VolVol 22 IssueIssue 1111 February 1998 Stop Motion & Motion Capture The Politics of Performance Animation FoamFoam PuppetPuppet FrabicationFrabication ExplainedExplained BarryBarry Purves Purves ThrowsThrows DownDown thethe GauntletGauntlet Little Big Estonia InsideInside MedialabMedialab Table of Contents February, 1998 Vol. 2, No. 11 4 Editor’s Notebook Animation and its many changing faces... 5 Letters: [email protected] STOP-MOTION & MOTION-CAPTURE 6 Who’s Data Is That Anyway? Gregory Peter Panos, founding co-director of the Performance Animation Society, describes a new fron- tier of dilemmas, the politics of performance animation. 9 Boldly Throwing Down the Gauntlet In our premier issue, acclaimed stop-motion animator Barry J.C. Purves shared his sentiments on the coming of the computer. Now Barry’s back to share his thoughts on the last two years that have been both exhilarating and disappointing for him. 14 A Conversation With... In a small, quiet cafe, motion-capture pioneer Chris Walker and outrageous stop-motion animator Corky Quakenbush got together for lunch and discovered that even though their techniques may appear to be night and day, they actually have a lot in common. 21 At Last, Foam Puppet Fabrication Explained! How does one build an armature from scratch and end up with a professional foam puppet? Tom Brierton is here to take us through the steps and offer advice. 27 Little Big Estonia:The Nukufilm Studio On the 40th anniversary of Estonia’s Nukufilm, Heikki Jokinen went for a visit to profile the puppet ani- mation studio and their place in the post-Soviet world. 31 Wallace & Gromit Spur Worldwide Licensing Activity Karen Raugust takes a look at the marketing machine behind everyone’s favorite clay characters, Wallace & Gromit. 34 Performance Animation: Behind the Character Heather Kenyon goes behind the scenes of Medialab Studio LA to meet the people who create real- time, motion-captured characters by using a technique the studio calls “computer puppetry.” SURVEYS 40 How’d They Do That?: Stop-Motion Secrets Revealed We asked six stop-motion maestros to reveal a few tricks of the trade. Henry Selick, Barry Purves, David Fain, Andrew Ruhemann, Voltaire and Mikk Rand responded with an odd assortment of ingredients that may be useful to you in your next stop-motion film. THE STUDENT CORNER 42 California Summer School for the Arts: More Than an Education Jon Roslyn profiles an in-depth, unique summer school program designed for extremely talented and driven artistic youths. February 1998 FESTIVALS, EVENTS: 45 The Havana Connection 48 Cesar Coelho takes us to the most important film event in Latin cinema, The 19th International Festival of New Latin-American Cinema, held in Havana, Cuba. Available in Portugese and English. 50 NATPE: It’s A Tough Market But Someone is Selling... Heather Kenyon reports on NATPE 1998’s animated shows and the attending companies’ goals. It’s not just a syndicator’s show anymore. © Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE February 1998 2 Table of Contents February, 1998 Vol. 2, No. 11 54 The World Animation Celebration: Here It Comes Joy Kennelly highlights the different events of the World Animation Celebration which will be held in Pasadena, California February 16-21. FILMS 56 His Mother’s Voice: Dennis Tupicoff’s New Documentary Emru Townsend reviews Dennis Tupicoff’s new animated documentary, His Mother’s Voice, an explo- ration of an unexpected death. BOOKS 58 Forbidden Animation: A Valuable Contribution Mark Langer reviews Karl Cohen’s new book, Forbidden Animation: Censored Cartoons and Blacklisted Animators in America, a catalogue of censorship. 61 Digital Cinematography: A Good Place to Start Bill Fleming reviews Ben de Leeuw’s Digital Cinematography, a book that discusses the art of story- telling in 3-D computer animation. SOFTWARE 65 The New Maya Sets Sail On February 1, Alias|Wavefront is beginning to ship their latest animation software, Maya and Maya Artisan. Max Sims is here to tell us how it compares and what we can expect from this new tool. HIDDEN TREASURES: 68 The International Museum of Cartoon Art Relocated from New York City, a unique collection of original cartoon art exists in Boca Raton, Florida. From comic books and strips to magazine illustrations, find out why it is worth the trip... NEWS 70 Animation World News PDI signs on for Shrek, Nick says “Oh Yeah!” to shorts and we say good-bye to Mae Questel, Cameron Guess and Lillian Bounds Disney. DESERT ISLAND 80 On A Desert Island With. .Movers and Shakers Corky Quakenbush, Chris Walker and Barry Purves. AWN COMICS 81 Dirdy Birdy by John Dilworth February 1998 82 Next Issue’s