Camera
From Anipedia
[edit] Explaining the Camera
Here "Camera" refers to the view port through which the viewer watches a movie. Angles in which the animation is presented are very important. Directing the visuals is one of the many things that will keep viewers interested and watching.
[edit] Angles in Animation
Many animators prefer to animate from the same angle with characters on screen presented in 3/4 view. Most do it because it provides consistency with designs. Flash animators are known for animation from the same angle because many animate with flash models. However, there is always the risk that an entire cartoon drawn from the same angle could bore the viewer. As well as Flash animators, many popular cartoons on television are animated from the same angle i.e. Family Guy, Fairly Oddparents.
However, some animators, mostly animators using frame-by-frame, for example; Adam Phillips, are much more dynamic with their work, and constantly change angle when they're animating, to fit the mood of the moment. A change in angle allows for better reading of a situation and are very pleasant when used correctly. For example, a high-angle shot looking down upon a subject is theorised to make them look weaker where as a low-angle shot does the reverse.
This is seen more with theatrical animation nowadays. Cartoons on television are usually not as dynamic as theatrical animation since theatrical animation have bigger budgets, and animating from the same angle is more cost efficient. Studios can produce more in less time if they cut corners with the animating and are more likely to use the same angle to save both time and money.
[edit] Camera Pans
To save time and effort a studio will often pan the camera across a fixed scene rather than take the trouble of redrawing it. This saves in time, effort, and animation costs. Through clever camera panning and placement of objects, animators can even fake 3 dimensional scenes to a limited extent. A good example of this "cheating" would be the opening to The Simpsons.
