Independent Animators in History

Suzan Pitt was a painter that fell into animation. Her painterly skills are shown throughout this film:
ASPARAGUS


Joanna Priestly - her website
VOICES


Bill Plympton is one of the most known independent animators. His work was frequently played on MTV and he continues to create a large library of work. Plymptoons website
LEARN TO KISS


25 WAYS TO QUIT SMOKING

25 Ways To Quit Smoking - More free videos are here

Don Hertzfeldt has become one of the most popular contemporary independent animators. His style is very simple but he puts a large amount of work into creating the specific look and timing that is in his work. He works with no digital equipment and shoots his films analogue. HE also is a big stickler for viewing the films in the highest quality possible and really hates that people watch them online. So HERE YOU GO!
BILLY'S BALLOON


REJECTED CARTOONS


William Kentridge is a fine artist and his work is considered so. Doing his animations in charcoal and editing the same picture over and over, a ghost image remains from the path of moving objects. It is very hard to view his work outside of a museum or art gallery since this is the only way he chooses them to be seen and experienced. You can catch some clips of his work on YouTube if you like.


Yuri Norstein is a Russian animator who does beautiful work with cut out animation. He is currently having trouble finding someone to finance his films since the fall of the Soviet Union.
TALES OF TALES

Stop Motion History.

Lets look through some clips for the history of Stop Motion!!!

This film, The Cameraman's Revenge, was the first character stop motion animation. It was made by Ladislas Starewitch, who was fascinated by bugs. In trying to capture the mating rituals of bugs, he found it difficult, since when ever he turned on the light, the bugs would just scurry away. So he produced this system of moving dead bugs to make his own tales and stories.
THE CAMERAMAN'S REVENGE


Next came Willis O'Brien. His independent films did not succeed due to unimaginative gags and story, but the technique was beautiful. This led him into the special effects business for Hollywood films. He is the man who made King Kong live.
KING KONG


This next film was also credited to Willis O'Brien, but is mostly the work of O'Brien's talented Pupil, Ray Harryhousen.
MIGHTY JOE YOUNG


Ray Harryhousen has a wildly imaginative talent that led to some great Sci-Fi classics. Here is some clips of his work from the various movies he has immortalized. He considers himself more of a technician than an artist.
RAY HARRYHOUSEN CLIPS


Jiri Trnka was a Czechoslovakian animator. His Junior High art teacher was one of the last great puppeteers left in the world, and Jiri was greatly influenced by this. Check out the beautiful wooden puppets in this film.
THE HAND - PART 1


THE HAND - PART 2


Jan Svankmajer produced his animations with found objects, rather that manufacturing puppets to animate. This sometimes disgusting and gritty approach creates a very unique quality to his work.
MEAT LOVE


DIMENSIONS OF DIALOGUE - PART 1


DIMENSIONS OF DIALOGUE - PART 2


Greatly influenced by Svankmajer's aesthetic, the Brothers Quay step into the spotlight with utterly beautiful and disturbing set design and characters. Unlike Svankmajer, there is no humor to balance out the disturbing imagery.
THE STREET OF CROCODILE

Watch 19. Street of Crocodiles (Timothy & Stephen Quay, 1986) in

Fall 2009 Class Schedule

26-2075 01 Digital Aniamtion Techniques I, S. Perkins, Monday 9a - 11:50a

26-3050 01 Acting for Animators, F. Maugeri, Monday 3:30p - 6:20p

26-2030 02 Stop-Motion Animation, D. Crisanti, Monday 6:30p - 9:20p

26-2010 01 Animation Camera & Sound, B. Young, Wednesday 9a - 11:50a

51-1330 03 Japanese I, B. Traczyk, Monday & Wednesday 1p - 2:50p

I am really excited for these classes. I know I will have fun in Frank Maugeri's Acting for Animators class. In Camera & Sound is where we learn timing on dope sheets and start dealing with sound and lip sync.