Highlights 8 This Month’s Contributors Cover: Motion-capture animation technology makes anything possible. Protozoa created a 3-D “Virtual Bill Clinton” for a special on MTV called, “The State of Music Videos,” which aired on the cable network after the President’s annual “State of the Union” address on January 27, 1998. MTV plans to use the real-time animated character for live broadcast in the future. The “Virtual Bill” image is courtesy of and © MTV Networks. © Animation World Network 1998. All rights reserved. No part of the periodical may be reproduced without the consent of Animation World Network. ANIMATION WORLD MAGAZINE February 1998 3 by Heather Kenyon Animation and its many chang- cinating though was one day call for a ban on ing faces... their definitions of digitally cloning a animation. No human being? What t continues to stun me how the longer are we speak- havoc could someone world of animation techniques ing about a standard with enough money, Icontinue to grow. When I first sat definition of “frame and motive, cause? Will down with the editorial calendar, by frame manipula- we ever be able to trust now almost nine months ago tion.” Rather, they our eyes again? Of (where did that time go...), I agreed that live- course, Hollywood’s thought the subjects of stop-motion action scenes that high-concept feature and motion-capture were a very both create “magical films are already there odd pairing indeed. Sure, they are worlds” or “hyper- with Wag the Dog. both forms of 3-D animation but realism” can be Everyone scoffs and says one revolves around high-tech gear defined as animation the plot is highly unlike- and computer programmers and as long as they “feel” animated. I ly, but then there’s people out there the other around small models and think as time goes on this is going that still believe what they see in sets. However, this has turned out to to be a more and more interesting out-of-context video clips is the be one of the most interesting issues question. (If I call you for an inter- truth. for me. I know I say this every view...be prepared.) The lines When I was an intern at month, but this time, while compil- between live-action and animation Turner Feature Animation and ing the issue, I found myself draw- are blurring as we forge into the doing script coverage, they told me ing an amazing number of correla- areas of photorealistic 3-D, amazing that one of my highest considera- tions between the two techniques special effects and motion-capture. tions was whether or not a proper- and about the meaning of anima- When we combine these tech- ty was “animatable.” Did it contain tion as a whole. niques with more traditional ones, magic, mystery, the supernatural; Our lunch with Chris Walker an even wider array of choices an element that truly merited being and Corky Quakenbush was an eye- appear. For instance, I walked into animated as opposed to being opener. By the time we left, we real- Medialab expecting to find the per- filmed in live-action. I always went ized that they are both walking formance animators to be out-of- forth and looked for morphing pink down a narrow alley in-between work Los Angeles actors. However, elephants, werewolves, etc., but the worlds of animation and live- what I found were highly-skilled now it seems that with special action. Moreover, they are probably puppeteers who were applying this effects, live-action people are ask- slowly heading toward one anoth- “old” technique to a new technol- ing themselves, ‘How can we add er as new innovations arise. Both ogy. a little magic, a truly unexpected shoot scenes almost like a live-action And then there is Gregory surprise?’ The answer seems to be sitcom and move the camera, a là Peter Panos’ article. When I first read coming back much more often, live-action. Plus, both were drawn his article I thought, “Copying Bill ‘Animation!’ in all of its hybrid forms. to their particular techniques par- Clinton, right. You can’t do that. I tell you, every month I sit tially because of the tangible feel- Someone wouldn’t allow that.” Well, here the magazine seems to get ing that accompanies 3-D anima- even before we went to print I was smaller because the arena of ani- tion. Their love of animation and proven wrong by MTV’s special, mation grows and I want to include live-action was also revealed as they “The State of Music Videos.” I think everything. Where will it end? frequently spoke of live-action fea- we are in for a wild and wooly ride Nobody knows...and that’s why it ture films. Unlike most of our guests, when it comes to future applications is so much fun to be sitting here, they have both included quite a few of motion-capture.