WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP IN THE DEVELOPMENT OF ANIMATRONIC DESIGN IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY? MICHAEL LLOYD Extended Project Qualification Question 2017-2018 INTRODUCTION AND CONTENTS DEFINING THE AUDIO ANIMATRONIC, STATING IT’S PURPOSE AND IT’S ROLE IN THE WORLD The key feature of an animatronic which sets it aside from what we consider ‘robotic’ technology is the effect it has on people and how they are viewed in our society. I have chosen two robots, one fictional and one operating in the real world in order to address the issue of defining an animatronic Figure. 1 KUKA 6 axis CNC robotic arm used in industrial Figure.2 R2-D2, a fictional Astromec Service processes such as milling, assembly and manufacture. droid appearing in the Star Wars films. Image credit: KUKA Aktiengesellschaft Image credit: Sideshow Collectibles.com Case Studies a and b: KUKA industrial robot and R2 -D2 On the surface, these ‘robots’ both serve similar goals. KUKA produces UK based industrial manufacture robotics which serve a number of different industries in order to complete given tasks and processes with a higher level of accuracy and speed to a human being Fig 1. Within the Star Wars canon, R2-D2 Fig 2 serves a similar purpose yet his design and personality is far removed from the sleek efficiency of service ‘droids’ in our reality The reason which sets the robots of Star Wars far apart our own is the simple fact that, in a fictional setting, characters are designed to entertain audiences and explore new worlds. The priority to bring personality to a robot far outshines the need for R2-D2 to be entirely functional and efficient. As well as his appealingly stout, rounded shape, this droid also possesses a number of very human traits: The Voice: A collection of beeps and whistles programmed by sound designer Ben Burtt, who describes R2’s ‘voice’ as “a very human sounds (mixed) with the electronic sound. That way we’d have the character of a machine with the personality and emotion of a living organism” The Movement: Despite being a primarily radio controlled (RC) puppet, R2 was also puppeteered by actor Kenny Baker, who added a very strong human aspect to the robot’s movements on screen Fig. 3 R2D2 Fan art Love for the robots of Star Wars and other Science Fiction movies is most prominent Image credit: HillaryWhiteRabbit online, where an infinite amount of loving art and media created by fans Fig 3 is still DeviantArt.com being created to this day. The ‘R2-D2 builders club’ contains over 7000 active members and with the release of new Star Wars movies by the Walt Disney Company, R2 has found a purpose in our lives which has no relation to his intended function within the Star Wars canon This is where the core purpose of an animatronic begins to develop. The definition you could conclude using the example of R2D2 could be: A robot designed to prioritise personality over functionality However, as you will see within the following case studies, there are a multitude of non-robotic characters and creatures in film and media. However these characters fall under the category of animatronics because of their purpose and role within our lives I have created this definition: An animatronic is a character, designed specifically to create the illusion of life through computer technology or human input (such as puppetry) As for the purpose of animatronics, we can once again conclude from our first two case studies that: The purpose of an animatronic is to bring fantastical worlds and concepts into reality and create an appeal for characters which would otherwise not be noticed by an audience. Within this project, I hope to use a number of case studies to explore the following: 1. The early developments of the fundamental aspects of animatronic design Case study: Pierre Jaquet-Droz’s ‘The writer’ automata 2. The development of audio animatronics by the Walt Disney company for the theme park industry Case studies: Walt Disney’s Enchanted Tiki room and Great moments with Mr. Lincoln 3. The development of animatronics by Stan Winston studios for the film industry Case study: Jurassic Park 4. The use of live puppetry by Jim Henson and Frank Oz Case studies: Little Shop of Horrors’ Audrey 2 and Kermit the Frog Following these case studies, I will explore the modern state of special effects and puppetry and suggest the next logical step in the development of animatronic design within the entertainment industry, resulting in a proposal and review of my initial definitions for animatronics and their purpose. PART 1: PIERRE JAQUET-DROZ THE EARLY DEVELOPMENTS OF THE FUNDEMENTAL ASPECTS OF ANIMATRONICS AND THE GOLDEN AGE OF AUTOMATA Before the Walt Disney Company developed the technology for modern