The Art of Animation and Visual Effects Series Excellent for Students and Novice Animation. Clay animator Mark Sawicki examines the fundamental principles of animation by demonstrating the persistence of vision phenomenon by way of the Thoumatrope, Zoetrope and Flip Book. Students are then introduced to the history of motion picture technology and the evolution of frame rates in film and video and the concept of resolution in film formats and digital files. Specific demonstrations show how to plan out and time the animation of a toy truck and also demonstrates how to plot animation curves in order to achieve smooth animation.