Stories have been an integral part of our history and culture with records dating back to cave drawings. Storytelling is a vehicle for information as well as an opportunity for entertainment. Stories inspire emotion, feeling and powerfully engage an audience.
Probably the most prominent aspect of a stop-motion film is the characters. They are the vehicle for story-telling and arguably the element of the film the audience find most memorable.
Over the years, many different puppet making techniques have emerged that have changed the face of stop-motion animation. These changes can be technical, helpful to the animators or they could simply be artistic changes that allow for new and interesting styles to emerge. Leaps in technology have also helped to merge these into one, creating aesthetically pleasing and easily accessible models.
Sunday would have been Ray Harryhausen the father of stop-motion’s 99th Birthday.
Paper-craft animation is loved the world over thanks to its charm, striking aesthetic and accessibility. Cut out animation was one of the earliest forms of stop-motion and is still a firm favourite with audiences today – thanks in no small part to the early seasons of South Park. We love nothing more than using the versatility and adaptability of paper to push the boundaries of stop-motion, creating 3D sculptures, handmade crafted characters and immersive environments.
Being a stop-motion animator is the ultimate job. What could be better than being paid to play around with puppets and make incredible films? But it’s not for the faint-hearted. Beyond the obvious skills of the job, there are less apparent attributes that are essential, paramount even, to being an incredible animator. Here are six of them:
When people think of stop-motion more often than not what springs to mind, after Wallace & Gromit of course, is the craft involved in making it. Not least the time. Oh, the time. Often described as ‘time-consuming’ or ‘painstaking’ stop-motion is by nature, not the quickest process around, but how long does it really take to make?
Video is set to rule social media in 2019, it’s been an upward trend since 2016 and today it’s never been so important. It’s simple, audiences engage better with moving pictures and social platforms reward this. From a personal page right through to the largest brands on the platforms everyone is using video, even Instagram, a channel built to showcase still imagery, has evolved its platform to keep up with this trend.
Everything IS awesome when it comes to LEGO™. It’s the toy that spans all generations, genders and geographies. It unites, it inspires and it gets people’s imaginations ignited. From the iconic brick to the tiny yellow characters, the possibilities are endless.
What better place to be than by the sea. We love animating and we get to do what we love in one of the most inspiring, exciting and culturally rich places in Britain. There are many reasons why being here in Margate is so important for our production studio, here are just a few reasons why we wouldn’t want to be anywhere else:
2019 is set to be a huge year for the Home of Cricket. Alongside a fixture list comprising of County Championship matches, International Tests and the T20 Blast, Lord’s will also play host to the ICC Cricket World Cup and The Ashes. So with one of the most eagerly anticipated cricketing summers in recent times fast approaching, what better way to prepare than by looking back at some of the most iconic moments in this famous ground’s rich history.
