Stop Motion Geek

More than one person has asked me what exactly do you need for a simple puppet.  The basic materials are foam latex, an armature, faces.  The best place for me to buy foam latex is  http://www.burmanindustries.com , or  http://www.animationtoolkit.co.uk/ , both are trustworthy.  I prefer foam latex over clay, it's easier to use (after molded properly) although, it is somewhere around 15 - 20 times more expensive than clay, but if it will work for you budget it works best.  The armature is sort of tricky, it depends on how much you use the character.  For instance, all the puppets on Robot Chicken  all have wire armatures, on the other hand with a feature flick like Coraline , all the armatures are ball-and-socket.  I usually use a wire armature.  You can buy the wire at a reasonable price here on  http://www.amazon.com .  The best way to make an wire armature is to use a drill to twist two strands of wire to create a heavy dut...

I am not a fan of modern Disney.  Although I do appreciate the CGI films made by them such as Wreck-It Ralph , Monsters U , Pixar films, and Frankenweenie (Stop Motion).  The story line of Disney's upcoming web show is below: "When a Blank Vinylmation goes searching for his lost love, he finds himself on a quest that reveals his true identity and the destiny of his entire world." But now I have my hopes up.  Maybe Disney is turning a new leaf? My I comment by saying that this is the second Stop Motion web series (the 1st is Friendship All-Stars ) that's awesome! Trailer:  http://video.disney.com Behind the scenes:  http://video.disney.com Website:  http://vinylmationworld.com Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story - Trailer on Disney Video BTS - Blank: A Vinylmation Love Story on Disney Video I'm going to thank Stop Motion Magazine for finding this small gem.

Yes it is here - finally! The first episode of Friendship All - Stars .   Friendship All-Stars is created by Seth Green, and produced by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios.  Very clever, and sticks to pop culture as much as it can. For instance, the main characters are Ron Perlman and Guillermo Del Toro.  After watching,

Out of all my posts you guys seem the most interested in making armatures.  I [Uriah] think it's time for another armature post.  Recently, I was on Amazon Prime video and discovered a recent video:  Machining Armatures, now the link is below.   Review - I will keep my review short and to the point.  This video will show you exactly what to do from start to finish on making your armatures.  The tools he uses are non-expensive if you don't have them already own them.  NOW, he will only show you how to make an ball and socket armatures, no other joint.  If I were to give it a number between 1-10 I would give it a 9.  Yes, this is a SMG certified product, and I'll recommend it. Link to video:  http://www.amazon.com/Machining-Armatures/dp/B00DPWLDVA/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_tnr_14

Marilyn Myller, is a short flick by Mikey Please.  Mikey, has in the past done projects like: The Eagleman Stag , and Jeffrey Lewis Promo - End Result , both of which I dug, so I'm pumped for the next short.  Three weeks ago he relased the trailer for the film along with some behind the scenes action, so go check that out below, [it's pretty awesome]. Trailer:  http://vimeo.com/69100068

July, for all things good I we will skip the patriotism and jump into Halloween.  What am I jumping into you may ask? -Well the first monthly Book of The Month Club of course.  This is a thing where I review a book and give you the review on it.  DON'T WORRY: I am reviewing non-fiction, not fiction (although, I may throw in a collection of comics, just to mix things up).  The book for the month of July is -    Now, the book is split up into three parts, and each part is a different book in it's self.

I recall when Anomalisa , Starburns Industries film was being Kickstarted.  I was ecstatic about that project, but now Starburns Industries is teaming up with Neil Gaiman to produce a Lenore  feature, well I feel as if my head will explode.   Lenore , is a yearly black comedy comic series created by Roman Dirge (portrait below).  I haven't personally read the series, but it does sound like a comic Gaiman would be interested in.  Neil Gaiman's last project, Coraline a children's novel that he wrote for his four-year-old.

