Research and reflect on the stop motion animation industry.
What is current and what has happen historically?
After a lot of cross-referencing, I can say for sure that the earliest recording of stop-motion can be credited to Albert E. Smith and J. Stuart Blackton for The Humpty Dumpty Circus (1898). One of the first stop-motion movies to use clay was "Modeling Extraordinary" made in 1916, by the first woman animator Helena Smith Dayton. Willis O' Brien's work on King Kong, a film that revolutionized the industry, was only possible due to stop-motion.
Who were the pioneers of the art form and what animations did they create?
Lotte Reiniger (June 2, 1899 June 19, 1981):
The Adventures of Prince Achmed (oldest surviving animated feature film) where the first full length animated films in the history of the cinema. They were made by Lotte Reiniger between 1923-1926. She created unique silhouette films, the technique of which she pioneered. Since The Adventures of Prince Achmed, Reiniger has made over 40 films, all using simple variations of the basic technique. Her method of designing characters for her films, consisted of first creating a storyboard, from which Reiniger could deduce the range of motion the character would need, thus when cutting out the characters, giving them enough articulations to perform the actions the story required them to do. The number of separate pieces depends on the amount of movement that is required of the figure, the more movement results in a complex construction. Small holes are pierced in relevant points and all the pieces are joined with small wire hinges, the hinges are intricately made to withstand the constant movement demanded of them. When a hinge is subject to excessive use, it is weighted with flat pieces of lead, which helps also to keep the figure flat, or else it might warp under the heat of the camera light. After finishing cutting out and joining the pieces that made a figure, Reiniger checked that it could perform all the movements it would have to do. The figure was then placed on the animation table, a sheet of glass, covered with white paper, illuminated only from below with a light source, turning the black cardboard cut-outs into real silhouettes.
The method used for animating is the classic stop-motion technique, patiently moving the figure a fraction, then taking a photograph of it. Another specialized technique which was employed when the figure was turning to face the other way. To do this each limb had to be removed, rotated and put back to now face the other way. Also, because the camera was fixed, to achieve close ups it was necessary to remake the figures in a larger scale, in this way, the expression can also be altered. as this was a profile art, the action is composed so that the effects of distance and depth are avoided to maintain a purety of style. but the figures sometimes had to come into the picture from nowhere. for this effect, the shape of the figure had to be repeated in numerous different sizes, started from nothing and slowly, shot-after-shot, the figure would get bigger and finally enter the scene.
Backgrounds were made with layers of semi-transaprent paper, to give it a feeling of depth. The background was covered in another layer of paper, so that the animation of the figures would not disrupt the setting of the background.
In order to create panning effects, because the camera was fixed, the whole set had to moved. Each movement was marked with a ruler, so the panning of the set was coordinated with the movement of the figure.
Each frame is numbered and recorded in the shooting book so that the number of shots corresponds with the music and the movements. Or, if the action is fitted to the music/soundtrack, like a ballet, with the sound recorded beforehand, then from the musical score the number of shots is calculated to fit the exact length of each part. With these careful calculations the shooting of the film may proceed so that the delicate balance of music and notes, of individual movements of the figures and of camera shots, will produce the harmony that characterizes the films of Lotte Reiniger.
Reiniger and her husband (Carl Koch) developed a technique to include colour for their figures, the construction of these figures is much the same as the making of silhouettes, but they are dressed up with coloured paper, the hinges hidden beneath. Various parts of the set are also created in this way.
source: The Art of Lotte Reiniger (John Isaacs, 1970, 16 mins)
How did they work? What equipment did they use?
silhouettes, clay figures, camera
How does the equipment differ now?