I’ve got the animation itch

by ruralpearl | Dec 30, 2009 | Inspiration

It’s almost a new year so I’m going to ring it in with a gift to myself – something I’ve been wanting for a lonnggggg time… An 18 x 24 inch light box for backlighting silhouettes for some new stop-motion animation work. Also, a copy of iStopmotion from Boinx software. That’s the software I used to capture the animation I did back in 2004 (see it HERE!). Of course, after 3 complete computer failures and taking a long time to learn my lesson (always backup your stuff!) I’ve lost any and all software so I’m starting afresh. I had built my own light box/ camera rig for that animation but it’s since been dismantled and left for the dust back in NYC… Here’s some of my favorites on Youtube (and some of my main inspirations!):

Part 1 from “Princes et Princesses” by Michel Ocelot. Buy this and watch it over and over and over.

A fragment from “The Adventures of Prince Achmed” by Lotte Reiniger. My all time favorite – I did a portion of my masters’ thesis project on her. This was the first full length animation (Disney might disagree) ever produced (completed in 1926) and took Lotte three years to make.

I also recommend doing a search on Lotte Reiniger on Youtube to see other things she’s worked on (Hansel & Gretel.. Cinderella.. Jack and the Beanstalk)..

Here’s a few more stop-motion animators that I can’t leave out:

• Ladislaw Starewicz

• Yuri Norstein

• Terry Gilliam (of Monty Python fame)

I’ve also long admired the animation work endorsed by the National Film Board of Canada – you can watch animations on their website, and there’s also quite a few selections on youtube.