History Main / MotionBlur

Something moves so fast it's visible as just a blur, perhaps with contrails. Motion blur is a natural side-effect of capturing a moving object on chemical film, and a large part of what people call the 'cinematic look'. The exaggerated version requires special effects, as anything in RealLife that moves fast enough to be seen only as a blur is usually barely seen at all, and that usually isn't what the filmmakers are aiming for.

** Another method of faking it is the use of 2D cards and filters. In many ''Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog'' games, Sonic's legs will disappear and be replaced with a card specifically for his fast-moving legs, and when rolled up into a ball in ''VideoGame/SonicAdventure'' the model will have a "blur sphere" that rotates around the character. In many older racing games such as ''VideoGame/{{Burnout}}'', a blur filter would be applied to the edges of the screen to emulate the effect of objects whooshing past the camera.

* Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog can do this. He's even [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "The Blue Blur". In some of the 3D games, Sonic can create a blur by Spin Dashing. In fact, everyone who can use the Homing Attack has their own Motion Blur similar to SwordLines.

You know how, in comics and western animation, they indicate that something is moving ''really'' fast by showing it as just a blur, perhaps with contrails?

This is the recording of that phenomenon.

Interestingly, it gets used in live-action film, too. This usually requires special effects, as anything in RealLife that moves fast enough to be seen only as a blur is usually barely seen at all, and that usually isn't what the filmmakers are aiming for.

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* Most Anime in general use different types of motion blurs. This ranges from the kind pioneered by "The Dover Boys" (see below), to a version wherein the immediate area around the outline becomes jagged. Most of the above mentioned subtropes are also implemented on a regular basis.
[[/folder]]

* While most recent video games use motion blur in some form or another to smooth motion between frames, they tend to come into two forms:
** The cheaper method, used in games like ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' and ''VideoGame/ResidentEvil4'', has each frame fade over the next, creating the impression of "afterimages". It's a cheap effect, and as such is mostly used in older games.
** The more expensive method, used in ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' and most current-gen games, models the exposure time of an actual camera. This looks both smoother and far closer to the feeling of "motion" seen in the trope picture.

* Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog can do this. He's even [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "The Blue Blur". In some of the 3D games, Sonic can create a blur by Spin Dashing. In fact, everyone who can use the Homing Attack has their own Motion Blur.

MotionBlur is the recording of this phenomenon.

* The various animated appearance of the Flash from the Franchise/DCUniverse have used this to suggest his super-speed.

%% Image source: http://www.tim-white.co.uk/pages/liongamepg.html
[[quoteright:286:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/zippindemon.jpg]]
[-[[caption-width-right:286:[[https://web.archive.org/web/20150911223824/http://www.tim-white.co.uk/pages/liongamepg.html The Spook]] by [[https://web.archive.org/web/20150911225732/http://www.tim-white.co.uk/ Tim White]] from ''Literature/TheLionGame'']]-]

[[AC:{{Anime}} & {{Manga}}]]

[[AC:{{Film}}]]
* Between 1980 and 1993, "Go Motion" (a process developed by Creator/IndustrialLightAndMagic and Phil Tippett for use in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'') was used in a number of films to add motion blur to the subjects of traditional stop-motion animation in order to get a more realistic portrayal of movement. It was eventually abandoned after the advent of computer-generated effects, as it is far more expensive and time-consuming than CGI.
** Not completely abandoned. It's used in the ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' shorts (see below).

[[AC:LiveActionTV]]

[[AC:Music]]

[[AC:VideoGames]]
* While most recent videogames use motion blur in some form or another to smooth motion between frames, they tend to come into two forms:

* SonicTheHedgehog can do this. He's even [[FanNickname nicknamed]] "The Blue Blur".
** In some of the 3D games, Sonic can create a blur by Spin Dashing. In fact, everyone who can use the Homing Attack has their own Motion Blur.

[[AC:WebComics]]

[[AC:WesternAnimation]]

** Done with [[WesternAnimation/SupermanTheAnimatedSeries Superman]] from time to time too.

* For the chase scenes in the ''WesternAnimation/WallaceAndGromit'' shorts, the camera was attached to whatever vehicle was involved (a toy train, a motorcycle, etc.) and moved along during exposure, resulting in a blurred background - basically a revival of the "Go-motion" technique, as the audio commentary for "WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath" points out.
* In another StopMotion film, ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' actually went so far as to ''sculpt'' these. You heard that right, they sculpted Motion Blurs as replacement faces for the puppets. [[spoiler:These were utilized in the facewarping effects of Agatha among other techniques.]]
* On ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', there are scenes where blurs made of Lego bricks are used for characters moving really fast, such as when Benny the Space Guy builds his spaceship.
* Early in the history of ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', there were frequent spears and multiples, such as [[https://frinkiac.com/img/S07E10/234149.jpg Maggie falling off a tree branch]] in "Good Night", [[https://frinkiac.com/img/S01E02/142770.jpg Lisa turning to read a dictionary]] in "Bart the Genius", and [[https://frinkiac.com/img/S01E05/360247.jpg Homer being elbowed by Marge]] in "Bart the General". Since the creators preferred more naturalistic animation, this all but vanished, but it still comes on occasion, like [[https://frinkiac.com/img/S15E16/51468.jpg Homer's shoelaces getting caught in an escalator]] in "The Wandering Juvie", [[https://frinkiac.com/img/S13E20/708583.jpg Lisa realizing she needs to finish her social studies project]] in "Little Girl in the Big Ten", and [[http://orig05.deviantart.net/cae5/f/2009/117/3/d/helicopter_homer_fail_by_im_steelangel.jpg Homer spinning into a locker]] in "Father Knows Worst".

