Animators

Nick Park, Tim Burton and The Brothers Quay

Nick Park and Tim Burton are both renowned famous animators, they have created some incredible pieces. Although they are both in  the same line of work, they couldn't be more different.

Nick Park and Aardman

Nick park is one of the lead animators working at Aardman animations, he has helped to produce films such as 'Wallace and Gromit' and small programs like 'Creature Comforts'.

How it started - 

Aardman animations is a British animation studio based in Bristol. The studios were founded in 1972 by Peter Lord and David Sproxton with their dream of producing an animated motion picture. One of their first major animations was a collaboration with director Stephen Johnson and the Brother Quay for Peter Gabriel's multi award winning music video 'Sledgehammer'.

Types of Animation -

Claymation:

Aardman is renowned for it's claymation and it is their most popular method for making films, their most well know series of claymation films are the Wallace and Gromit films. Claymation is made using clay puppets. There are usually multiple versions of each puppet in case anything goes wrong with one of them. Also, each puppet has hundreds of hand sculpted replacement heads for each syllable or movement of the mouth for when the puppet is speaking.

Pixilation:

Recently, Aardman has created a pixilation short in collaboration with Nokia called 'Gulp'. It is a short clip of a fisherman's tale, all shot using Nokia N8 phones. 

Here are links to the clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieN2vhslTTU) and the 'making of' video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fza5QdTfyxs).

Successes - 

Aardman have had many successes over the years, one of their most successful; Chicken Run, grossed over 10 million on its opening weekend alone. 

It was so successful that it was nominated for a BAFTA, a Golden Globe and a Kids Choice award. The film was their first feature length claymation film.

Another very popular series by Aardman Animations is the Wallace and Gromit series. These films include 'A Grand Day Out', 'The Wrong Trousers' and 'A Close Shave', the latter winning two Academy Awards.

  

Currently - 

Currently Aardman have moved on to more Computer Animated films, such as: 'Flushed Away'and 'Arthur Christmas'. Also, they have started to produce 3D stop-motion films, their first being 'The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists'. 

They are now working in a three year contract with Sony Pictures Entertainment to finance, co-produce and distribute feature films.

Tim Burton

Tim Burton is a film director, film producer, writer and an artist. He is famous for his dark themed films like Edward Scissorhands, A Nightmare Before Christmas and Beetlejuice.

How it started - 

Tim Burton graduated from CalArts, a specialist visual and performing arts institute, in 1979. He was offered an apprenticeship at Walt Disney Productions' animation studio after the success of his shot film 'Stalk of the Celery Monster'. Once he started working for Disney he made the short 'Vincent' and his first live action, 'Hansel and Gretel'. His next short, released in 1984, Frankenweenie, got him fired from Disney as he wasted the company's resources on a film that was too scary and dark for children. After this, he decided he would make a full-length film.

Types of animation - 

Claymation:

One of Tim Burton's most well known films 'The Nightmare Before Christmas' uses claymation. It is made using clay puppets that have an individual armature inside so as they are easy to pose. There are usually multiple versions of each puppet in case anything goes wrong with one of them. Also, each puppet has hundreds of hand sculpted replacement heads for each syllable or movement of the mouth for when the puppet is speaking.

Pixilation:

Another of his well know films is Beetlejuice, this is a live action film about two people who survive a car crash and after many subtle hints find out they are dead. The reason this is relevant is that it has many aspects of the film that are filmed using stop motion.

This is a scene from the film in which you see the stop motion being used (http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&v=ei-2xTsyL8w&NR=1).

Successes - 

Beetlejuice was a very popular film, it was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding animated programme.Corpse Bride was also very successful as it was nominated twice, once for the 'best animated feature' BAFTA and once for the 'animated motion picture' from the Producer Guild of America Awards.

Currently - 

Currently, Tim Burton is still producing films, such as; Charlie and the Chocolate factory, planet of the apes and Alice in wonderland.

Also, he is about to release the re-make of his original film that got him fired from Disney, Frankenweenie.

The Brothers Quay

The Brothers Quay, Stephen and Timothy are American identical twin brothers. They are influential stop motion animators, their well know for 'street of crocodiles' and 'In Absentia'.

How it Started -

The Quay Brothers moved to England in 1969 to study at the Royal College of Art in London, this was after they had finished studying illustration at the Philadelphia College f Art. Once in England, they started to make some of their first short films, of which no longer exist as the only print was damaged beyond repair. Some time was spent in the Netherlands during the 1970s and late returned to England where they teamed up with another student for Royal College. This was Keith Griffiths, who was the producer of all their films. The trio formed a studio in 1980, Koninck Studios, which is based in Southwark in South London. 

Types of Animation - 

Puppet Animation:

The Brothers' work is not specifically set to one genre of stop motion animation. Most of their films are mainly consistent of puppet animation. One of their most well known films that uses puppet animation is 'Street of Crocodiles'. This method is similar to claymation in the fact that the puppets are moved shot by shot and multiple aspects of the puppets are used.

Claymation:

The Brothers Quay use some claymation in some of their work, they do not use it as often, but it is still one of their talents. The video that I am showing is the music video for Peter Gabriel's song 'Sledgehammer', the film also had work from Aardman Animations and was a collaboration between the two.

Successes - 

The critical success of Street of Crocodiles gave the Quay Brothers artistic freedom to explore a shift in subject matter, in part originating in literary and poetic sources that led to exploration of new aesthetic forms, but also because they were able to make extensive experiments in technique, both with cameras and on large stage sets.

Currently - 

Currently the Brothers Quay are creating more films, such as: Through the weeping Glass and have this year helped to create a major city-wide art instillation; OverWorlds and UnderWorlds.