We finally got to look at stop motion animation which so far is my favourite type of animation and I was pleasantly surprised to see that there are so many different types!!
Stop motion basically, is where you manipulate objects and photograph them frame by frame so that when put together, they create this illusion of movement. Stop motion is so time consuming, but one of those arts that is just so satisfactory that it makes all the hard work and effort worth every second.
These are the types that I found to be of my most interest:
Clay Animation
- One type of clay animation is freeform, where you just go with it and come up with the product on the spot. Now that I am getting into planning EVERYTHING. I find this type of stop motion animation, crazy! Though I would imagine it to be extremely fun without having the stresses of pre planning. We looked at 'Dante's Inferno' and I actually thought it was quite frightening. The intricacy of the clay sculptures were brilliant but in combination with the drumming audio, there is something about it that gives this eerie, dark mood to it. Though whoever comes up with a full clay animation on the spot should have a lot more credit.
- Then there is another type to do with character. A good example of this is Wallace and Gromit which I am very familiar with! I love Wallace and Gromit and is the one love of animation that I share with my parents. It is quintessentially British and I think it is one of the best clay animations.
- Strata Cut is also related to clay in the sense that it is layers of imagery and is sliced to form an animation. This type of animation is so bizarre and confusing to me and I don't know how David Daniels came up with it. There are very few Strata Cut animations, but David Daniels' Clearasil commercial is one example and is unique in the sense it also involves live action. This is the first time I have seen this type of animation, but I am definitely open to seeing more.
- The last for clay animation is clay painting, and this is pretty self explanatory. The award winning films, 'Mona Lisa Descending a Staircase' is a perfect illustration of it. I thought the idea for this animation was very smart but it must have taken a lot of perseverance. However I am extremely surprised that there are this many clay animations, I feel like I was extremely ignorant in having heard of only one.
Pixilation
- Having experienced Pixilation first hand I am also familiar with this type of stop motion. It is simply manipulating not just an object this time, but it can also involve a person, by making them/it pose and then photographing it. I underestimated pixilation and even though it sounds like the simplest of stop motions, it it quite hard.
Pinscreen Animation
- This is the most technical of all stop motion animations! Jaques Druin's 'Mindscape' is so impressive. I've always been fascinated with pin screens as a child but would have never imagined one on such a large scale that you could create animation with it. There is so much dedication in this form of stop motion, but the outcome is seriously amazing. It is all technical, to do with shadows from the angle of the light but it is quite mind boggling how someone can do it.
Graphic
- Graphic stop motion animation uses pre-existing images, and even though too much of this could damage your eyes, I found it strangely fascinating. I researched 'Frankly Caroline (1998) by Frank and Caroline Mouris which included maps, flags, animals, bright colours, all do to with the world and genuinely liked it. When we watched some of Frank Mouris' other work in class it got quite a negative response, but I liked it. I love anything graphical to be honest but I loved the twist in this form.
Object Animation
- This is an animation of any non-drawn objects from the real world. An example piece of this is Micheal Gondry's video 'Fell in Love With a Girl' for the band The White Strypes. For one thing I realised I really like this band, and as for another, I thought this form on animation was nice. I liked the use of the primary colours and in context, the video went well with the song but I am curious as to know what else this type of stop motion can do. Lego animation is quite popular so I wonder what extents other people have visited.
Model & Puppet
- Lots of stop motion films use model and puppets, one example is Tim Burton's short 'Vincent'. I've seen this short before and I don't know where of WHY, but I remember seeing it without knowing who it was by and instantly recognising it was linked to Tim Burton. I LOVE the exaggeration of the model and puppets. From the faces, to the expressions to the movements. With puppets you can add whatever life you want into them and I think that's such a great concept. This is portrayed in 'Vincent' in the protagonist and his features and because the film is black and white, I feel like there not even a hint of a need of colour because the structure of the puppets compensate enough.
Overall, I found I loved stop motion even more than I did before know that I have been introduced to all these new and exciting types. I am excited to research and analyse some of these types in depth and see if I could possibly experiment with them in the near future!
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