Published between 1982 and 1995
Tony James was one of the finalists in the BBC television Showreel 88 competition with Goblin. He explains the background to the film. As a pre-TV child I grew up with a love of cinema and theatre, and recall performing, writing and painting scenery for my brother’s amateur company in Birmingham. My father made me … Read more
I constructed a rostrum from chip-board and wood scraps, which did not look too bad once it had a coat of matt-black emulsion. It had four planes, each with wooden sliding bars and a window of plate glass. The only tool I use well is a hammer, so after a hard days filming, my rostrum … Read more
Computerised video graphics have strongly challenged practitioners of diagrammatic film animation. They have also been used by Disney and Hanna-Barbera to create animation for segments of cartoon feature films. Ken Clark gives an overview of computer graphic systems available today and some advice about bridging the gap between traditional animators and computer technicians. When I … Read more
At the Odeon, Marble Arch that same evening I watched a succession of short sequences which they called idents and stings, all demonstrating the current state of the art and competing for the annual awards. The most memorable effects were those which simulated water; raindrops falling on to dry sand and building up to a … Read more
John Halas combined computer animated effects with cartoon animation in Autobahn (1979), a little classic of its kind. A fantasy, featuring a green space boy wearing dark goggles, with the ability to fly through surreal space, the film is pure inventive imagery. As a mixture of old and new techniques it is completely successful. As … Read more
Paul Thomas is probably the most independent of London’s independent animators. He has turned his back on commercial work to follow his own dreams. He talks to David Jefferson about his latest production based on black and white photographs animated against painted backgrounds. If you have read past issues of Animator you may know something … Read more
The production team was culled from various phases of Paul’s career. Co-animator/scriptwriter, David Skinner was an old school chum. He previously worked with Paul on RAM, a film for Channel 4. David’s fine art backgrounds add a maturity and logic that compliments Paul’s way out state of mind. David spent long days and nights working … Read more
Paul has been determined to get a break with his own studio and it has taken many years to get this far. When he first entered the profession he worked at Bob Godfrey’s studio for a while. “It was important to me at that time to be at a studio where they could make their … Read more
Aardman Animations the plasticine puppeteers. Plasticine animators Peter Lord and David Sproxton gained their early experience animating Morph for a children’s television show. Nowadays their studio is in great demand for television commercial work but they still find time to produce entertainment animation, such as their Lip Synch series shown recently on Channel Four. Report … Read more
The brief called for something of a pliable nature with the ability to change shape, to metamorphosis, something the producer was very keen about, so Morph was born. “I’ve never liked it when he changes shape,” confesses Peter. “When he has changed into a duck or a goose or something, he has stopped being a … Read more