Pioneers and technology
Persistence of vision:
Persistence of vision is a term to describe the visual illusion where multiple images blend together through the perception of the human mind. This is how we see motion in film and media texts.
Persistence of vision originated from Ancient Greece around about 300 B.C with no exact idea of who created it. Persistence of vision became more defined as the centuries went on.
It works by the creation of a mental bridge in your mind which places together and fills in the gaps of frames and pictures.
Persistence of Vision.
Thaumatrope
A thaumatrope is a toy which is essentially a double piece of paper with strings holding it. On each side there are individual images and when you spin the thaumatrope you see that the two images combine to give the illusion that it is one image. The creator is unknown but is usually credited to John Aryton Paris or Peter Mark Roget. Paris used it to show Persistence of Vision to the Royal college of physicians in 1824.
In 2012 a prehistoric thaumatrope was found in cave in France.
An example of a Thaumatrope
Phenakistoscope
The phenakistoscope was an invention which was an early animation device creating the illusion of movement through persistence of vision. It was a principal that had been recognised by Greek mathematician Eulcid and later experimented on by Newton. The first person to properly develop the Phenakistoscope was the Belgian Jospeh Plateau. He planned it in 1829 and developed it in 1832. It used a spinning disc attached vertically to the handle. There were a series of drawings and slits, and when spun you would see the animation move by looking into the slit.
Here's an example of a Phenakistoscope.
Zoetrope
A Zoetrope is one of the pre film inventions that produces the illusion of motion by displaying a series of still images or drawings showing progressive ways of the motion. It consists of a cylinder with slits vertically on the sides. On the surface of the cylinder is an assortment of images from a set of sequenced pictures. As the user looks into the spinning Zoetrope they will be able to see the moving images. The slits keep the images from simply blurring together. The basic drum like zoetrope was developed by British mathematician William George Horner in 1833 or 1834. The Zoetrope is similar to the Phenakistoscope however it was more accessible, easier to use and more people could use it.
A modern recreation of a Zoetrope.
Praxinoscope
The Praxinoscope was an animation device, which happened to be the successor to the Zoetrope. It was invented by Charles-Emile Reynaud in France, 1877. The Praxinoscope was similar to that of the Zoetrope by having a strip of pictures on the inner surface. However it improved on the Zoetrope by replacing the slits with an inner circle of mirrors. It was cleaner and less distorted then the Zoetrope.
An 1879 illustration of the Praxinoscope.
Kinetoscope
The Kinetoscope is an early motion picture exhibition device. It was initially designed to be viewed by one individual at a time as someone would look through the peephole at the top of the Kinetoscope and the celluloid frames would spin around. However the Kinetoscope was not a film projector. It did introduce the basic approach that would later on become the standard for cinematic projection. The kinetoscope created the illusion of movement by conveying a strip of perforated film which had images on them. This was held over a light source with a high speed shutter. The Kinetoscope is blieved to of been invented by Thomas Edision in 1888 however it was largely developed by his employee William Kennedy Laurie Dickson between 1889 and 1892.
A Kinetophone in use
Part 2
Developers
George Pal
George Pal was born on February 1, 1908 and died on May 2nd 1980. He was a Hungarian animator and film producer. During the 1930's he left Europe and became an American citizen because of the Nazi's. Pal specialised in Sci-fi and live action after the 1940's but Pal was known for The Puppetoons series which was made in Europe during the 1930's and the U'S during the 1940's. Pal used replacement animation with hand crafted wooden models. The limbs were detachable so Pal could manipulate the models emotion and movement in every single frame. Pal won oscars for The Puppetoons but he is perhaps most famous for The Time Machine, 1960, George Pal which even though it is live action features a stop motion sequence.
Willis O' Brien:
Willis O' Brien was born on March 2nd 1886 in Oakland California and died on November 8 1962 in Los Angeles. He was an American motion picture special effects and stop motion animation pioneer. He was known for doing stop motion in pre-historic short films and motion pictures. Willis sculpted the models himself out of clay for the majority of his short film work. For most of his feature career Richard and Marcel Delgado created more detailed models based on O'Brien's designs and putting a rubber overcast on the models. The films that Willis O' Brien is most famous for are The Lost World, 1925, King Kong, 1933 and Mighty Joe young.
