Claymation

A Brief History

The history of claymation dates back to the invention of plasticine in 1897. The earliest surviving use of the technique is The Sculptor’s Nightmare , a spoof on the 1908 presidential election. Michael Frierson, author of the 1994 book Clay Animation: American Highlights, 1908 to the Present feels that claymation or stop-motion animation is a true art form and maybe this was the reason is never made big inroads into the animation world. Some of the milestones in claymation history include:

Art Clokey brought clay amination to the forefront with two characters Gumby and his side kick Pokey. These characters were developed with children in mind focusing on real values and telling stories with heartfelt meaning. The series ran from 1956 - 1963.
Ray Harryhausen created Jason and the Argonauts in 1963 which includes the famous animated skeleton sequence that took 4 1/2 months to create
In 1985 The Adventure of Mark Twain was produced by Will Vinton as a stop motion animated movie.
In 1986 Will Vinton creates the California raisins as part of a television commercial.
In 1988 Will Vinton produces Meet The Raisins as a stop motion animation with some conventional animation for television.
In 1989 Wallace and Gromit are introduced as the characters in the stop motion animated short A Grand Day Out produced by Nick Park.
Nick Park won an Academy Award in 1991 for Creature Comforts which featured plasticine models of zoo animals involved in 'real' human conversations which had be pre-recorded.
In 1992 Ray Harryhausen received a special Oscar for inspiring an entire generation of animators and special-effects artists
The stop motion animated short The Wrong Trousers - an Oscar winner, stars Gromit and Wallace and was produced by Nick Park in 1993
In 1993 Harry Selick directs the feature length claymation The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Wallace and Gromit star in A Close Shave - an Oscar winner, which was a stop action animated short produced by Nick Park in 1995.
The claymation movie James and the Giant Peach is directed by Henry Selick in 1996 with leading roles by Joanna Lumley, Miriam Nargolyes and Paul Terry.
In 1999 Walter Williams produces the claymation movie Saturday Night Live - The Best of Mr. Bill. Mr. Bill can never escape being crushed by something.
In 2000 Nick Park and Peter Lord direct Chicken Run - an animated movie starring Rocky and Ginger in a feature length claymation.
Nick Park directs the feature length claymation The Incredile Adventures of Wallace & Gromit in 2000.

Claymation has evolved overtime and now includes the use of add-ons which can include wooden heads, replacement limbs, clothes, and painting.

The Process

a) The idea.

The story is the most important part of the movie.
Choose a topic or subject that you are interested in and develop the story line. One manner of story development is to start with the ending and work your way back to the beginning and along the way define the main idea of the story and what happens in the story
Develop a character that fits your concept whether it be a football player, a dog, a dancer, or a taking telephone. Use your imagination but remember to keep everything simple the first time.
Draw some sketches of your character - back, front, left and right side - including clothes and hair. Make some notes in regards to the most appropriate color scheme for the character.
When you have a character in mind create a list of props that could be used and what type of background would be best suited for your animation. Some thumbnail sketches may help identify items that could be used.

b) The storyboard

Develop the story line
Map out the movements of your character
Illustrate what you want your character to do in relation to the set - props and background.
Include reference notes

c) Tools

Plasticine
A plastic covered or formica work surface.
Toothpicks for making small indentations for facial expressions.
A rolling pin.
Wire
Other items that will help you sculpt be it a pencil, or ruler

d) Creating Your Character

The best advice is just get started keeping in mind what your character is to look like.
Start with basic shapes and work towards the final product which would include the finer details such as eyes, mouth, fingers, toes, eye color, hair.
Create textures using your fingers or any everyday object such as spoons, knives, forks, nail files, toothpicks, etc.
You can use pipe cleaners or wire as the framework on which to mold your clay. These products help give support and ease of movement to your character. It is important to note that movements should appear to be realistic and smooth.
You may wish to use external supports (toothpicks) but remember these will have to be used in such a manner that they will not be seen when you start taking your pictures.
Remember that your character will evolve during the sculpting process.

d) Designing the props and background

Try and select props that are colorful and detailed
The props selected should fit with the character and storyline that you are developing.
The background should inform the viewer of the setiting for your character - a room, a dance floor, in a sand box, or on a street.
Do not select a background that overpowers your character.
It is important to keep in mind proportions when developing the props.

e) Color and Sound

Select colors that contrast.
To make your character stand out use bright colors.
Sound can provide the mood to your movie.If you character is doing a break dance you may wish to have this music as part of your animation and your character moving in time with the music If a door opens you may want the sound of a rusty hinge
.

f) Shooting The Movie

A digital camera will be used to shoot each scene so it is essential that you become familiar with it.
This is the longest part of the project and you must be very patient when doing this.
It is recommended that you use a tripod for your camera and mark the position of your tripod noting height and angle because it is essential that all the shots are taken from the same spot.
It is also recommended that you mark the postion (referred to as reference points) of your character on the set so that it can be returned to exactly the same spot after you have made adjustments to it if you are showing the character running for example. remember that you will be making small changes to indicate movement so it will be necessary to take alot of pictures.
Lighting is used to get rid of unwanted shadows and to make sure that your background is easily seen. The lighting you select dictates the mood presented and directs shadows to desired postions. If additonal lights are used it is recommended that you include a backlight too prevent the washing out of your character and the background.
To improve overall quality you may wish to try some other camera angles- taking camera shots from different positions. These can be integrated into your movie during the editing process.
- The Long Shot - is used to establish a scene's setting or atmosphere.
- The Mid -Shot - usually extends (on a person) from the foot to the head.
- Close-up - extends from either the waist to the head or the shoulder blade to the hair.
- The Real Close Up - usually of the face or a section of the face only attempting to maximize an expression possible.
- High Camera Angle - creates a viewpoint that diminishes a subject or give a panorama and is taken with the camera at a position higher than eye level, looking down.
- Low Camera Angle - .creates the illusion of a subject being larger or the sense that the character fees small in a tall environment and is taken with the camera at a position lower than eye level looking up.

g) Producing your claymation movie

iMovie will be be used as the production tool
Titles pages will be developed
Transitions will be used

Links For Projects

Links for Reference Materials