Stop Motion Geek

Seth Green's company Stoopid Buddy Stoodios ( Robot Chicken ) has made some pretty awesome Stopmo before.  But, there about to leave all there other work in the confetti dust. As the Hollywood Reporter reported (what the fudge else would it be doing?) that SBS will be coming out with a web-exclusive show, set to come out this July 24th.  Check out the article

If you haven't seen the [Adult Swim] show  The Venture Bros well, there's not much of a plot, let's leave it at that.  In a recent episode there was a scene that was in Stop Motion.  The scene was played out in a similar way to the scene in  Clash of the Titans

NO! -I'm not DEAD! I was just on Holiday (and yes, I have't posted anything for a week).  Armikrog., the Stop Motion point and click video-game reached it's goal of $900,000 on June 7th, 2013.  They reached it, with $74,578 to spare...

If you missed the Stoopid Buddy Stoodios' animation director Alex Kamer hands-on tutorial at the Walt Disney Family Museum.  Well, you won't want to miss this.  Check out this awesome article by the guys over at The Walt Disney Family Museum ! Speaking of articles, there is an interview with Peter Lord over on Aardman's website. Part #1 of the interview . Part #2 of the interview .

This is a beautiful and marvelous masterpiece of animation.  It's a music video by Iron and Wine , for there song Joy  and from there album Ghost on Ghost .  It is brilliantly animated, and worth your time watching. Iron and Wine "Joy" from Hayley Morris on Vimeo . Now there is a behind the scenes video , I put it below... "Joy" Behind the Scenes from Hayley Morris on Vimeo .

The Eagleman Stag is a short from 2011.   The Eagleman Stag is very strange and beautiful.  But come on!  The guy created the entire thing with an X-acto knife, that includes grass!  Seriously, I'm going to have to hand off the third Monthly SMG Award to Michel Please for this visually stunning nine minute film. THE EAGLEMAN STAG from Mikey Please on Vimeo . Now the behind the scenes are below.

One of my many animation heroes is Barry Purves.  Barry was an animator at Aardman for awhile but, he soon ventured out on his own to create his own shorts.  My favorite short of his is Next , the plot is that a young William Shakespeare, without saying a word, gives a quick run through of all his plays in an audition.  Well the only word being spoken is "next". BARRY'S WEBSITE:  http://www.barrypurves.com/Next

Yes, it's back to the olden days, back when the idea of Stop Motion was the brainchild of Willis O' Brien.   King Kong , is the most influential movie in history as far as I'm concerned.  Willis O' Brien, was born on March 2, 1886 in Oakland, California.  He did run away at the age of 13 but, as most do after running away, returned at the age of 17.  Now into the Stop Motion aspect of it all.  Finding himself with some time to kill one afternoon,

The first fruitcake that I'm were going to shove into your faces goes by the name of The Shadow King .  Henry Selick, director of Coraline and The Nightmare before Christmas , has got to be one of the most influential characters of the 20th and 21st century (in the Stopmo industry).  I am very excited about his upcoming film The Shadow King , which is the first film to be produced by his studio Cinderbiter.  It does not have a trailer yet, but does have a release date: October 3rd 2013.  The synopsis is this: Hap Dagger, a nine-year-old orphan, hides his fantastically weird hands from a cruel world. But when a Living Shadow Girl teaches him to make amazing hand shadows that come alive, his hands become incredible weapons in a shadow war against a ravenous Monster who could destroy Hap’s brother and all of New York.

Before the movie A Town called Panic was released there were the shorts.  Aardman, was kind enough to translate the shorts from French to English; but, you know, I do like reading subtitles more than it given to me  on a silver platter though.   A Town called Panic is sort of interesting, because it's sort of like what would happen if you gave a seven-year-old and a nine-year-old a ton of toys and a camera.  Then, tell them to animate a short film. Cake Part 1 ...

Crab , is one of five different films from the same script.  Yes, it is an advertisement for Bombay Sapphire's Imagination Series (alcohol).  Which reminds me: "Is there an Al, Alcohol here?" (Moe form The Simpsons).  What, was that too lame?  It's still an awesome short film, so, watch it below...

Sorry I'm Late , is short film that is BANANAS! - It looks like the kind of video that you would make with your friends on a dreary day.  Over all, I think that it is a whole lot of fun, so, just watch it below.  It is using a process called pixelation, in which you use a human as your

"Lunar Attraction" , is a short film in Stop Motion .  Michelle Arbon, is an artist who lives in the UK, she is in a collaboration with the artist Mab Graves .

