Matthew Marshall is the lead animator at Aardman Animations. The presentation discusses the history and evolution of stop motion animation, including different styles like claymation, 2D animation, and CGI. It covers several pioneers of animation techniques, from early creators like Joseph Plateau and the zoetrope to modern animators like Tim Burton. The presentation also discusses how animation is used in different mediums like video games, advertising, and TV channel idents.

2. Introduction
My name is Matthew Marshall and i am the Lead animator at Aardman Animations
the leading developers of stop motion claymation.
This presentation is going to be about the many styles of stop motion animation
and just how stop motion has evolved into what we know it as today.

3. The Different Forms of
Animation

4. Stop Motion Animation
Stop Motion Animation is the animation type we
specialise in at Aardman Animations. It is made by
taking many photos and placing the photos together
to create a video. This style of animating is a long
and painful process as it takes between 12 - 24
frames every single second, this can lead to
animations done this way taking sometimes years to
make as every single second needs 24 pictures of
miniscule movements on a set.

5. 2D Animation
Vector Based Animations are
animations created on computers
with software such as “Flash”, this
type of animation differs from
traditional animation because it is
usually seen as a lot smoother as
well as it allowing creators to
create rigs of the “characters” so
they can be moved easily without
any more drawing.
Traditional Animation
which brought the
success of Walt Disney
was originally done by
drawing each frame on
transparent pieces of
paper then it is
individually
photographed and made
into a video, nowadays
however it is done very
simply with a drawing
tablet of some kind and
an animation studio.
There are two types of 2D
animation, Vector Based
Animations and Traditional
Animation.

6. CGI Animation
Computer Generated Imagery (CGI) Animation is a style of animation that is used
in almost every film released in the modern era. It is used in the massive
blockbuster hits such as the avengers and transformers to create entire cities and
landscapes with ease. Most film sets today are formed of the actors, some props
and a giant green screen which editors use to create the CGI.

7. Weather Cycle Animation
If you want to make your own 2d stop motion animation like i
have here then it is very simple. First download an app which
is specifically designed for stop motion animation. Next think
of your idea but don't make it to complex or difficult to do
otherwise you will be stuck confused and lost. After that setup
the camera in a stable position so when you take the images
it doesn't move. Lastly slowly move what you want in the
frame and take a picture and after you are happy with your
product go into the settings of the app and mess around with
the framerate and other specifications to get the perfect
speed for your animation. The ideal frame rate is between 12-
24 frames per second. I highly recommend a stop motion
specific app for this as taking the pictures and placing them
inside an editing software can be very tedious and advanced,
also most apps allow you to add effects to your film as well as
allowing you to change specifications such as frame rate etc.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=17PxUb7wSX8

8. Claymation Animation
If you would rather create a 3d animation it is
exactly the same process as the 2d
animation however you must spend time
creating the sculptures for your animation
which can be a very slow and painfully
tedious task. There are a few issues with
claymation animation, some of these are: It
is very slow, the model may fall apart, it
normally takes longer to animate and
storage of the models needs to be perfect to
make sure there not damages.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C74D8wXXxw8

9. Bird in a cage (Thaumatrope)
A thaumatrope is a device which creates an
optical illusion, combining two separate
images into one. It was invented in the 19th
century by William Henry Fitton in 1864. To
create your own thaumatrope cut out a
circle of card and draw half of an image on
one side and on the reverse of the card
draw the other half. Punchter two holes in
either side of the card and place some
stringer or a string substitute through them,
now just twizzle the strings and the image
will magically form together. This is
because of the “persistence of vision”

10. Persistence of Vision
The persistence of vision is when
your eye retains an image in your
view for a certain amount of time, this
time is usually extremely short
however so it is not noticeable.
Because of this persistence of vision
if a picture is shown fast enough the
two images combine for a split
second creating the illusion that they
are one image.

11. Stop Frame
Stop motion is a style and technique of
animation which we at Aardman
specialise in. It involves taking 100s or
even 1000s of images of a small model
slowly moving in each picture. The main
way this is used is with claymation
however it is also used with models/toys
instead of clay.

12. Frame Rate
Frame Rate is the amount of pictures/frames there
is in 1 second of footage. Also known as FPS frame
rate is used in all forms of video format including
films, tv, animations and video games. The
standard fps for films is 24 but for animation
around 15 is acceptable. Higher frame rates are
being looked into for films with 60 being the
targeted number as this is usually the hz of most
monitors and tv’s.