audio animatronics, concepts and ideas relating heavily to the ethos of the purpose I proposed in the introduction. Since the time of the ancient Greeks, the concept of creating the illusion of life has been a prominent field of exploration for engineers and artists alike however the biggest demand of automata came from nobles and rulers, who would employ skilled artists and engineers to build moving status symbols. As Mad Museum states in their history of automata: “They felt that these wonders of mechanics increased their armoury of influence. Inventors were only too happy to indulge the wishes of their rulers” It was not until the work of Pierre Jaquet-Droz, that automata began to enter the public eye and begin a long transition from the stuff of legend, to a part of many people’s daily entertainment. Case Study 1: The Writer (1774) The writer Fig 1 was one of three major automata built by Pierre Jaquet-Droz and his family in 1770s Switzerland. As a watchmaker, Pierre used his automata as a way of advertising his craft and his skill. The automata would tour Europe, marvelling audiences with their complex motion and intricate design. This was one of the first instances of a creator building an automata purely for their own gain and for the entertainment of a much wider audience. It could be seen the spark for the ‘Golden age of Automata’ in which Clockwork sculptures began to become widely available to the emerging middle class. With the height of the industrial revolution looming, Jaquet-Droz was ahead of his time in the field of automata and sealed it as a means of entertainment for the masses. The Writer is an entirely self-contained character, meaning that all of its mechanical technology is neatly packed into its own interior, unlike earlier ‘writing’ automata which would sit on a large box full of clockwork. Later animatronic technology would attempt to follow this trend for years to come as it encouraged a more efficient use of space and an overall more impressive and transportable product. The small boy sits at a wooden desk, armed with a quill, ink-well and a piece of paper. After activation, the arm and head of the boy begin to move and, after dipping his quill in the ink well, would write a name, phrase or image on the paper. On the surface, the mechanical technology needed to complete such a task sounds simple but the most revolutionary part of this automaton is that it can theoretically write an infinite range of words and draw an infinite number of pictures because Jaque-Droz designed the character to be programmable. This predates programmable computer technology by almost 50 years. By selecting particular letters and shapes from a number of cams, the programming wheel of the boy can be filled out and as he writes, the wheel is turned and recognised by the clockwork. Each cam on the wheel relates to a particular ‘pre-programmed’ movement which is located on a central column where a spine would be. The use of customisable programming technology is another aspect of animatronics which was later adopted by the Disney Company and is still in use today. The Writer, in my opinion, represents three fundamental aspects of the ethos of animatronics: Public appearance – relating to the ‘audience’ aspect of what I discussed in the introduction Entirely Internal structure – The compact nature of The Writer’s technology Programmable – A feature commonplace in modern animatronic technology Although there is no proof that The Writer directly influences companies like the Walt Disney Company and Stan Winston Studios, it is evident that Jaquet-Droz’s work was a milestone in the development of the ethos and technology behind animatronic technology. Figure 1 the writer. The use of a small boy as the character emphasises the Figure 2 the mechanical interior of the automata. Highlighted are the compact nature of the clockwork inside customisable programming wheel and pre-programmed ‘spine’ of data Image credit: Jaquet Droz.com Image credit: Jaquet Droz.com PART 2: WALT DISNEY STUDIOS THE DEVELOPMENTOF AUDIO ANIMATRONICS BY THE WALT DISNEY COMPANY FOR THE THEME PARK INDUSTRY The Walt Disney Company is regarded as the inventor of the modern animatronic, known, in full, as ‘Audio Animatronics’. The name is a contraction of three key technologies: 1) Audio – Characters are synchronised with sound and dialogue. 2) Animation – a specialty of Disney, being at the forefront of 2D animation techniques at the time. 3) Electronics – As opposed to clockwork and puppetry, animatronics use only electrical power to operate. Whilst these concepts may seem to be obvious to a modern day engineer, it was the Disney company who brought these technologies together first in order to bring life to characters in film and their theme parks.