* For the chase scenes in the ''Franchise/WallaceAndGromit'' shorts, the camera was attached to whatever vehicle was involved (a toy train, a motorcycle, etc.) and moved along during exposure, resulting in a blurred background - basically a revival of the "Go-motion" technique, as the audio commentary for "WesternAnimation/AMatterOfLoafAndDeath" points out.

* On ''WesternAnimation/TheLegoMovie'', there are scenes where blurs made of Lego bricks are used for characters moving really fast, such as when Benny the Space Guy builds his spaceship.

* In another StopMotion film, ''WesternAnimation/ParaNorman'' actually went so far as to ''sculpt'' these. You heard that right, they sculpted Motion Blurs as replacement faces for the puppets. [[spoiler: These were utilized in the facewarping effects of Agatha among other techniques.]]

** The cheaper method, used in games like ''VideoGame/MetalGearSolid2SonsOfLiberty'' and ResidentEvil4, has each frame fade over the next, creating the impression of "afterimages". It's a cheap effect, and as such is mostly used in older games.

* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' uses motion blur in great amounts, usually in cutscenes but sometimes in ''real-time gameplay''. And this is on the ''{{Nintendo 64}}''. Granted, the game was released in 2000 and uses the 4 MB RAM expansion pack, but the use of motion blur in real-time is still quite amazing for a mid-90s console.

[-[[caption-width-right:286:[[http://www.tim-white.co.uk/pages/liongamepg.html The Spook]] by [[http://www.tim-white.co.uk/ Tim White]] from ''Literature/TheLionGame'']]-]

* ''TheLegendOfZeldaMajorasMask'' uses motion blur in great amounts, usually in cutscenes but sometimes in ''real-time gameplay''. And this is on the ''{{Nintendo 64}}''. Granted, the game was released in 2000 and uses the 4 MB RAM expansion pack, but the use of motion blur in real-time is still quite amazing for a mid-90s console.

** The cheaper method, used in games like MetalGearSolid2 and ResidentEvil4, has each frame fade over the next, creating the impression of "afterimages". It's a cheap effect, and as such is mostly used in older games.

* The various animated appearance of the Flash from the DCUniverse have used this to suggest his super-speed.
** Done with [[SupermanTheAnimatedSeries Superman]] from time to time too.
* Quicksilver, another speedster from the MarvelUniverse, uses motion blur in the same way.

* The Creator/ChuckJones ''[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]]'' short "WesternAnimation/TheDoverBoys" pioneered the use of the smear, in which the characters [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/07/smears-and-poses.html appear elongated for two or three frames as they zip from one pose to the next]]. The technique has been used by animators ever since, most notably on ''JohnnyBravo''.

* In another StopMotion film, "WesternAnimation/ParaNorman" actually went so far as to ''sculpt'' these. You heard that right, they sculpted Motion Blurs as replacement faces for the puppets. [[spoiler: These were utilized in the facewarping effects of Agatha among other techniques.]]

* Between 1980 and 1993, "Go Motion" (a process developed by [[{{ILM}} Industrial Light & Magic]] and Phil Tippett for use in ''Film/TheEmpireStrikesBack'') was used in a number of films to add motion blur to the subjects of traditional stop-motion animation in order to get a more realistic portrayal of movement. It was eventually abandoned after the advent of computer-generated effects, as it is far more expensive and time-consuming than CGI.

* The Creator/ChuckJones ''[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]]'' short "TheDoverBoys" pioneered the use of the smear, in which the characters [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/07/smears-and-poses.html appear elongated for two or three frames as they zip from one pose to the next]]. The technique has been used by animators ever since, most notably on ''JohnnyBravo''.

** The more expensive method, used in ''VideoGame/{{Crysis}}'' and most current-gen games, models the exposure time of an actual camera. This blur is more expensive, but is also far more realistic.

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural}}'', ghosts often move from one place to another in a blur (often accompanied by a ScareChord).

* In ''Series/{{Supernatural]]'', ghosts often move from one place to another in a blur (often accompanied by a ScareChord).

* Between 1980 and 1993, "Go Motion" (a process developed by [[{{ILM}} Industrial Light & Magic]] and Phil Tippett for use in ''TheEmpireStrikesBack'') was used in a number of films to add motion blur to the subjects of traditional stop-motion animation in order to get a more realistic portrayal of movement. It was eventually abandoned after the advent of computer-generated effects, as it is far more expensive and time-consuming than CGI.
** Not completely abandoned. It's used in the ''WallaceAndGromit'' shorts (see below).

** [[http://animationsmears.tumblr.com/ Here]] is a {{Tumblr}} blog dedicated to smears and similar tricks.

* The ChuckJones ''[[WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes Merrie Melodies]]'' short "TheDoverBoys" pioneered the use of the smear, in which the characters [[http://johnkstuff.blogspot.com/2009/07/smears-and-poses.html appear elongated for two or three frames as they zip from one pose to the next]]. The technique has been used by animators ever since, most notably on ''JohnnyBravo''.