13. The Pioneers

14. Timeline of the Pioneers

15. Joseph Plateau
Techniques
Joseph Plateau was the inventor of the Phenakistoscope. The Phenakistoscope
was an invention that allowed spectators to view a moving 2D image almost like a
Gif. It was a wooden disk with pictures painted on it of the animations steps eg
someone dancing then when the spectator wanted to view the animation they
would look through another disk into a mirror and the animation would seem like it
was moving, it did this because of the persistence of motion principle. The main
problem with the Phenakistoscope is that only one person can view it at a time
and the animations were also very short.

16. William Horner
Techniques
William Horner is the inventor of the Zoetrope. The Zoetrope was an advanced
version of the Phenakistoscope, it developed on it by providing the ability for
multiple people to view as well as it making it possible for the animation to be a
little longer. It was very similar to the Phenakistoscope however instead of a disk it
was a cylinder (almost like a lamp shade), because of this shape it could be
viewed from multiple angles.

17. Charles-Emile Reynaud
Techniques
Charles-Emile Reynaud built upon the design by william horner and invented a
projector like machine which projected the small animation on to a wall. However
in 1888 he created a larger version of the projector called the “Theatre Optique”
which projected his first film called “Pauvre Pierrot” which was the first animated
film consisting of 500 separately painted images.
Examples of Works
● Pauvre Pierrot
● Le Clown et Ses Chiens
● Un Bon Bock

18. Muybridge and Edison
Techniques
Eadweard Muybridge and Thomas Edison where the inventors of the Kinetoscope.
The Kinetoscope was a large box that an individual would stand over and view a
short film that consisted of hundreds of pictures which would create the illusion of
movement by travelling by the viewing hole quickly.
Examples of Works
● Fred Ott’s Sneeze
● Blacksmith Scene
● Leonard-Cushing Fight

19. Lumiere Brothers
Techniques
The Lumiere Brothers set out to stop the problem of the “peephole kinetoscope”,
they did this by inventing a new device called the cinematograph. The
cinematograph was a device which could take photos but also project the images
onto a wall. The device used 16fps which was a significant drop from the
Kinetoscopes 48fps.
Examples of Works
● Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory
● Arrival of a Train at La Ciotat
● Baby’s Dinner

20. Willis H. O’Brien
Techniques
Willis O’Brien was possibly the biggest pioneer in stop motion animation. He used
clay created characters with a skeleton model inside to create the special effects
for his movies. He would move the model slightly and take a picture for each
movement, this was a painstaking process as it would take days to complete just
one sequence, the famous fight between Kong and the T-Rex took 7 weeks to
animate.
Examples of Works
● The Lost World
● King Kong
● Mighty Joe Young

21. Ray Harryhausen
Techniques
Harryhausen was the apprentice to O’Brien learning many of his techniques and
copying his style however Harryhausen created his own form of animation known as
“Dynamation”. Dynamation was an animation technique which split the background
and foreground of pre shot footage, this allowed him to seamlessly add in his
animations into the footage. Harryhausen also was one of the biggest in color film with
his biggest creations being the 7th voyage of sinbad and Jason and the argonauts etc.
Examples of Works
● Mighty Joe Young
● The 7th Voyage of Sinbad
● Jason and the Argonauts

22. Ray Harryhausen Developments
Ray Harryhausen started of in the black and white era of filmmaking creating works such as
Mighty Joe Young. The way it is made is very similar to Willis O’Brien as he also worked on
mighty joe young. However when color came to the cinema Harryhausen's style really took
place with the heavy incorporation of tropical islands and giant monsters. Models with
skeletons were used to make animation easier for the larger creatures (which were
incorporated into all his films). There is also references to Willis O’Brien throughout his
work an example being the fight between the cyclops and the dragon in the 7th voyage of
Sinbad is a reference to the fight between kong and the T-Rex.

