Review on Raymond Briggs

Review on Raymond Briggs

Raymond Briggs

Raymond Briggs, an English animator who first started in advertising then went on to do book illustrations for children. He became popular when he illustrated the book; The Mother Goose Treasury, then went on to create and illustrate his own books. Quoted from contemporarywriters.com, Jules Smith goes into detail on Briggs' work. 'As well as illustrating books for authors such as Allan Ahlberg, Raymond Briggs has written and illustrated many of his own books, including the hugely successful children's strip illustration books Father Christmas (1973) and The Snowman (1978).  These books have been translated into many languages and adapted into films, plays and TV cartoons. A further strip illustration book, Ethel & Ernest (1998)- a biography of his parents' lives - tells the story of how his father met his mother, a lady's maid,  and how they continued to live in the same house for forty-one years.' (Smith, 2004) Despite Briggs' films being aimed at children the endings to his films are all unhappy, with the melting snowman in The Snowman and the nuclear disaster and suffering from When the Wind Blows. Instead of Briggs making up a fantasy where everything ends with a happy ending, he makes it more true to reality. There are tragedies where there is death and destruction, as he says himself on telegraph.co.uk. 'I don't believe in happy endings. Children have got to face death sooner or later. Granny and Grandpa die, dogs die, cats die, gerbils and those frightful things - what are they called? - hamsters: all die like flies. So there's no point avoiding it.' (Briggs, 2007) 

 The Snowman

The characters from his animations hold so much emotion such as those from When the Wind Blows. You can relate to them much like they are your grandparents, with their nagging and ignorance to the situation at hand. The emotional sense from this film is discussed on grovel.org.uk. 'Briggs imbues Jim and Hilda with so much character you can't help but feel empathy. That the mixture of ignorance, naivety and stiff-upper-lip tighten-your-belt attitude keeps them on the right side of desperation only makes their situation more heart-wrenchingly sad.' (Grovel.org.uk, 2011)  

      When the Wind Blows

List of Illustrations

 

Figure 1. Briggs, Raymond (2007) Raymond Briggs. [Photograph] At: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/inspiration/profile_raymond_briggs.shtml (Accessed on: 31.03.11)

 

Figure 2. Briggs, Raymond (1982) The Snowman. [Screen cap] At: http://www.chrisandphilpresent.co.uk/?p=5515 (Accessed on: 31.03.11)

Figure 3. Briggs, Raymond (1986) When the Wind Blows. [Screen cap] At: http://flickfeast.co.uk/top-ten/top-10-animated-films/ (Accessed on: 31.03.11)

Bibliography

 

Briggs, Raymond (2007) Raymond Briggs: I don't believe in happy endings. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/books/3670140/Raymond-Briggs-I-dont-believe-in-happy-endings.html (Accessed on: 31.03.11)

 

Grovel (2011) When The Wind Blows. http://www.grovel.org.uk/reviews/whenth01/whenth01.htm (Accessed on: 31.03.11)

 

Smith, Jules (2004) Raymond Briggs. http://www.contemporarywriters.com/authors/?p=authC2D9C28A1da9f1EA3FRqW3424C56 (Accessed on: 31.03.11)

Revised Essay Introduction

Winsor McCay

This essay discusses the work of Winsor McCay, and the kind of animations he produced. The study of what his work was like at an early age from the sketches he done as a child to one of his first comic strips; Little Sammy Sneeze right up until his later films that include his first; Little Nemo in Slumber Land to later films such as Gertie The Dinosaur and The Sinking of The Lusitania. McCay’s first forms of art will be discussed using the books; Before Mickey by Donald Crafton and Winsor McCay by John Canemaker. McCay’s comic strips and how successful they became will be analysed with the use of the book; Masters of American Comics by John Carlin. The websites; www.digitalmediafx.com and www.bpib.com have been used to describe McCay’s later productions and their influences on modern day cartoons. This essay starts by introducing Winsor McCay and what kind of work he did, followed by his early forms of work though to his later projects. Why his work was important as well as its influences will then be explained.

Essay Introduction

 Winsor McCay

This essay discusses the work of Winsor McCay, what kind of work he produced to what his work was like at an early age right up until his later works. McCay’s first forms of art will be discussed using the books; Before Mickey by Donald Crafton and Winsor McCay by John Canemaker. McCay’s comic strips and how successful they became will be analysed with the use of the book; Masters of American Comics by John Carlin. The websites; www.digitalmediafx.com and www.bpib.com have been used to describe McCay’s later productions and their influences on modern day cartoons. This essay starts by introducing Winsor McCay and what kind of work he did, followed by his early forms of work though to his later projects. Why his work was important as well as its influences will then be explained.

