studio

It is probable that at the time of its introduction, the first Bugs Bunny cartoon could have been regarded as something quite revolutionary. Perhaps the phenomenon could only be fully appreciated in America with its strong tradition of comic strips, although everyone can identify with the dynamic characterisation of that particular rabbit which so ably … Read more

“To live,” he said, “is one of the greatest arts one can practice because it is not easy. As human beings we continually inter-relate and in many cases the relationships can be painful.” It is very important to understand these aspects of Oscar Grillo’s personality because his philosophical approach to life has a strong influence … Read more

An element of nostalgia creeps into the conversation at this point as he recalls the commercials he made in South America in which he animated children, not because he is especially observant but in a latent desire to animate a completely believable boy. In one storyline a young lad’s parents could not afford to buy … Read more

“When I draw, I have to set standards for the narration of the image I am attempting to convey because narrative restricts visuals, which means that the drawing is always inferior to something capriciously conceived. On the other hand if you make a film in which the action is portrayed in sequences and you work … Read more

In the summer of the year Ted left college, David Hargreaves (producer of DIYAS) took charge of the BBC Illiteracy project. The BBC produced several pilot programmes all using animated inserts to varying degrees. Ted’s work on the pilots proved successful and he was asked to do the animation for the whole ‘On The Move’ … Read more

The use of stock animation to reduce costs, and money from merchandising to finance production, are important considerations for some TV series. David Jefferson discusses these points with film producer Terry Ward. “American producers can make a series popular by spending huge amounts of money on promotion. That’s good for them but it doesn’t do … Read more

A system of stock sequences has enabled a high standard of animation to be achieved within the £18,000 per episode budget. The idea of stock animation is not new, Ward used it on Bananaman and many other studios work this way for TV series. He planned his stock material right from the start, deciding all … Read more

Ward showed me examples from a pile of layouts on his desk. The first had Grandad sitting at the dinner table; he was required to raise his arm and point. “We may not have stock of Grandad pointing in that direction so we use stock for as long as we can and then create new … Read more

They also control the style of trace lines on the cels when matching the new sequences with the stock scenes. “We have three tracers and they’ve all been fantastic. At the beginning of production we decided on the type of line required and gave the tracers example cels to follow. These showed exactly what weight … Read more