Claymation is a form of stop animation that uses clay to create characters and objects. It involves taking a series of still images that are played back in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement. Claymation has been around since 1897 and was popularized by Gumby. While it is a laborious job, it has its own unique look and feel that sets it apart from other forms of animation. Its future may lie in the hands of its creator, Will Vinton.
Claymation is the umbrella term for clay animation, a form of stop animation that uses clay. The term was coined by its creator, Will Vinton, an animation studio owner who worked with clay artists to create clay animations. Claymation involves using objects or characters sculpted out of clay or other modeling material, and then taking a series of still images which are played back in rapid succession to create the illusion of movement. Some of the more famous characters created in this form include Gume Pokey, Wallace and Gromit, and the California Raisins.
In a clay production, the artists sculpt the characters in clay and often support the sculpture with wire molds underneath. To create the illusion of movement, the position of the sculpted characters is slightly altered in each photo or frame. Just like other forms of animation, claymation generally requires a storyboard or background against which characters must be pitted against and develop what they are going to do or say. Depending on the length of production, the same character may need to be sculpted hundreds of times.
Claymation has been around somewhat since the invention of modeling clay in 1897, although the first film to use animated clay characters wasn’t until 1908. Clay animation is a laborious job and productions are often shorter than others animated productions due to the work involved. It wasn’t until Gum arrived that this form gained public attention as a variant of the art of entertainment. Claymation was one of the first forms of three-dimensional animation, opening the world to computer-generated image-assisted animation (CGI).
While the production time and cost of creating feature-length clay animation is excessive compared to other forms of animation, it has its own look and feel that is very different from traditional or computer-generated animation. While this shape may not be the wave of the future, industry insiders believe its future could lie in the hands of Will Vinton, the man who also helped shape his story.
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