Review on Bill Plympton

Review on Bill Plympton

Bill Plympton

Bill Plympton is an independent animator that creates hand drawn animations with strange themes with exaggerated drawings. Plympton has always been fascinated by animation, even at a young age where he sent of some of his drawings to Disney, by which they replied back 'When he was fourteen, he sent Disney some of his cartoons and offered up his services as animator. They wrote back and told him that while his drawings showed promise, he was too young.' (Plymptoons.com, 2008)   Plympton's animations are quite popular and have been featured in many cinemas and won many awards, quoted by Ed Liu on toonzone.net. 'In 1983, he finally broke into the world of animation with Boomtown. Since then, his work has been nominated for multiple awards, and has been seen in animation festivals, television commercials, MTV's Liquid Television, and in cinemas, where he has the distinction of producing the first feature-length movie to be animated by a single person (The Tune).' (Liu, 2008) One of Plympton's latest films, called Idiots and Angels had been rejected many times before finally being allowed to play in cinemas. Why it was turned down was because it wasn't the sort of film the distributors wanted, but Plympton had other thoughts on why it was rejected. 'I have four reasons why they turned it down. First of all, it’s from Bill Plympton Studios, which is a small, minor, no-publicity studio. There’s no real history of great success. I’m kind of a cult animator, and they didn’t want to deal with that. Two, there’s no dialog in the film, and that kind of freaked them out. Three, it was hand-drawn animation, and they know computer animation from places like Pixar and Dreamworks makes a billion dollars, and no one wants to see hand-drawn. At least, that’s what they think. And four, it’s an adult film. It’s not family fare. I think a lot of people think of that believe in the theology of Disney, and they think I’m a travesty to the purity of family animation.' (Plympton, 2010)    

 The Tune

List of Illustrations

  

Figure 1. Richardson, Anne (2009) Bill Plympton. [Photograph] At: http://www.talltalestruetales.com/2009/04/bill-plymptonoregon-filmmaker/ (Accessed on: 28.03.11)

Figure 2. Plympton, Bill (1992) The Tune. [Screen cap] At: http://www.taringa.net/posts/tv-peliculas-series/2003996/The-Tune---Bill-Plympton.html (Accessed on: 28.03.11)

Bibliography

  

Liu, Ed (2008) Toon Zone Interviews Indie Animator Bill Plympton on "Idiots & Angels". http://www.toonzone.net/news/articles/23349/toon-zone-interviews-indie-animator-bill-plympton-on-idiots-amp-angels (Accessed on: 28.03.11)

  

Plymptoons (2008) Biography. http://www.plymptoons.com/biography/bio.html (Accessed on. 28.03.11)

  

Plympton, Bill (2010) Bill Plympton. http://www.avclub.com/chicago/articles/bill-plympton,48357/ (Accessed on: 28.03.11)

 

2-D Animatic

The Inebriated Tuba

Timeline 1979

Timeline 1979 The Brothers Quay

The Quay brothers worked on their first animation short called Nocturna Artificialia in 1979.

Timeline 1964

Timeline 1964 Jan Svankmajer 

Jan Svankmajer created his first animated short called The Last Trick in 1964.

Review on Jiri Barta

Review on Jiri Barta

Jiri Barta

Jiri Barta, a Czechoslovakian who animates using stop motion and was also fond of using puppets. Barta's work is similar to Svankmajer in that it also experiences dark and grotesque themes. The sounds used in Barta's animations are plentiful and pay a great deal of attention to things, such as the dripping of blood and faint scratching of rats. Although some of the characters used are made of wood, they still possess a great deal of life like attributes when being animated along with the world they live in, as noted by Jenny Jediny on notcoming.com. 'We recognize these objects, yet they inhabit a world of their own which often draws on the political issues of the former communist block. Surreal creations, ranging from mannequins to abandoned gloves, are intricately involved in symbolic demonstrations of the Velvet Revolution, or playfully comment on the rapid intrusion of materialism on Eastern Europe.' (Jediny, 2007) One of Barta's films called Krysař that is based of the German myth of the Pied Piper uses wooden puppets and is quite dark in its style, along with its use of German Expressionism seen in its layout, such as the sharp, pointed and distorted buildings. Its Expressionism is discussed on mubi.com. 'Throughout the movie we see distorted silhouettes, exaggerated shapes, and disproportionate landscapes and architecture. Things purposely skewed and off kilter. The imagery itself is very symbolic of the darker side of the human experience. The buildings and landscapes do a great job achieving the mood of the scene. The dark atmosphere and colors represent the inner psychological workings of the community’s → a downfall of morals, savage greedy people wallowing in their splendor, indulging in their epicurean lifestyles, bathing in lavish wealth.' (Mubi, 2010)  Not only are wooden puppets used, but real rats and food is seen throughout the film, as mentioned by Ivana Kosulicova on kinoeye.org. 'Different animation techniques are combined: wooden puppets and moving relief, animation of real food, footage of live rats, and oil painting—everything contributes to an ambitious piece of work.' (Kosulicova, 2002) 

