The History and Development of Stop-motion Animation

Part 1

Persistence of vision-

The persistence of vision is the belief that the eye retains an image for a small amount of time before discarding it. This means that whilst the eye captures the next image, you are retaining the last image and makes it look as if the image is moving. If you were to take a pigeon to the cinema all the pigeon would see is still images as pigeons see in a much higher frame rate. The persistence of vision can be proven through the sparkler trail effect, this effect is created through long exposure of a camera and moving a light throughout the image exposure time and it will create a light trail. This is called the Sparkler Trail Effect because it has a similar effect to when you move a sparkler around in front of your face and it leaves a light trail.

Thaumatrope-

The very first thaumatope was published in 1825 by John Ayrton Paris. This invention works by having an image on both sides of a disc and spinning the device quickly. As the eye registers a new image whilst retaining the previous image, it gives the illusion that both sides of the disc are on the same side. A good example of this would be drawing a bird on one side and drawing a cage on the other and when the device is spun, it will give the illusion that the bird is in the cage.

Phenakistoscope-

The Phenakistocope was one of the very first forms of animation entertainment and was invented in December 1829. This was invented by a Belgian physicist called Joseph Plateau and the Austrian professor of practical geometry Simon stampfer. This device was named phenokinoscope which means to deceive or cheat. This was called this due to it being an optical deception/ illusion. This device is used by looking through a hole in the middle of the device into a mirror which will then reflect to show the device. To see the animation, you will then spin the device and look at one specific picture which will appear to animate.

Zoetrope-

The Zoetrope was invented in 1934 by a man called "William George Horner", it was an early form of motion picture like the ones I talked about before. The way the Zoetrope worked was a circular container which had a series of images around the edge of it and when the container was spun the images would look like they were moving, only the movement would be seen through slits that were made round the edge of the container.

Praxinoscope-

The Praxinoscope was created in 1877 by a man called Charles Emile Reynaud. Similar to the Zoetrope, this device uses a series of pictures and the device is spun. This device has a mirror placed in the middle which reflects all of the images on the inside of the Praxinoscope outer circle. To see the animation, you look through a small hole and spin the outside of the device.

Kinetoscope-

The Kinetoscrope, which a forerunner as motion picture projected, it was invented by Thomas A. Edison and William Dickson in the United States in 1891. The way it works was that a strip of film was be passed rapidly between a lens and a electric bulb, whle the viewer would look through a peephole, behind the peephole was a spinning wheel with a slit, which would act as shutter and give a quick view each of the 46 frames that were passing it, giving the images look like they were in motion.

Sources -
http://www.mhs.ox.ac.uk/exhibits/fancy-names-and-fun-toys/thaumatropes/
http://www.anothermag.com/art-photography/7982/the-forgotten-art-of-the-phenakistoscope
https://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/zoetrope
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Praxinoscope
https://www.britannica.com/technology/Kinetoscope

Part 2

Will Vinton-

George Pal-

George Pal was born in Cegled, Hungary on the 1st February 1908. George decided to persue a career in stop motion animation when he began to make films for Hunnia Films. He later married  Elisabeth "Zsoka" Grandjean at the age of 23 in 1931. He later founded Trickfilm Studio GmbH Pal und Wittke, with UFA Studios as its main customer. During this time he patented the "Pal Doll" Technique. He used wood in order to make his models, this was very time consuming for projects as he had to carve each model separately from wood. He then later started working for Paramount Studio when he escaped from Nazi control in 1939, this is where he create "Tulips Shall Grow", which became inconic during thr war and helped move on to bigger movie projects like "War of the Worlds and "The Time Machine".

Willis O' Brien-

Willis O'Brien was born on March 2nd 1886 and was famous for creating some of the most famous works throughout film history with animation. He is known for his iconic films such as The Lost World, Might Joe Young and King Kong. Willis used clay for his models throughout the wide majority of his productions. But like George Pal, WIllis liks to also use durable materials like in King Kong, he used a metal mesh skeleton, with rubber and foam for the muscle build of it.

