Animators

Of the
th
20 Century

Ray Harryhausen
Ray Harryhausen was a pioneer of stop motion techniques in film. So
influential are his works, that the techniques he developed are still
used in modern film today. Born in 1920s Los Angeles, Ray was taken
to see the first film adaptation of King Kong in 1933 which sparked an
interest in creating movable model creatures. After creating a few
short films and taking a show reel to Hollywood, Ray got a job
creating a childrens stop motion television show based on fairy tales.
It was during this time that Ray, along with his father, created the
armature. An armature is a fully poseable endoskeleton which a
puppet is modeled around so its movements are more lifelike and
less restrictive. Armatures are still widely used today in the industry.
Rays works were primarily fantasy based as these were films most
popular at the time and the use of stop motion was able to bring
mythical creatures to life and imbue them with human qualities whilst
simultaneously rooting them in our reality. Harryhausens most
famous works are arguably Clash of the Titans (1982) and Jason and
the Argonauts (1963) both these films really showed off rays talents,
huge set pieces with giant monsters and hordes of the undead, each
scene taking months to create. Ray also pioneered the combination of
stop motion creatures with live action performers side by side on
screen. This technique is effective because it helps to build a realistic,
believable world. It was this technique that birthed the wide use of
CGI infused live action movies that are hugely popular today.

Jan Svankmajer
Jan Svankmajer was born in Czechoslovakia 1934. He studied
at the College of applied arts in Prague and later moved onto
the Prague academy of performing arts. Svankmajer is a
surrealist and is best recognized for using this medium to
make a satirical comment on social issues. In 1972
communist authorities banned all of Svankmajers work and
suppressed any future works as they were considered
dangerous and manipulative. In reality they merely pointed
out the issues behind the iron curtain. He has stated that to
him, the use of surrealism is a philosophy and not a gimmick.
Svankmajer often uses a mixture of live action, stop motion
and Claymation in his pictures to create images that are
strange and unusual and avoid conforming to the general use
of stop motion at this time, which was aimed primarily at
children. Svankmajers works have very adult themes and
sentiments and are aimed at a mature audience. There are
often regular uses of or heavy references to food particularly
their texture and feel. Many of Svankmajers films are drawn
to the hidden power of inanimate objects such as Down to
the Cellar which is told from a childs perspective.
His works and his surrealist style have influenced many film
makers. People such as Terry Gillingham, The Quay brothers
and Tim Burton have cited Svankmajers work specifically.

The Quay Brothers

Stephen and Timothy Quay were born in Pennsylvania USA in 1947.
After completing high school they moved to England where they
studied animation at the royal college of art in London. Once
graduated they spent some time working as professional illustrators
and contributing their drawings to such publications as The Clockwork
Testament and Enderbys End. It was during this time that they started
to develop their passion for the surreal arts and began experimenting
with short films after being introduced to polish cinema. Their
animated works are surrealist in nature and often make a social
statement. The quay brothers are heavily influenced by Jan
Svankmajer going so far as to create a short film in homage to his
works and name it in his honour. Most of their animations feature
puppets made from various doll parts and other organic materials.
Their films are dark and moody and rely heavily on soundtrack to
create an unnatural environment with most pieces having very harsh,
jagged uncomfortable sounds throughout. Fluid camera motion is
another staple of the Quays work. They have utilised techniques such
as panning, tracking and zooms to the point where we almost forget
were watching a stop motion animation. There set pieces are
incredibly detailed and intricate often adding to the realism of the
worlds theyre trying to create
Their unique style and technical delivery has led to the brothers being
sought out to create everything from public service announcements,
commercials and music videos. Their contribution to the industry has
been massive, with many up and coming animators, such as Travis

Tim Burton
Timothy Walter Burton was born in Burbank, California in 1958. When
he was six years old he was given an 8mm camera by his father and
immediately started making short films. It was this fascination and
attraction to film that led to Burton applying and being accepted to
the California Institute of the Arts once graduating high school. Whilst
at Cal Arts, Burton created a short animated film entitled Stalk of the
Celery monster which eventually caught the attention of the Disney
company who hired Burton as an animator. Whilst at Disney, Burtons
first assignment was to work as an illustrator on The fox and the
hound (1981). Burton found this to be too mainstream for his tastes
and approached Disney about making his own short. Disney agreed,
and this led to Burtons first animated short Vincent (1982) which was
heavily inspired by Burtons own childhood and his fascination with the
actor Vincent Price. Burton then created his second animated short in
1984 entitled Frankenweenie. Through these shorts Burton developed
his own unique animation style. Usually gothic and monochromatic
with a lot of emphasis on the contrast between light and dark, jagged
unnatural environments with often askew camera angles. These
elements have now become a staple of all Burtons works but
specifically his animated endeavors, Corpse Bride (2005), and The
nightmare before Christmas (1993).

Aardman Animations
Aardman animations was founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David
Sproxton who wanted to produce an animated feature. Whilst seeking
funding they crossed paths with the BBC who commissioned them to
provide short animations for a show called Vision On which was aimed
at deaf children. After creating a segment called greeblies in which
the two created a group of Claymation characters that interacted with
one another, they were then tasked with creating one minute shorts
which would be shown between shows. With this brief they created the
first iconic Aardman character morph who would become staple of
childrens television for years to come. In 1986 Aardman created the
iconic music video for the peter Gabriel classic sledgehammer and
for Nina Simones My baby just cares for me. This truly shot Aardman
into the mainstream as it showed what stop motion could really do,
creating fast paced entertaining environments, and continuing the
tradition of mixing animation and live action. Aardman then became
grew in popularity after creating three short films based around the
characters Wallace and Gromit as well as providing adverts for British
Gas based on their creature comforts shorts. In later years Aardman
would go on to produce several feature length films and dozens of
beloved BBC childrens shows. The animation techniques used by
Aardman are second to none , creating a fluidity of movement so
realistic that its almost hard to believe that these animations are
created by moving each piece a fraction at a time and then taking a
photo. Because of the techniques used and the quality of work it
produces, Aardman is now a household name.