 Krysar (Pied Piper)

List of Illustrations

  

Figure 1. Barta, Jiri (1985) Jiri Barta. [Photograph] At: http://www.listal.com/viewimage/441600 (Accessed on: 26.03.11)

  

Figure 2. Barta, Jiri (1986) Krysar (Pied Piper) [Screen cap] At: http://www.movierapture.com/krysar.htm (Accessed on: 26.03.11)

  

Bibliography

  

Jediny, Jenny (2007) The Animation of Jiri Barta. http://www.notcoming.com/features/jiribarta/ (Accessed on: 26.03.11)

Kosulicova, Ivana (2002) The Morality of Horror. http://www.kinoeye.org/02/01/kosulicova01_no2.php (Accessed on: 26.03.11)

Mubi (2010) Simultaneous Watching And Analysis: Krysař by Jiří Barta. http://mubi.com/topics/11040 (Accessed on: 26.03.11)

Character Expressions

Character Expressions

Open mouth. Normal expression

Half open mouth. Tired and exhausted expression

Closed mouth. Holding something and concentrating   

Final Character Design

Final Character Design

Research - Rubber Hose Animation

Rubber Hose Animation

Rubber Hose animation was used in the first cartoons, where the limbs of a character exhibit no joints and had the appearance and movement of a flexible rubber hose. This intentional style was first started by animator; Otto Messmer and Bill Nolan with Felix the Cat. With the use of Rubber Hose animation, characters and objects could be highly exaggerated with their movements to produce impossible looking poses and animations.

   

Walk Cycle Rhythm: Contact Method

Animated Walk Cycle

 Walk Cycle

Rough Story Board

Rough Story Board

Character Turn Around

Character Turn Around

Tuba Research

Tuba Research

Size Comparison

Small

Large

Giant

Character Walk Cycle

Character Walk Cycle

Animated Bowling Ball

Bowling Ball

Animated Bouncing Ball

Bouncing Ball

Timeline 1927

Timeline 1927 Warner Brothers

Warner Brothers released a film called The Jazz Singer, one of the first to combine images and sound.

Review on The Brothers Quay

Review on The Brothers Quay

The Quay Brothers

The bothers; Stephen and Timothy Quay are both identical twins who produce stop motion animation with dark, gritty and psychological deep twisted short stories, as mentioned on indiemoviesonline.com. 'Like a modern brothers Grimm (or perhaps just grim), they produce psychologically deep, dark little fairy stories. In a bleak and gritty world covered with dust and cobwebs, where decay is the prominent factor, the brothers offer a gateway into their surreal imaginations through their disjointed short films.' (Indie Movies Online, 2010) The Quay brothers are influenced and quite often base their work on other artists and writers. They are also influenced by East European art and literature. Those that have influenced the Quay brothers are discussed by James Rose on sensesofcinema.com. 'Their films have been adaptations of texts by Bruno Schulz, Robert Walser, Franz Kafka and Lewis Carroll. Visually, their imagery is a hybrid constructed from the depths of art history: Ernst, Bacon, Arcimboldo, Fragonard, Bosch and Escher all make fleeting appearances within their work.' (Rose, 2011) The films produced by The Brothers Quay are surreal and hard to understand or meant to be interpreted using your imagination in your own way. This is quoted by Vincent Canby on movies.nytimes.com. 'Surrealist films aren't meant to be interpreted in the systematic manner of a foreign language. One reads into them what one will, and, in this case, if one has any knowledge of the source material, what one can. The Quay films have the initial impact of monstrous, extremely personal visions of disorder, set in a pocket-sized universe where effects have little to do with causes.' (Canby, 1987)

  Street of Crocodiles

List of Illustrations

Figure 1. Kubik, Mariusz (2010) The Quay Brothers. [Photograph] At: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Brothers_Quay_Fot_Mariusz_Kubik_July_24_2010_03.JPG (Accessed on: 23.03.11)