Ray Harryhausen-

Ray was born in the United States in 1920 and later decided to move to the United Kingdom where he became a UK/US citezen. Willis O' Brien was a heavy inspiration throughout Rays work. Later through his career Ray was able to work with his inspiration Willis on "Might Joe Young" where he helped Willis to get an Academy Award for his work in the special effects. From this work, Ray then recieved roles in many films such as "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms", "Jason and the Argonauts and his final film "Clash of the Titans"

 

Phil Tippett-

Phil tippet was born in Berkley, on 7th September 1951. Phil tippet is famous for his works in films such as Jurassic Park, Star Wars and RoboCop. Phil created the scene of the dinosaur comping out of its cage in Jurassic Park, however it was later edited and changed into computer animation. Phil Tippet used puppets for his models on most of his works. The way Phil was inspired to become a stop motion animator was the film "The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad", which was made by Ray Munchhausen. 

Otmar Gutmann-

Otmar Gutmann was born in Germany on April 24th 1937 and is well known for his work on the very popular kids TV show "Pingu". Creating Pingu was not a solo project as he had the help of the company which he had founded called "The Pyros Group". Otmar used clay to make the models used throughout the many Pingu episodes that were made throughout the years and only went on to do one individual project called "Adventures"

Tim Burton and Henry Selick-

Tim Burton was born in Burbank on August 25th 1958, he was known for his works throughout the dark gothic genre films, which he also used for his animation work. His most popular films are "James And The Giant Peach" or "The Nightmare Before Christmas". Tim Burton was initially meant to be directing the nightmare before Christmas but was unable to, as he was already directing the Batman Films. As Tim Burton was unavailable, Henry Sellick stepped in and took the position of director. Sellick directing this film lead to great success for the film, so in 1996 both Sellick and Burton came together to produce James and The Giant Peach from the original novel by Roald Dahl. For the production of these films, clay was used to create the models and was the main material that the duo used in their stop motion animation productions.

Adam Shaheen (Cuppa Coffee)-

Adam Shaheen was born on October 13th in 1964, and founded the company known as "Cuppa Coffee Studios". Adam Shaheen was very similar to most animators in the sense that he used clay to create and animate throughout his productions. He is famously known for his work with Disney and with the show "Jojo's Circus" which is targeted for kids. He also created other shows called "Celebrity Deathmatch and "Starveillance", which was more suited for adult audiences instead.

The Brothers Quay-

The Brothers Quay, made up of Stephen Quay and Timothy Quay, were both born as identical twins on June 17th 1947. They experimented with a various amount of materials and animation methods however, they are famously known for their works with puppets and dolls. They would use doll parts and materials in order to create their dark and eerie atmosphere/mood. Their most popular work is called "Streets of Crocodile" which was a visual representation of the novel by Bruno Schulz.

Nick Park (Aardman)-

Nick Park was born in Preston, Lancashire on December 6th 1958. Nick Park is most famous for his work on the Wallace and Gromit films. Nick Park came to the realization in the early stages of animation that if he was to create the characters, he would need to detail the face animations highly. Nick parks main material of use was clay and was what made the two famous characters Wallace and Gromit. He also later created a kids show for CBBC  called Shaun the Sheep and has an upcoming file called "Early Man".

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Pal
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0657162/
https://www.animateclay.com/index.php/articles/11-stop-motion-pioneers/44-willis-o-brien-the-man-who-created-kong
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willis_H._O%27Brien
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ray_Harryhausen
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0366063/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Tippett
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0864138/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otmar_Gutmann
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0349642/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tim_Burton
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Selick
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000318/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Shaheen
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brothers_Quay
http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/474489-interview-with-stop-motion-animation-pioneers-the-brothers-quay
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Park
http://www.wallaceandgromit.com/nick-park
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0661910/

Part 3

TV Show:

The two shows shown above are Star Wars Robot Chicken and Shaun the Sheep. These shows are very different in their audiences even though they both use similar materials to animate their models. Star Wars Robot Chicken is a spoof of the original films called Star Wars. There are a lot of jokes and humour in this show that is inappropriate to children and instead targets people over the age of 18. Whereas Shaun the Sheep is targeted more at children of a younger age as it uses simple humour and less inappropriate jokes and is more educational, allowing the younger audience to learn from each episode that is aired.