23. Jan Svankmajer
Techniques
Jan Svankmajer was very different in the way he used stop motion animation, he
used it to create nightmarish and horror like films. Sound was a major part of
Svankmajer's work, it changed the mood of his work and exaggerated the
message of his films.
Examples of Works
● The Last Trick
● Darkness Light Darkness
● Punch and Judy

24. The Brothers Quay
Techniques
The Brothers Quay carried on this style of horror stop motion but instead of
claymation they used miniatures such as dolls and tiny objects. The Brothers
Quay animations were one of the biggest inspirations to Tim Burton who is one of
the biggest animators today. There original inspiration where Eastern European
literature and classical music and art also known as the Gothic style.
Examples of Works
● Streets of Crocodiles
● The Cabinet of Jan Svankmajer
● Rain Dance

25. Tim Burton
Techniques
Tim Burton is probably the most famous animator in the modern era because of
his works like The Nightmare Before Christmas. He originally worked at Disney
however he was fired for not fitting into the Disney ideology as he was more
interested in working in a gothic style. Burton used claymation on his early work
but decided to use models and miniatures for his films.
Examples of Works
● The Nightmare Before Christmas
● Vincent
● Corpse Bride

26. Tim Burton Developments
Tim Burton started off with his short film vincent based on the edgar allen poe
poem. It perfectly shows the gothic style he choose to include throughout all his
works. After Vincent he started to create live action films such as Beetlejuice
and Edward Scissorhands, even though he stepped away from animation during
this time he still incorporated the gothic style into all of his films. Later on in his
career he moved back to stop motion animation to create The Nightmare Before
Christmas for disney which shows how his gothic but also child friendly style is
incorporated into his films.

27. Aardman's Animations
Techniques
Our company Aardman’s Animations is one of the leading creators in the UK for stop motion
content. We originally created the children's tv show “Morph” but the creators of Aardman’s
Animations wanted to create shows for adults as well as children and this gave birth to “The Wrong
Trousers” the first creation to feature Wallace and Gromit. The 30 minute film is one of the most
acclaimed and successful animated films ever made. The company went on to create their first full
length film “Chicken Run” which like their previous works became and instant hit with people of all
ages.
Examples of Works
● Chicken Run
● Wallace And Gromit
● Morph

28. Aardman Animations Development
Most of Aardman Animations most well known and earliest work is the show
morph. Morph used claymation technique and created the groundwork of
what the aardman style became, morph contained no voices and instead
had noises to replace them talking. Through the middle of the aardman
career they created films like chicken run and wallace and gromit. Both of
these contained much smoother animations as more pictures where used,
they also both contained voice acting through (apart from gromit).

29. Animation used in different
media

30. Video Games
Almost all video games are made up entirely of animation because of the way it can be used to create
these new worlds that video games require. 3d animation is the most used form of animation in this regard
as it grants the most versatility as well as some of the most popular games being 3d rather than 2d. An
example of this 3d animation being used in a video game is Bioshock which is one of my personal
favorites. 2d animation is also used mostly for the genre of games “2d platformers” as this technique
easily fits into the game and is arguably easier to
achieve then 3d animation. An example of 2d
animation used in video games is the game Cuphead
which uses a 2d animation style almost identical to the
old fashioned disney animation style that was used in
the old Mickey Mouse animations etc. Video games
can also be influenced by animated works for example
there are games set in the universe of The Nightmare
Before Christmas, these games are Oogie’s Revenge
and The Pumpkin King.

31. Advertising
Animation is also used in tv advertising however not as much as it is used in short
films etc. Most of the animated adverts using the claymation technique are made
by us at Aardman's Animation, our main advertisements are the DFS animations
and the Change 4 Life animations. Lots of other forms of animation are used in
advertising such as 2d animations for the coco pop adverts and the Melbourne
Metro Safety adverts. 3d animation is also used by many different brands such as
the Compare the Market advertisements.

32. Channel Idents
Animation is the main form that channel idents take as it can be easy and good
looking if it is only for a short period of time. Channel 4 seems to be the main user
of the different forms of animation with them using the 3d,2d and claymation
techniques. They catch an audience's attention because of the colors and the
visual elements that can be placed into them which can be very hard or even
impossible to achieve with live action footage.

33. Evaluation
Looking at the way that animation has progressed through the years i believe that
all of the basics have been met already and now it is only the framerate and the
quality that can be improved upon now. With the rise of VR over the past couple of
years animation (specifically 3d animation) will make a massive impact and will be
used continuously in this new form of media viewing.