Archive for the ‘history’ Category
john k: wheat from chaff
Posted by dermot on April 25, 2009 at 2:46 pmIn my previous post, I cited some excellent posts by John Kricfalusi on the subject of writing in animation. The problem with JK’s posts is separating the wheat from the chaff. In the comments to that piece, I mentioned the issue of “signal to noise” on his blog.
Here’s an exampe. John makes the assertion that [...]
richard williams & walks
Posted by dermot on March 30, 2009 at 11:34 amI got into animation in 1988 - fortunately, Don Bluth had recently set up his animation studio in Dublin around 1986; otherwise there would have been no way to enter the profession. One of the major inspirations at the time was “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988).
The animation director for that film was Richard Williams, who [...]
1948 scene converted to Flash
Posted by dermot on March 4, 2009 at 1:39 pmHere’s a scene from the 1940s animated propaganda cartoon “Going Places”.
I wanted to use this footage in my movie (a 30 minute animated documentary about oil, & growth), but as my film is in Flash, the lineweight and style just didn’t match. The best resolution I could find of the original was also too poor. [...]
preston blair: how to animate
Posted by dermot on February 4, 2009 at 4:25 pmEvery animation student should have a copy of “How to Animate” by Preston Blair - a book that’s trained countless animators over the decades. Here’s a sample page to give you a taste:
Go to the ASIFA website to download both volumes, for free:
Volume 1
Volume 2
Click on the different images at the linked site for larger [...]
nina paley vs. copyright insanity
Posted by dermot on January 6, 2009 at 10:36 pmNina Paley was (I believe) the first animator to make a short film using Flash - several years ago. Her latest piece is “Sita Sings the Blues”.
She set the film to music recorded in the 1920s. Although the song recording is in the public domain, it turns out that the song is STILL under copyright. [...]
winsor mccay: the sinking of the lusitania
Posted by dermot on December 19, 2008 at 10:38 amI must confess to a lack of enthusiasm for the Disney style of animation. It seems utterly conservative - a morass of visual cliches and tricks. Once you’re trained in it, it’s very difficult to escape though. There are animators who worked in the years BW (Before Walt). Surely the greatest is Winsor McCay, who, [...]