Feature Film:

These have very different target audiences from one another. The first clip above is for The Terminator 1984, this is a film about a time travelling robot sent back from a post apocalyptic time to kill a woman. The animation in this film is for the robot called "The Terminator" is attacking the people in the clip. This film contains sexual scenes along with heavy violence and weapons which makes it unsuitable for anyone under the ages of 18. The second clip is from Star Wars and uses the animation for the moving of the AT-AT. This film contains violence however it does not show blood or any other form of gore, this means it is not suitable for young children however, it is suitable for children of an older age. The primary target audience is for males aged 12-30. Because there are also lazers and lots of colours throughout Star Wars, this may become a lot more attractive to children, especially with the futuristic weaponry.

Advertisement:

Both of these adverts are aimed at a more child friendly audience. The first advert of the Red Bull is suitable for a younger audience. This is shown through the traditional bad guy/hero/damsel in distress scenario which is popular along most kids TV shows or films. Both of these adverts do not contain any form of content which may be harmful or offensive to children therefore the target audience can be suitable for a younger audience. Both of the adverts however, offer something that is inappropriate to children. Red Bull is an energy drink that should only be drank aged 16 and over so it does not harm any brain development and eBay is a site where people bid on items. Children should also not be exposed to a bidding site where auctions occur as they are 18 and are not legally allowed to purchase any items themselves. This means that the target audience will be people aged over 16 for both products. The eBay advert shows no specific target audience for gender however, the Red Bull advert shows the man getting the woman after drinking the Red Bull which shows the woman as being the desirable object. This means that the advert is targeted at people attracted to women which will mainly be men however, it may also apply to some women.

Music Video:

The target audience for the first music video is clearly not for children although it is child friendly. This uses very dull colours throughout the video with very little vibrance and appeals more to the subtle romance throughout this animation. This animation will be targeted at people that are either in a relationship or desiring one.This can also be a metaphor for the girls independence throughout this as she does not need him throughout the whole video and travels without him for a while.


The target audience for the second music video is for females as they can relate to the music video content, from more of an emotion stand point and also because of its creativeness, which females relate to more. The age would be from 12+ as it would be harder for younger to understand the music video. The music video can also be relate to people who are in or have been in a relationship with the same situation that is shown in the music video as well.

Conclusion

I believe stop motion animation is made for a wide variety of audiences as animation stretches across a number of possibilities and has a lot of potential. Animation reaches out to a many number of ages. There are many shows such as Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh which will appeal to younger audiences however, they have been around for a very long time which means that people who used to watch it as a kid and have grown up from then, may watch these shows to gain a sense of nostalgia. There are also shows such as Family Guy and South Park which are aimed at adults and can be unsuitable to children due to their use of strong language and offensive jokes. Stop motion does not only reach out to many different generations but also reaches out across cultures. A popular culture is the Japanese culture of animation commonly referred to as anime. Anime is a very popular genre of animation and reaches across the world to many places other than japan. Animation started off by using hand drawn animation and is still a very popular method of animating however, there is another method of animation called Computer Generated Animation. Computer generated animation is the method of using a computer in order to create your animations. This is becoming more and more popular due to the amount of development in technology over the past decade. The wide majority of animation is now created using computer generated animations however, there are still some people that believe hand drawn animation is better and prefer to use that. There are also certain methods which may be a lot more efficient through drawing by hand. I believe with the way technology is developing and the more efficient it can be, this may one day completely take over hand drawn animation. At this current point in time, i think that hand drawn animation will be around for a while.