Introduction: “Fully Nonlinear”

Abstract

The introduction to Animating Unpredictable Effects establishes a specific category of digital animation that is based on making unpredictable simulations. The book situates this form of animation in the context of key discussions about the relationship between animation and automation, and about the agency digital animators have when working with increasingly opaque software tools. The introduction further situates this type of animation in the history of cinema, which has long been preoccupied with natural motion and topics of contingency.