Context Of Practice 3 - Notes (Stop-motion, Barry Purves)

Here are the notes that I have gathered from reading Stop-motion written by Barry Purves. These are the quotes that I possible might use in my dissertation however I may not use them as I might find a better quote from a different book, so I will gather all my research before deciding what quote I may use.

Stop-motion.

‘Including a wealth of small details also helps provide the viewer with additional information about the scale of the figures and sets, giving the characters history and personality, locating them in their world.’ pg 28

‘Animators working with puppets are lucky that once a face has been sculpted, that detail is there for good.’ pg 30

‘if you are working with plasticine or clay a complicated face does still require a lot of work to maintain.’ pg 30

‘What people like about stop-motion animation its that it’s real. It’s like a magic trick, taking real things, real sets, and making them come to life with movement’ Joe Clokey pg 44

‘First, have a definite, clear practical ideal; a goal, an objective. Second, have the necessary means to achieve your ends; wisdom, money, materials, and methods. Third, adjust all your means to that end.’ Aristotle pg 53

‘Working with figurative characters such as puppets may perhaps seem an advantage, but even so the puppet has to be designed to maximise its potential for expression.’ pg 81

‘A cheap option is to make a skeleton from simple aluminium wire. Unfortunately these have very limited durability as, once bent, they simply can not be straightened again.’ pg 83

‘Also as you bend the wire into a desired shape it may bend elsewhere - causing all sorts of problems with continuity.’ pg 83

‘Generally, armatures are a series of ball - and - socket joints linked by stiff rods’ pg 83

‘An armature should be capable of free and subtle movement, without disturbing anything else, and yet should also be rock steady so as not to droop when the animator moves away.’ pg 83

‘Replaceable head can produce different facial expressions without having costly or complex internal mechanics’ pg 98

’... the fabricators if the puppets are larger than normal. If this is the case, then bear in mind that everything escalates once you decide to have larger puppets.’ pg 106

‘... very small puppets are fiddly and awkward.’ pg 106

‘Most puppets end up somewhere around 22-30cm (9-12inches).’ pg 106

‘Clay and plasticine are ideal materials to begin animating with as they are considerably cheaper than armatured puppets.’ pg 108

‘If you are planning elegant or delicate characters for your film, clay may not be appropriate.’  pg 108

‘Armatures are sometimes used for clay and animation puppets.’ pg 110

‘It is important to accept that finger prints and variations of skin texture are an inseparable part of working with clay.’ pg 110

Sand has also been a technique that Vera Neubauer, Caroline Leaf and Joanna Priestly have been a customed to. Look at ‘The Owl Who Married The Goose’ (1974), ‘The Metamorphis of Mr Samsa’ (1977), ‘Wheel Of Life’ (1996), ‘Bear With Me’ (2008).

Cut out is another technique that animators look to use. Look at ‘Bob On Site’ (2007), ‘The Tale of Sir Richard’ (2006), ‘Les Trois Inventeurs’ (1980).