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Friday, February 16, 2018
Nick Park on the Joys and Challenges of Making Early Man, the Most Advanced Aardman Movie Ever
io9.gizmodo.com: Sometimes the best thing to do is just doodle. That’s how longtime Aardman director Nick Park came up with the idea for the company’s latest stop-motion animated film, Early Man. He knew he wanted to do something about cavemen but that was as far as the idea went. Then he started drawing.
4 comments:
Katie Pyzowski
said...
I love reading all about the entire production process of this animated film. It is amazing how big of a vision this story was, and how massive the production process for a style of animation that many people consider to be simple and primitive. And I like that the production team has embraced that clay stylistic look and that "Fingerprints are really okay". I like that the director "didn’t want the animation too refined because it has a kind of humor and a charm that comes out of it." with all the bumps and lumps from the malleable figures. The figures truly look made of clay, even though it is a mixture of silicon and plasticine. It is also amazing how large in physical scale this production is. I did not realize until after watching multiple videos with Adam Savage at Aardman Studios that the sets were so large. I never realized that only a few seconds are created within a day of shooting. It is so cool to see that such an ambitious and complicated production can born from a little doodled idea.
I love Aardman's animation style, so I'll probably try to check this movie out when I get the chance. I'm not sure if I'll be able to see it in theaters, as I am already booked for "Black Panther" and "Annihilation" next weekend. That said, I have always enjoyed the complex yet charming animation style of Aardman, which actually inspired me to try making my own stop motion clay movies as a kid. I also like the way they incorporate human stories into the whimsical worlds they create. The light hearted aesthetic of these films allows the story to tackle more serious issues through subtext, a balance that I find very interesting, and can be seen most vividly in the Holocaust analogue "Chicken Run". I'll have to check this one out as soon as I can! The concept of Wallace and Gromit in caveman times is tempting to be sure.
Aardman’s movies made up a fairly large portion of my childhood favorites. I loved wild antics of Wallace and Gromit, and I was scared of the mean Mrs. Tweedey. Back then I couldn’t really give the creators enough credit for what they did because I didn’t have any clue how much work went into all of their movies. The fact that a good day consists of 3 seconds of film would absolutely infuriate me. But the resulting film and characters have a charm that is totally unique and realistic in a way that only claymation can. I think that it is really appropriate that this is the film that Aardman decided to start incorporating more technology into their films. “So it’s like pulling in both directions towards the traditional and towards the future, which I guess was what the film was kind of about.” I can’t wait to see this movie!
I have so many memories of Aardman's movies - Wallace and Gromit films, Chicken Run, Pirates: Band of Misfits, Arthur Christmas - and they had a real impact on me. They quirkiness of their character, the strange humor and unique concepts and designs in their films, are all so incredible to me. They haven't released a film since Pirates in 2012, so I'm actually really excited to see the new movie. The concept is quirky as ever, and while I have yet to see the film the process in this article looks stunningly intricate. It's honestly one of the most visually appealing films, and knowing the arduous stop-motion process it takes makes what they've achieved in this movie all the more amazing. The mentality in the studio, however, even with all his CGI that "fingerprints are okay" lends such a beautiful handmade touch to this film is a world where all other children's movies are pretty much sleekly computer animated or highly polished superhero films, and I can't wait to see it when it comes out in theaters near here and I get a chance to go.
4 comments:
I love reading all about the entire production process of this animated film. It is amazing how big of a vision this story was, and how massive the production process for a style of animation that many people consider to be simple and primitive. And I like that the production team has embraced that clay stylistic look and that "Fingerprints are really okay". I like that the director "didn’t want the animation too refined because it has a kind of humor and a charm that comes out of it." with all the bumps and lumps from the malleable figures. The figures truly look made of clay, even though it is a mixture of silicon and plasticine. It is also amazing how large in physical scale this production is. I did not realize until after watching multiple videos with Adam Savage at Aardman Studios that the sets were so large. I never realized that only a few seconds are created within a day of shooting. It is so cool to see that such an ambitious and complicated production can born from a little doodled idea.
I love Aardman's animation style, so I'll probably try to check this movie out when I get the chance. I'm not sure if I'll be able to see it in theaters, as I am already booked for "Black Panther" and "Annihilation" next weekend. That said, I have always enjoyed the complex yet charming animation style of Aardman, which actually inspired me to try making my own stop motion clay movies as a kid. I also like the way they incorporate human stories into the whimsical worlds they create. The light hearted aesthetic of these films allows the story to tackle more serious issues through subtext, a balance that I find very interesting, and can be seen most vividly in the Holocaust analogue "Chicken Run". I'll have to check this one out as soon as I can! The concept of Wallace and Gromit in caveman times is tempting to be sure.
Aardman’s movies made up a fairly large portion of my childhood favorites. I loved wild antics of Wallace and Gromit, and I was scared of the mean Mrs. Tweedey. Back then I couldn’t really give the creators enough credit for what they did because I didn’t have any clue how much work went into all of their movies. The fact that a good day consists of 3 seconds of film would absolutely infuriate me. But the resulting film and characters have a charm that is totally unique and realistic in a way that only claymation can. I think that it is really appropriate that this is the film that Aardman decided to start incorporating more technology into their films. “So it’s like pulling in both directions towards the traditional and towards the future, which I guess was what the film was kind of about.” I can’t wait to see this movie!
I have so many memories of Aardman's movies - Wallace and Gromit films, Chicken Run, Pirates: Band of Misfits, Arthur Christmas - and they had a real impact on me. They quirkiness of their character, the strange humor and unique concepts and designs in their films, are all so incredible to me. They haven't released a film since Pirates in 2012, so I'm actually really excited to see the new movie. The concept is quirky as ever, and while I have yet to see the film the process in this article looks stunningly intricate. It's honestly one of the most visually appealing films, and knowing the arduous stop-motion process it takes makes what they've achieved in this movie all the more amazing. The mentality in the studio, however, even with all his CGI that "fingerprints are okay" lends such a beautiful handmade touch to this film is a world where all other children's movies are pretty much sleekly computer animated or highly polished superhero films, and I can't wait to see it when it comes out in theaters near here and I get a chance to go.
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