person shooters are more likely going to go with a realistic style of animation, whilst side scrollers and games targeted at a younger audience are more likely to go with a more cartoony style of animation. Some games mainly focus on the actual gameplay of the game instead of how it looks, whilst other games like flowers focus on the beauty of animation and games are now being considered an art form and are becoming more 'aceptable'. A gallery of computer games through the ages have even displayed as art in the smithsonian museum.