Animator. Summer 1985. Issue number 13. Front cover illustrations: Drawings from the Bananaman TV series.
#13 Summer 1985
Alan Kitching and ANTICS computer animation
In spite of the incredible range of animation effects that can be produced by ANTICS it is described as a Stone Age Machine by it’s inventor Alan Kitching. Ken Clark […]
Alan Kitching and ANTICS computer animation – Page 2
K.C.: So speaks the man who scratched designs on black 16mm film at the tender age of twelve. A.K.: Ah! Yes – but I spent a year in a professional […]
Alan Kitching and ANTICS computer animation – Page 3
K.C.: To be fair, British animation has always attempted to find its own style. Very little of the earlier surviving material exhibit signs of Disney’s influence. A.K.: Yes, that’s true. […]
From Mr Man to Bananaman – Flicks Films
Flicks Films Ltd and 101 Productions Ltd are London based animation companies that are owned and run under the same umbrella. Flicks Films produce commercials and 101 Productions make TV […]
From Mr Man to Bananaman – Flicks Films – Page 2
Pre-production planning is considered very important. When a rough script has been prepared Bernie Kay and Terry Ward do a rough storyboard together. Changes are sometimes made to the script […]
From Mr Man to Bananaman – Flicks Films – Page 3
This was not always the case as Ward recalls when they were working on the Mr Men series ten years ago, “We financed the Mr Men ourselves, we went to […]
From Mr Man to Bananaman – Flicks Films – Page 4
Flicks Films have produced five TV commercials for Harrods using graphics that were animated, traced and painted, shot on a rostrum camera with slit scan special effects enhancing the animation […]
From Mr Man to Bananaman – Flicks Films – Page 5
Doing series work is different because you have a lot more freedom as an animator or a director or a producer to do your own thing. The BBC have their […]
Bye! Bye! Biographic Studios
On 22nd March 1985 Biographic Studios closed their doors for the last time. Ken Clark went along to pay his last respects and talk over old times. In the beginning, […]
Bye! Bye! Biographic Studios – Page 2
Although editing became more sophisticated it did not benefit Biographic, they lost money on the final series of “Square World”. But the charisma of being on the top TV comedy […]
Bye! Bye! Biographic Studios – Page 3
In the Eighties, the agency man invariably arrives at the studio with completed model sheets and storyboard in his hand to ask: “Will you make this?” “We have very little […]
Bye! Bye! Biographic Studios – Page 4
Another time they made a series of adverts for a certain fountain-pen ink manufacturer, which were so successful mothers-to-be were drinking it believing their off-spring would be born able to […]
Clarence Nash – the voice of Donald Duck
Clarence Nash, the voice of Donald Duck for over 50 years, died on 20th February 1985 at the age of eighty. We print this interview between Father Robert Murphy and […]
Clarence Nash – the voice of Donald Duck – Page 2
Hearing that the Disney Studios were looking for voices, Clarence made an appointment and the interviewer was so impressed that he rang Walt Disney’s intercom and let Walt listen in. […]
Bread and Butter Art – a history of animated commercials
The profits from animated commercials often support a studio while it works on other productions. Frank Baker looks at the history of the animated commercial. As you sit watching television […]
How animation paint is made
Graham Beeching of Filmpaint explains the art and craft of making animation paint. The article is based on a taped interview conducted by David Jefferson. Paint consists of two basic […]
How animation paint is made – Page 2
Although I realised it was not essential for animation paint to use very permanent pigments, because I have painted pictures all my life and made my own paint, I have […]
How animation paint is made – Page 3
The ingredients that are added to make the paint flow all require high water contents and this gives longer drying times. Thick paint does not necessarily mean it has got […]
Prepare to enter the realm of the imagination
The story of a mortal’s dream struggle with the gods was Paul Hanson’s choice for his first amateur animated film. Three years, 1800 cels and 50 background paintings later he […]
Prepare to enter the realm of the imagination – Page 2
Following this encouraging news I set about designing the title sequence, it was to last the length of the first part of the lyrics in the song. I wanted to […]
Prepare to enter the realm of the imagination – Page 3
The making of Dreamscape did not go without its disasters. 25 feet of film (and countless hours) were wasted when I left the camera’s built-in daylight filter in place. Another […]
Experiment with animating abstract shapes
A cel with 10,000 separately coloured segments in an area 9 ins by 7 ins, is just one of many in Red and Blue and Green. George Collin tells us […]
Experiment with animating abstract shapes – Page 2
By 1981 I had made another 5 animated films as well as contributing to club films and in my spare time I managed to get my degree, pass the professional […]
Experiment with animating abstract shapes – Page 3
One sequence involves a green holly leaf spinning against a blue sky with red berries in view. As the leaf spins each of these elements changes colour: blue leaf, red […]