Figure 2. Quay, Stephen Quay, Timothy (1986) Street of Crocodiles. [Screen cap] At: http://www.flickr.com/photos/53591430@N00/3887490912 (Accessed on: 23.03.11)

Bibliography

Canby, Vincent (1987) The Quay Brothers. http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B0DE5DC163DF93AA15757C0A961948260 (Accessed on: 23.03.11)

Indie Movies Online (2010) The Quay Brothers come to IndieMovies. http://www.indiemoviesonline.com/news/the-quay-brothers-come-to-indiemovies-140410 (Accessed on: 23.03.11)

Rose, James (2011) Stephan and Timothy Quay. http://www.sensesofcinema.com/2004/great-directors/quay_brothers/ (Accessed on: 23.03.11)

Rigging: Biped Rigging Part 3

Biped Rigging: Arms

Rigging: Biped Rigging Part 2

 Biped Rigging: Spine

Review on Jan Svankmajer

Review on Jan Svankmajer

Jan Svankmajer

Jan Svankmajer's uses stop motion to make his films which are strange and quite often repulsive, but entertaining to watch. These films show little or no emotion at all, but that adds to some of their unpredictable moments, as mentioned on prague.net. 'His films are unpredictable, often switching moods, ironic, devoid of pathos. There is little true emotion on screen, his characters seem to be bound by their desires and perversions, they’re not likeable.' (Prague.net, 2008) Although they are surreal, they are not forgettable as they are diverse with different techniques and materials, from clay to food to inanimate objects. Even though Svankmajer's films are animated he prefers to not call himself an animator, but to merely bring life to every day objects, as explained by Wendy Jackson on awn.com. 'While a majority of these films have been animated, Svankmajer refuses to be classified as an animated filmmaker, or for that matter, as any particular type of artist. "Animators tend to construct a closed world for themselves, like pigeon fanciers or rabbit breeders." Svankmajer stated in an interview, "I never call myself an animated filmmaker because I am interested not in animation techniques or creating a complete illusion, but in bringing life to everyday objects.' (Jackson, 1997) Although these films appear to be aimed at adults, Svankmajer has been inspired from his childhood and uses his inner child as a base to create these films, as explained by Leslie Felperin Sharman on filmreference.com. 'Ironically, while his films are often characterized by others as "adult" animation, Švankmajer himself insists that, "I'm interested, in the first instance, in a dialogue with my own childhood. Childhood is my alter ego . . . . Animation can bring the imagery of childhood back to life and give it back its credibility.' (Sharman, 2011) 

 Dimensions of Dialogue

  

Bibliography

  

Prague.net (2008) Jan Svankmajer. http://www.prague.net/jan-svankmajer (Accessed on: 19.03.11)

Jackson, Wendy (1997) The Surrealist Conspirator: An Interview With Jan Svankmajer. http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.3/issue2.3pages/2.3jacksonsvankmajer.html (Accessed on: 19.03.11)

Sharman, Leslie, Felperin (2011) Svankmajer, Jan. http://www.filmreference.com/Writers-and-Production-Artists-Sh-Sy/-vankmajer-Jan.html (Accessed on: 19.03.11)

List of Illustrations

  

Figure 1. Jackson, Wendy (1997) Jan Svankmajer. [Photograph] At: http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.3/issue2.3pages/2.3jacksonsvankmajer.html (Accessed on: 19.03.11)

Figure 2. Svankmajer, Jan (1982) Dimensions of Dialogue. At: http://www.berlinale.de/en/das_festival/special_presentations/winter_ade/Winter_ade.html (Accessed on: 19.03.11)

Timeline 1923

Timeline 1923 Walt Disney

Walt and Roy Disney started the company in 1923 in a small office building. Micky Mouse wasn't created until 1928. Disney continues to be a success even today.

Character Designs

Character Designs

Movement Designs

Unused Character Designs

Unused Character Designs

Walk Cycle

Expressions

3 Part Story Board

2D Animation Key Frames

2D Animation Key Frames

These were drawn without looking at the paper for 1 minute long.

These were drawn for about 30 seconds.

Story Script

Story Script

The Inebriated Tuba Version 2

Story

The Inebriated Tuba

 

The tuba steps into the scene from the right and approaches the center. He starts to play his music, only to be interrupted when a bottle slides in from the right. He looks at the bottle then drinks it. He then continues to play his music.

He starts to feel a little drunk as it shows, with the sounds he makes beginning to go out of tune. His movements start to become erratic and get worse as he wonders and stumbles all over the place, until he falls over.

He atemps to get back up, but struggles and can't. He keeps struggling while making out of tune noises, until he passes out.