It's very rare that I'll post two short films in one day.  But, unlike other days, I have found two outstanding flicks. Fear Of Flying , well it is a very well executed film with a clever/original idea.  The puppets are brilliant, and also Stop Frame friendly (that is, if they had decided to use Stop Motion animation).   Fear Of Flying , is not strictly Stop Motion.  It is a puppet/marionette film, similar to Jim Hensons puppet projects; with 2d animation mixed in for the characters mouths, eyes, and legs.  There is a behind the video here: http://vimeo.com/48440802  which will show you how it was done. The Fear Of Flying website:  http://www.fearofflyingfilm.com/ The film can be seen here:  http://vimeo.com/46141955

To The Heart of The Matter , was a short film that gave me a surprise.  At first, I thought it would be a 'save the environment!' short.  That is, until I watched it in completion.  Very good work [Reuben Loane], you have created a lovable masterpiece.  I also dig the 'hand-made' look of it; The animation style has the same sort of hand made look as Wallace & Gromit: A Grand Day Out .  Anyway, enjoy watching! -I hope to see more work by Loane in the near future. To see the short click here:  http://vimeo.com/43144206

Last night, I went to the local Drive in Theater.  I went to see two CGI flicks,  Despicable Me 2 along with Monsters University .  Well watching, I thought to my self: "CGI in animated films has become so great that you could throw in some Stop Motion or a real object and no one would notice it from the CG aspect of it."  Well after pondering this I realized that really the only film to employ this method of CGI/Stop Motion was in LAIKA's ParaNorman.  Now, ParaNorman only really used CGI for background characters; I'm saying that CGI could be used not only for background characters, but for sets, and main characters also.  This is just a thought but I'd love to hear feedback and what you think on the matter.  My email is chefelepsy@gmail.com , or you can comment below. We have heard LAIKA say that The BoxTrolls will be a mix of CGI and Stop Motion, but it still maybe just background characters.

In perspective, LAIKA is the only Stop Motion company we hear buzz about; I say that because of the recently released trailer for the upcoming The BoxTrolls film, news about upcoming features, commercials, etc.  We are not hearing much about other Stop Motion features, such as Pinocchio (2014), The Addams Family , and surprisingly we haven't heard anything about Hell & Back ; which was set to be released in the next three weeks.  Anyhow, a little over a year ago LAIKA announced that they are targeting Philip Reeve's novel Goblins for there fourth feature. This is what was posted on there blog: " APRIL 18,2012:  LAIKA has optioned  Goblins , the Scholastic novel from award-winning novelist Philip Reeve ( Mortal Engines )

This months Stop Motion Geek is awarded to (Notes on) Biology .  Well watching (Notes on) Biology  you get the feel that you middle school flip books made there own cameo in the short.   (Notes on) Biology , is a film by Danny Madden, Jonathan Silva, and Will Madden of Ornana Films;

Now, I have been more or less not interested in Twitter's six -second looping video sharing site.  Until it accrued to me that any Stop Motion animators who are trying to get there name out in the general public, well now's your chance.  The reason for my suggesting this is that Vine is new; less than six months old.  It will get bigger, maybe not as big as YouTube or Vimeo but still will grow none the less.  There is a good chance that if you start animation now that you will gain a small following.  The films them self's are micro clips, six seconds. It's very surprising what you can do in six -seconds, more than you would think. Last week Vine released an updated version

Ever since LAIKA announced that they were in the misted of making The BoxTrolls well, let's just say I've been ecstatic.  LAIKA, is the creative Stop Motion company behind Coraline , and ParaNorman , next feature is The BoxTrolls , a film based on Alan Snow's novel Here Be Monsters!

The original Creature Comforts short is an essential for any Stop Motion geek.   Creature Comforts , is very simplistic.  The plot is: "a news reporter interviews animals and we hear those interviews".  The short was an Oscar winner an rightly so.  The animation is spectacular, which is what we have come to expect from an Aardman film.  The film is a Nick Park