Part 1

PUPPET ANIMATION

• As we have seen, animation has been used in early days of film

• In some cases clay has been used because of its malleability which makes transformation and metamorphosis easier to achieve

Examples

• Fun in a Bakery 1902 by Edwin S. Porter. The Dough was actually clay.

• Gumby Show 1957 created by Art Clokey

• Clay has been replaced by Plasticine as synthetic compound that is non- drying

• Plasticine is made up of:

• Calcium Salts

• Petroleum Jelly

• Aliphatic Acids

CLAY FIGURE CONSTRUCTION• Armature used to hold clay together ( wire, ball and socket skeletons)

• Feet large to help keep figure grounded and standing upright

• Take up inner space with tin foil or resin

• Make some features larger ( eyes and hands) to help with manipulating them easier

• Keep lights cool to not soften the clay

SCREENINGS• How to stuff a wild bikini (opening for a film), Art Clokey, 1965

• - Basic claymation used for a beach party movie opening in 1965

• - One of the original TV animators (known for Gumby, Pokey, Davey and Goliath)

SCREENINGS CONT.

Will Vinton

• - Will Vinton coined the term “Claymation”

• Setup Will Vinton studios http://willvinton.net/index.html

• Closed Mondays, Will Vinton & Bob Gardiner, 1974

• - More elaborate flexible armature under clay sculptures

• - Gave greater control of the figure and flexibility of facial animation

• - Oscar winner

• - Skull under the clay used for close-up shots

• The Great Cognito, Will Vinton, 1982

• - - Known for “singing raisins” for California Raisin Council

• - PJs (1999) TV show and “Gary & Mike” (2001)

• The Adventures of Mark Twain, Will Vinton, 1985

• The first full feature length claymation film

SCREENINGS CONT.

Aardman Studios, http://www.aardman.com/

Bristol, England

Started by Peter Lord and David Sproxton in 1972

Nick Park Joined the Company in 1985

1986 collaborated with Peter Gabriel and Stephen Johnson on Sledgehammer video

• Utilized a variety of animation techniques

• Won a variety of awards

Creature Comfort, Nick Parks, 1990

• - Plasticine animation lip-synched to unscripted dialog, Oscar winner

Wallace & Gromit, Curse of Were Rabbit (2005) (Features – Day in Life of Aardmann)

• Won Oscar for best Animated feature

• - Behind the scenes look at claymation, stop-motion production studio

Wallace & Gromit, Curse of Were Rabbit (Features – How to make a bunny)

• Very good demonstration of clay figure creation - plasticine with simple structural support

Chicken Run, Nick Parks and Peter Lord, 2000

• All clay blockbuster

SCREENINGS CONT.

Adam Elliot

• http://www.adamelliot.com.au/Menu.html

• Independent Animator from Australia

• Creates “Mock-Documations” about people he has known “outcasts”

• Makes films the “old fashioned way”: Believes that “Audiences like to see fingerprints on the clay- It proves that what they are seeing is tangible”

• Brother (1999)

• Harvie Krumpet, 2003, 23 min film

• Won Oscar against Pixar, Disney, 20th Century Fox