Essay

Introduction
Over the years stop motion has changed dramatically and has changed
the way we look at animation today. The use of better effects, better
cameras and more knowledge has greatly improved the look of todays
animations. Many people have been a huge aspect of the improvement of
stop motion, as they have changed the look and the way we see it,
making animation a huge global franchise in the world we live in. Stop
motion is the technique where the camera will be repeatedly stopped and
started, which will create a video type effect when it is put into a
sequence. The first use of stop motion was first introduced when Albert
Smith and Stuart Blackton made The Humpty Dumpty Circus in 1898,
however it wasnt until 35 years later when people started to wake up to
the idea of using stop motion.

Pioneers
Joseph plateau was a Belgian physicist; he was one of the first people to
demonstrate the illusion of moving image. He used counter-rotated disks,
with different pictures on them to create an optical illusion that would
make it appear like a moving film, where he introduced the device in
1832. His work was an early animation device that used the persistence of
vision principle to create an illusion of motion that the audience would
see. Persistence of vision has been a technique that has been used for
many years in animation. It refers to the optical illusion where multiple
images blend into a single image that is situated in the human mind. It is
the human belief that perception of motion is the result of persistence of
vision. His work was significant, as it was the first main form of animation
device that was using optical illusion to create a stop motion type of
effect. His idea was the first introduction to stop motion, but was an
important factor that helped animation improve greatly.
Thomas Edison was an American inventor and businessperson. He
developed many devices including the phonograph stop motion camera,
which was the first of its kind. It took a rapid set of pictures on film, which
could be put together in a sequence to make a short film. He also
invented the Kinetoscope, which was used in stop motion animation,
which was designed for films where people could watch it through the
small window. By watching through the window, it created an illusion of
movement by conveying a strip of film, with the images over a light
source with a higher speed shutter. He used 46 frames per second, which
he believed was the minimum needed by the visual cortex, as he thought
anything else would strain the eye, however towards the late 1920s the
frame rate for silent films increase to between 20 and 26 frames per
second.

The Lumire Brothers were a major key brand that helped the film
industry change dramatically. They were born in France and together they
had become a major business in the early 1890s. They created the
Cinmatographe, which was a camera printer and projector combined into
one. They unveiled it on December 28, 1895 and soon became a
phenomenon to the general public. They used a film speed of 16 frames
per second, which was reasonably slow at the time. After the first initial
broadcast, the Lumiere Brothers began making more than 40 films a year,
which were the new form of entertainment for the public. This helped
animation greatly as it rapidly increased the use of films and how they are
developed, and it also allowed animation to become more successful, as
the higher frame rates meant the animations flowed more easily, which
entertained the audience more.
Eadweard Muybridge was an English photographer, who was an important
for his pioneering work in photographic studies of stop motion. He is well
known for his work in animal locomotion, which used multiple camera to
capture motion in a stop motion photographs, and his Zoopraxiscope was
the first of its kind that projected motion pictures. His most famous work
begun when he was hired by a University to photograph horses. This was
difficult to do at the time due to the lack of technology, but over time, and
the initial experiments produced only indistinct images. He decided to set
up a row of cameras with tripwires, each of which are able to trigger a
picture for a split second as the horse was running by in the distance. This
meant that all four hooves do leave the ground at once. This was a major
advance of the begging of stop motion, as it was the first stop motion that
was created from a sequence of photos that worked effectively. Eadweard
Muybridge was the main formation of the begging of stop motion, and the
advance that animation changed from.

Developers
A developer who was a major influence in the animation world was Willis
H. OBrien who was an American motion picture special effects and
animation pioneer. He was responsible for some of the very best images
known in cinema history. A few of his greatest animations were King Kong,
which was produced in 1933 and Mighty Joe Young, which was produced in
1949. Many Willis animations used the material of clay, as it was very
movable and could easily make short movements, which would make the
animation seem more real. He shot the film King Kong at one frame at a
time, which created the illusion of life, although sometimes the low frame
rate made the movement less fluid. It was also his design of the actual
Gorilla that captivated peoples imaginations, as it was the success of
OBirens ability to give a lifeless, large puppet a personality, which the
audience were able to relate to. This effect and performance made from
the Gorilla was even more endearing than the special effects used in the
animation. Before the production of the King Kong film Willis began

