The Return of Dynamation

A long gone friend of feature films has returned. Dynamation!

In what would seem an ancient art form that died out when Ray Harryhausen wrapped up his last feature film work, Dynamation is now making a come back. Thanks to one of our active members on the site, Ron Cole is bringing back Dynamation by using more modern technology.

Ray Harryhausen and Willis O'Brien to an extent, honed in-camera film techniques by layering rear screen projection, stop motion puppets, foreground projection and other tricks that Harryhausen later called Dynamation. Watch a video about Dynamation here:

Dim lights

Phil Tippett also had his own techniques that he termed "Go Motion" where computer controlled rods connected to puppets would move, and therefore blur puppets while the camera shutter was kept opened. Dragon Slayer was probably the ultimate Go-Motion film created. The dragon puppet used rods attached to its legs, head and wings - creating an amazingly realistic motion to all its parts. You can see how the process worked here:

Dim lights

So where does that leave us several years after Go-Motions demise? Most productions use computer graphics, but they lack the human touch. Stop motion films also have a somewhat magical look to them. With real light and shadows cast on real physical objects, the difference is sort of like looking at a mask of a human face, and a real human face. While the best artists in the world can make a super realistic mask of a face, you'll always be able to tell the difference between the two when you see them side by side. Another good example might be this image of Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt as wax dummies. Yes, it's realistic - but at the same time you will notice something just doesn't look quite right:

Now there is today. Computers are being used as capture devices, able to give animators more precise movements. Computers can now add motion blur in a realistic way to still images captured for animation, and then seamlessly blended into live action footage. Way back when Harryhausen was working on his films, motion blur wasn't possible with any sort of precision.

So what is all this talk about dymation coming back? Well one of our members, Ron Cole is utilizing the latest technologies - as well as the latest puppet building materials to update Rays Dynamation techniques. Ron of course has help by others in the stop motion community. While he animates, others are making armatures, adding the motion blur and taking live action background plates. Then it's all composited for the director to review. Wait until the end of the new Sinbad trailer. You can get a brief glimpse of how the newly created Dynamation techniques look:

Dim lights

You can also view the official Sinbad the Fifth Voyage by clicking here.

Comments (2)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

...
written by jose, July 15, 2010

It's really awesome that Ron is taking such bigs steps into bringing back Dynamation, Thats what all our live action fantasy, science fiction and action films really need. Maybe some day in the near future I might have the luck to work in a dynamation film project!

• 
• +0
• 
• 

Thanks!
written by Ron Cole, July 15, 2010

This Sinbad film is a life long dream job for me. Dynamation is a film making technique that got me interested in this business in the first place and I always wanted to work on a film that involved it. I won't recount the history of the past 15 years but suffice to say, that dream really seemed to be lost to the past.

It's more than a shock to me that not only am I getting another chance to work on a film like this but, I'm the one being given the chance to be the one to bring it back! It's kind of scary to be the one because I'm ill equipped for the job in terms of studio s**ce, camera equipment or anything else that will make this easier. Expectations will be high and I'm pretty terrified that I will perform below those expectations...

But this is IT! And I can't afford to dwell on what could be better or what I don't have. I've been given the gift of this opportunity and the much needed help of Dave Hettmer and Paul McConnochie to get this done as best I we can. I will work tirelessly to see this film through to the end and hope I don't disappoint.

You must know that my dream now is to not just be happy with accomplishing this film alone... but to take this opportunity as a new beginning and bring Dynamation to a new generation in many more films to come. I'm really juiced about this and I Thank You for your support!

• 
• +1
• 
• 

Name

Email

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

Add Comment