The BIG Story is a Cal Arts 1995 film.  It is directed both by Tim Watts and David Stoten.  First, if you haven't seen the film watch it, along with the pencil test.  By the was, The BIG Story was a Oscar Nominee. The BIG Story                             

Folding paper, got it.  Origami is very interesting, especially in Stop Motion. There was a ton of labor that went into this project (in case you haven't noticed). It was directed by  Peter Sluszka , and produced by Hornet inc.   Yes, I is just folding paper, but, still... This is the behind the scenes video is below...

This is a very special commercial, why? - The answer is that it is made by Wes Anderson and the crew that worked on Fantastic Mr. Fox .  This commercial was made at LAIKA/house Studios.  I loved Fantastic Mr. Fox , loved it!

Pigeon Pilfer, is an interesting short film I found a while ago. Pigeon Pilfer from Michael Stevenson on Vimeo . Where should I get my armatures?  Well, right now I can tell you three places.

So help me, I can not figure out why I'm not putting this post in the FAQs page.  Still, here it goes. A question that I probably get asked the most is: "I don't have a ton of money to put to Stop Motion, but I need to know exactly what to do.  Is there a good website or book that can help me?" Dear (Joe, maybe) [Stop Motion enthusiast], The book you should look into getting is

Animation is great, but, without a story nothing will work.  As this very well told video by TED will explain to you how to tell a story.  Now, even if you think you know how to tell a story and are too stuck-up to watch, well even you need correction sometimes.

We got here fairly quickly, and by here I mean 100 posts .  First, I would like to thank you, the fans of Stop Motion for supporting SMG and animation in general. Now, It's time for my review of Boinx's iStopMotion 3.1, what I like about it, what I didn't and straight up giving you a fresh baked stopmo video straight from Stop Motion Geek!

The goal of $350,000 has been reached; the deadline is Friday Jun 7, 1:45pm EDT.  Every nickle helps!  For a late contribution tally, go here - HARBINGER DOWN on Kickstarter I've covered HARBINGER DOWN in a previous post . Lets watch there awesome Kickstarter video...

Aardman's Rex the Runt is pretty friggin' awesome.  It has the same sort of vibe that The Simpsons has, but with an eccentric British touch.   Rex the Runt is brilliant; also is a funny kind of show.   One that will get me laughing, not the kind of belly laughter, but the kind of laughter that you get from watching Futurama , a sort of amusing humor.  Rex the Runt is shot on a flat

We here at SMG love traditional animation (2D animation) too .  You know, the original Bugs Bunny, Woddy Woodpecker, and all the other cartoons before the late '90s.  I truly love this short ( More than Just a Hobby ) in fact, it stuck me a bizarre

I recently have uncovered a gem of a Stop Motion company, the name: Comma Studios (2007-now).  Although they do not have a large show-reel they surely show potential. The first video made by Comma Studios is: Boto's Christmas.  I believe that it is superb craftsmanship and animantion. Boto's christmas 보토스 크리스 마스 from comma studio on Vimeo . Next, is a...

George Lucas is hinting at his next project: a museum dedicated to arts such as illustration, comics, film design and animation (all the things that we worshiped through the '30s to present day, just in case you weren't aware).  Lucas says, and I quote: "this museum, if anything, is a dedication to cultural fantasy".  According to an interview with CBS, he initially plans

Everybody loves Jim Henson, creator of the Muppets.  Jim started off as a young teenager when he acquired his first job as a puppeteer.  His first job was to write/puppeteer/voice act/ and draw storyboards for Wilkinss Instants Coffee...

OK, this may seem a strange video, that's because it is.  Still, it is brilliantly animated.  The video is about a dog who finally catches his tail after years of attempt.  Feet up on that desk and enjoy! My Happy End from Talking Animals on Vimeo .

Harbinger Down is a sci-fi/horror film, also, it's not really a Stop Motion film.  There promise was to NOT use CGI (no mother fruitcakes here) to which I'll say YES -(stupid CGI effects)!!!  The film, will have practical effects: animatronics, cable/rod controlled puppets, makeup special fx,

I love the weekend, don't you?  The best way to celebrate a weekend is with a doomsday movie, let alone if it's a Stop Motion film.  Anyway, I personally love this short. The cinematography, animation, puppets, all of which are superb.  I have to hand it to Anthony for this one, it's awesome! Scrap Metal from Anthony Straus on Vimeo . Anthony Straus's blog . A weekend wouldn't be the same without behind the scenes