researching and developing his character for the upcoming feature. He

often went to study different Gorillas at the zoo and study the movements
they made. Likewise, he would attend wrestling matches to observe the
interaction and improve the choreography of his animals to make them
seem more lifelike. This attention to detail was what majorly set him apart
from other animators.
Another developer of stop motion was Ray Harryhausen who was an
American visual effect creator. After watching the famous King Kong
animation by Willis, he began experimenting in the production of
animation, he also arranged several meetings with OBrien where he put
across his ideas and attempted to receive tips from him. He was able to
create his first colour film called Jason and Argonauts, which featured a
famous sword fight with seven skeleton warriors. Ray Harryhausen
Another technique Harryhausen had developed was the idea of
dynamation, which would allow the live action to be split, which would
enable a model to be inserted directly into the action and appear to
interact with the actors. He also enrolled into art classes and perfected his
sculpture skills to build the figurines and sets that he would be famous for.
His use of high frames rates and slow movements of the skeleton
figurines, made the warriors seem very realistic and almost appear as if it
was a real life event happening. At one point in the warrior fight the
skeletons are having a combat with the humans in the video, this was a
major turning point in animation, as it showed animation at a much faster
rate which hadnt been done before making it seem very realistic at the
time showing the advance of animation. Dynamation was a major turning
point for animation, as it was simple but effective technique to create
short animations. He projected an image onto a different screen in front of
which was placed the animation table with the model on it. He would then
place a light glass sheet in front of both. He would establish after the live
image had been shot where he wanted his matte line and so by looking
through the viewfinder he could establish the line. He would then
photograph the animation of the model reacting to the live model.
Dynamation was a major positive aspect in stop motion, as it allowed very
close interaction between the human actors and the animated creatures.
Due to the model being animated directly in front of the screen that were
showing the actors, it made it possible for Harryhausen to synchronize the
movements of the models with previous filmed action in it. This was a
major positive, as it made the stop motion more realistic and interesting,
which captivated the audience more because of this. This lead to the
famous skeleton scene being created, which could allow them to look very
convincing, which was a major turning point for stop motion, as it
advanced all that we know.

Contemporary Artists
Stephen and Timothy Quay Are American identical twins who are known
as the Brothers Quay. There work has often been very to the standard

animation that can be expected from stop motion, as they tend to go

supernatural and often feature out of this world content. They have
created various music videos, adverts and short films from the stop
motion, which have made them successful animators.
A major positive about the Brothers Quay is that a lot of their work was
majorly different to other work that had been produced by other
animators. A lot of their work cannot be categorised into a specific genre,
as they do not tend to have a specific storyline or format. The use of
characters in their animations have also made them very successful, as
they have used characters than are very unusual and have clearly been
thought about before. They have used some figurines and puppets than
be harder to manipulate, but they have been able to do this effectively, by
using small subtle movements throughout the production. They managed
to develop what Harryhausen had done, as their higher use of frame rate
and small movements made the entire productions run even more
smoothly, and it allowed the audience to have a better understanding
through the storyline and characters. This technique makes the entire
animation even more interesting, as the audience are constantly intrigued
by the unusually crazy content that is in it and the use of found materials
not just the purpose made, which made the Brothers Quay a huge global
phenomenon.
Aardman Animations is a British based Animation company, which is
based in Bristol. Aardman was originally founded in 1972, as part of low
budget production created by Peter Lord and David Sproxton. They are
now considered as one of the biggest animation companies to take the
stop motion business and have been majorly successful across the globe.
Aardman animations have been greatly successful at creating effective
storylines throughout their animations. A lot of their work including,
Wallace and Gromit, Shawn the Sheep, Chicken Run and Flushed Away
have been majorly successful films. This success has led to Aardman
winning many awards. Many of their high fame rates have been a huge
factor of their success throughout their years, as they use more photos
per second, which allows the animation to flow a lot easier, without
persistence of vision taking an effect. By using a high frame rate of 24
frames per second, where each frames equals one move. Usually for a 30minute film, they would have over 21,600 moves per frame.
A major success of Aardman has been the fact that their work looks so
realist and real, making the audience more encaptivated in what is
actually happening. There storylines have captured the heart of many
children and adults and have led to the hugely successful films like
Wallace and Gromit. Aardman have been greatly successful at developing
the facial expressions used on stop-motion creating a more realistic effect,
where they now have over mouth expressions for each syllable spoken,
which allows them to sync what the character is saying to what the
character is actually doing. This technique has been a major part of
Aardman major success in the stop motion industry, as they have made it

seem very realistic. In addition, the use of characters and sets has been a
key aspect of Aardman success, as they have made their character look
even better and realistic in recent years. The use of clay has been an
important success as well, as it has made it more movable and it can be
easily manipulated, which allows more freedom in what Aardman can do.
Lastly, a lot of their work has been clearly thought about and has taken a
considerable amount of time, which means they would have taken many
shots for every second of footage, which is huge reason their work looks
so good and has made them a huge global brand that everyone knows
and loves.

Discussion of how animation can be presented in a variety of

genres and forms
Animation has become a huge global phenomenon and can now be
presented in a variety of different genres and forms. Animations turning
into films has been hugely popular in recent years and has seen a huge
increase in popularity over the past 10 years, where Wallace and Gromit
has especially advanced in making very successful films. Another way
animation has been recently used is advertising. Many companies are now
using animation as a unique way of advertising their product, but it can be
an expensive form of doing it. Recently McDonalds have used a stop
motion effect to create an advert showing they use genuine products.
Also, music videos have been using animation as well, as a way to get
across a distinctive message, however it isnt widely used as it can be
hard to make it an effective aspect of animation, but Fleet Foxes were able
to make a very successful music video, through their use of paper. Lastly,
childrens television has always been a main use of animation throughout
the years, as it is an effective use for that specific target audience, as it
can easily be done to make it entertaining and popular for children. Shawn
the sheep has recently become a major successful childrens programme,
and has rapidly advanced in storyline and the characters they are using.
Overall, the use of animation has been used much more, as the technical
aspects of it have improved dramatically. This effect has created many
very successful animations, which is now making animation a hugely
successful franchise.