What is Progressive Animation?

In progressive animation the artist shoots frames of a single piece of artwork as it is being created and changed. The artwork paints itself or transforms as the artist changes it. "Darfur" from joefrechette is a very powerful example.

There may not even be a single finished piece of art when the animation is finished - all of the intermediate images have been covered or scraped away, as in Darfur. Some artists refuse to tie their art to a canvas or the camera to a tripod or animation stand. Digital cameras are definitely making animation happen all around us, as in "Fantoche" from notblu.

And the "artwork" can be very ephemeral. There are several kinds of sand animation. In one type, artists mold sand into shapes and characters much the way they mold clay; in another, artists create flat images in (typically backlit) sand. Shoot them one frame at a time and you have animation, as in "EN TIERRA" from cesarlinga.

Progressive animation tends to be used for shorter and more abstract animation. It can create powerful emotions in your audience, particularly when paired with a great soundtrack.

This is no more than a tendency, though. Many of the works of Caroline Leaf at the National Film Board of Canada are progressive character animation with a fluid, impressionistic narrative flow. The Street is a particularly good example.