Ray Harryhausen:
Ray Harryhausen was born on June 29th 1920 and died on May 7th 2013. As a teenager he was inspired by King Kong, 1933. He eventually got to show O'Brien some of his models in which O'Brien believed that Harryhausen take some classes in graphic arts and sculpture to improve his skills. Harryhausen's first job was on The Puppetoons. The first major film he worked on was Mighty Joe Young, 1949. Harryhausen mainly did stop motion based on mythology and literature. In most of Harryhausens films the stop motion and live action interact. This was done by putting to reels of film together to give the illusion that they were interacting with each other. This was called dynamation. His most famous films were The 7th Voyage of Sinbad,1958, Jason and the Argonaughts, 1960 and Clash of the titans, 1980. He is one of the most influential stop motion animators of all time.
Phil Tippett
Phil Tippett was born in 1951 and is an American director, visual effects supervisor and film producer. He specialises in creature design and character animation. He was first hired by ILM to create a chess scene in Star Wars, George Lucas, 1977. After this he did the Piranha effects in Piranha, Joe Dante, 1978. After this he was hired to do the AT-AT and tauntaun effects in Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, 1980, Irvine Kershner. He set up Tippett studios in 1984. He later on went to do early CGI animation for Jurassic Park, 1993, Steven Spielberg.
Otmar Gutmann:
Otmar Gutmann was born in April 24 1937 and died in October 13 1993. Gutmann is most known for his Pingu, 1986, Otmar Gutmann. Which is a children's animation about a penguin and it's family. A different model had to be made for each individual movement sequence. Each scene had a different set and everything. Otmar used claymation and doll like figures to make his models. Pingu was so popular that it carried on 7 years after his death.
Tim Burton and Henry Selick:
Henry Selick was born on November 30 1952 and Tim Burton was born August 25 1958. Henry Selick is an American stop motion film maker and Tim Burton is a producer, director and animator. Both's styles are very gothic and strange. The characters are usually all unique and unusual to look at. A majority of their animations are aimed at kids but can be accessible to an older audience. They both tend to use models. Henry Selick is best known for The Nightmare Before Christmas, 1993 and Coraline, 2009. Tim Burton is most known for The Corpse bride, 2005 and Frankenweenie, 2012.
Adam Shaheen:
Adam Shaheen was born October 13 1964. He is the founder and owner of Cuppa coffee studios. He produces all of the entertainment. He has worked with Nicklodean, Cartoon Network, HBO, ABC family and more. He uses clay for his animation. And he is most known for Celebrity Deathamatch, JoJo's circus, Starveillanace and The Wrong Coast.
The Brothers Quay
Stephen and Timothy Quay were born June 17, 1947. They are identical twins who are influential stop motion animators. They are inspired by Polish animators like Walerian Borowczyk. Their models are made from doll parts and other organic or inorganic materials. Their shorts rarely have dialogue in them and are usually quite gothic and dark in nature. They are expressionist and explore emotions through images. They've only made two full films Institute Benjamenta, or this dream people call life and The Piano Turner of Earthquakes. They have made a lot of short films though.
Nick Park
Nick park was born on 1958. He is a British filmmaker known for making animation out of clay. even though more recently he has used CGI on films like Flushed away, 2006. He has been working since the 1980's and his first short was A Grand day out, 1989 in which Wallace and Gromit travelled the moon made of cheese. Nick is known for using the backdrop of the north especially Yorkshire in a majority of his features.
Part 3
Media platforms and audiences:Television:
Robot Chicken, Seth Green, 2005 is a satirical sketch show which normally lasts 15 minutes and utilities action figures and clay mation to pick apart and make fun of popular culture. Normally it is a situation mixing two or more popular films, T.V or music. Or putting a unique spin on something. Many scenarios have been situations like Mr T mistaking the Foo Fighters for the Fool Fighters, or The Smurfs engaging in The Hunger Games. Robot Chicken is definitely not for children. And is aimed for the 18-25 audience. It is violent, sexual and there is strong language. Often and not limited to using iconic cartoon characters. The clip I've chosen is a prime example of this. The creators mixed the children's cartoon Scooby Doo with the adult book/film franchise of the Millennium trilogy, Stieg Larson, mainly satirizing The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo, Stieg Larson. The two source materials are total polar opposites, however the show points out the pros and cons of both source materials and makes comedic situations out of them.
Shaun the sheep, Nick Park, 2007 is a spin off from Wallace and Gromit, Nick Park, 1989 featuring the character Shaun the Sheep. The show is shown on CBBC, so it is aimed at children of the ages 7-11. The programme is very colourful and accessible to children. There is often mild peril in the shorts to create a sense of adventure however it will normally be solved by the end of the episode with a happy ending. Unlike Wallace and Gromit the show doesn't have as many innuendos or winks to older people as Wallace and Gromit is more for a family audience and still accessible. Shaun the Sheep I'd say is just for kids. The animation is charming but the episodes can get repetitive after a while as there is only so much the creators can do in 5-10 minute time slots. Children certainly enjoy the show though.
Music videos:
One of the music videos I found was Grizzly Bear-Ready, Able. From what I took from the video it is definitely aimed at an adult audience. Perhaps 18-25 year olds. Plus the band isn't mainstream so the music video is suited to a niche market. The claymation is unique, however is disturbing at times. The face's of the yeti creatures are always morphing and similar to that of a skull. As the video goes on it gets more surreal, darker and strange. Disemboweled claymation heads singing along to the song, a U.F.O of types takes the creature and at the end the yeti is lost in a field. It's almost like a David Lynch film. Completely surreal and unexplained. Plus it doesn't really have anything to do with the song. This is intentional as the melancholic tones of the song fits with the overall deppressing tone of the music video. The music video makes it a must see and a beautifully crafted piece of art.
The other music video I found was Her Morning/Orien Lavie. This music video is much more relaxed compared to the other music video I found. The stop motion uses real people and objects but in a surreal way. It shows a woman going through her days a few times. Whilst never leaving her bed. Natural objects form to represent the outside world. I'd say it's aimed at an alternative audience as the song isn't what i'd say mainstream. Maybe a 15-25 year old audience.
Films:
Hell and back is an upcoming animation developed by the makers of Robot Chicken. Almost immediately it's obvious that it isn't aimed at kids because it is satirising religion and the concept of hell which wouldn't exactly be great children film material. Plus the cast are most associated with that of adult films and T.V shows. I believe it would attract an audience of 15-35 year olds as it humour seems to be juvenile yet have an adult edge to it.
Wallace and Gromit The curse of the Were-Rabbit is a 2005 animated comedy based on the Wallace and Gromit series. The film is definitely aimed at a younger audience even though adults could definitely enjoy it with all of it's innuendos. Also the voice cast of famous British actors and the parody of Hammer Horror will get a big laugh from older audience members. So the primary audience would be 5-12 year olds and the secondary audience could be 15-60 year olds.
Idents:
This ident which was created by a student is intriguing as it uses Robot Wars a programme from the 1990's and 2000's which gives a feeling of nostalgia for Generation X and Millenials, so the advert has been in mind for 18-30 year olds who remember Robot Wars. The intention is great as Dave is a channel that showcases older broadcasts of channels to new audiences.
In this ident made by a student a lot happens in a space of 10 seconds. The E4 logo moves through the location. Going through a frame and then leading towards a young model. The quick feel of the short and the E4's covering the model shows that E4 is for a younger audience compared to other T'V channels out there. An audience of 17-35 year olds perhaps.
Advertisements:
In this advert for RAC the stop motion is made to look like the tools are moving. It gives the sense that RAC are quick to get on the job and they always become prepared for the job. The sense of urgency and professional look of the advert shows that RAC are pretty much the best at what they do. Also the stop motion gives a sense of nostalgia to older audiences as it is a more older form of animation.
In this Red Bull advert the animation is quick and fluid. The bright colours are imaginative and welcome in a young audience. Especially with the references to comic books with Superman. The advert suggests if you drink Red Bull you'll be a Superman-esque figure. So it plays on the concept of Red Bull giving you wings. So instead of staying with the hand drawn style of Red Bull adverts that would attract an audience of 20+. This attracts an audience from 13 to at least 35.
Reference list
http://thecreatorsproject.vice.com/en_uk/blog/the-8-most-incredible-stop-motion-animation-music-videos-from-the-past-decade
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Persistence_of_vision
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thaumatrope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenakistoscope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoetrope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxinoscope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetoscope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pal
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puppetoons
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Tippett
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otmar_Gutmann
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/obituary-otmar-gutmann-1512111.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Selick
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Shaheen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Quay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Park
https://adamtheaardvark.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/stop-motion-used-in-adverts-2013/
No comments:
Post a Comment