Stop motion in the movies! in General Horror and Sci-Fi Forum

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Stop motion in the movies!

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Arch Stanton	Stop motion in the movies!	Lead	[-]
Feb 2 06 5:40 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Since there's no 'special effects' folder, I decided to start this thread here, mainly for the traffic. We'll see if anyone's interested.... Since the book THE STOP-MOTION FILMOGRAPHY (Neil Pettigrew, McFarland Publishing) came out, I've been collecting all of the stop motion that's not covered in it. No offense to Neil, but there's quite a bit! So let's turn this into a game -- I'll mention a movie, and someone else tell me what the stop motion is. If someone answers, they can ask another movie, or I'll come back in with another one. Keep in mind these aren't always monsters, or even biological things at all. So here goes: There's a stop-motion sequence in CITIZEN KANE. Can you tell us where? (Ryan Brennan and FXRH are exempt, by the way)
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BijouBob8mm	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#1	[-]
Feb 2 06 6:16 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The "birds" flitting about during the picnic scene...which I believe were actually borrowed from KONG or SON OF.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#2	[-]
Feb 2 06 6:31 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	I'll have to check that out, but it's not the scene I was talking about. (As I recall, those birds are cel animation, but I'll check it out right now!) This shot was definitely done for CITIZEN KANE and not lifted from any existing film.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#3	[-]
Feb 2 06 6:43 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Just checked out the birds. They're definitely cel animation (or just black mattes of real birds), but were they done specifically for the film? The mind boggles! (CITIZEN KANE is the most incredible film ever, I think.)
blackbiped	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#4	[-]
Feb 2 06 6:59 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Is it the shot where the camera moves up to the roof and through the skylight where what's-his-name is interviewing Susan Alexander? Legend, oh legend, the third wheel legend...always in the way.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#5	[-]
Feb 2 06 7:05 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Nope. Although I think that's a miniature shot... (Believe me when I tell you it's a tough one to spot, but it's definitely on the screen long enough to figure it out -- which I never did until it was pointed out to me last year!) I'll give a really great clue in a few hours. If no one gets it, I'll answer in the morning.
ryanbrennan	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#6	[-]
Feb 2 06 9:11 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* There's a stop-motion sequence in CITIZEN KANE. Can you tell us where? (Ryan Brennan and FXRH are exempt, by the way) Aw, heck. You mean I should put my hand down?
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#7	[-]
Feb 2 06 9:27 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* Aw, heck. You mean I should put my hand down? I feel your pain. What's the use of being a know-it-all if you're not allowed to participate? (By the way, weren't you there when we found out about this? Or maybe it was YOU who pointed it out?!!!)
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#8	[-]
Feb 2 06 11:47 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Well, it's 'Bedtime for Sniffles' so here's the clue: It's in the 'News on the March' sequence at the beginning of the film. Dig out your DVDs! In the meantime, here's another one: there are two different stop-motion sequences in KING KONG VS. GODZILLA. (Only one is mentioned in the Pettigrew book.) Name them both...
ryanbrennan	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#9	[-]
Feb 3 06 2:20 AM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* (By the way, weren't you there when we found out about this? Or maybe it was YOU who pointed it out?!!!) I'd certainly known about it for years. I WAS there when it was pointed out to you but I don't remember if it was me or Sam who brought it up.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#10	[-]
Feb 3 06 8:29 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Sorry, I meant to post this morning, but I've been sick today... Anyway, the stop-motion shot in CITIZEN KANE is located at the 0:03:50 mark, and is all of the trucks and tractors working on the hillside below Xanadu. Notice that all of the vehicles are moving at exactly the same speed, so whoever animated the shot just moved each rig the same amount for each frame. Still, an incredible little tableau for such a brief shot!
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Tim Lucas VW	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#11	[-]
Feb 3 06 9:41 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	When I reviewed the book for VW, I remember noting a number of omissions, but I don't know which issue that review appeared in. A couple that come to mind... There is a stop-motion seagull in MATANGO. The transformation scene in ATOM AGE VAMPIRE, which looks like clay animation, may also qualify. There is a stop-motion punching shot in THE COUCH, with the recipient's mouth progressively bloodied.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#12	[-]
Feb 3 06 10:00 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	The stop motion transformation in ATOM AGE VAMPIRE was my next one. It's just about the most unique shot ever done. And not bad at all. It's quite remarkable they were able to match the features of the actor as closely as they did. The amazing thing is that they actually have his head and eyes move around as he's changing! I've never seen any explanation of the shot, but just for its complexity it must have been clay. Which brings up the strange thought that Harryhausen, Danforth, and the other great animators never attempted to change their model(s) via stop motion. I know that it's much harder to change a foam rubber and latex model, but still it seems there were things like hair that could grow, or attachments they could add for some kind of transformation sequence. Interesting. (If someone knows of one I don't remember or know of, please tell me about it!) Thanks for the line on MATANGO and THE COUCH. I'll add them to my evergrowing file. (I intended to turn over all this information to Pettigrew for a revised addition of the book, but apparently there will never be one.)
BijouBob8mm	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#13	[-]
Feb 4 06 12:36 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* In the meantime, here's another one: there are two different stop-motion sequences in KING KONG VS. GODZILLA. (Only one is mentioned in the Pettigrew book.) Name them both... The tentacle waving a native about during the giant octopus attack is one. The very quick cut of Godzilla rocking back on his tail to kick Kong in the stomach is the second one.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#14	[-]
Feb 4 06 12:52 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* The very quick cut of Godzilla rocking back on his tail to kick Kong in the stomach is the second one. That shot is very, very odd. I've never heard how it was done, but it looks like they animated the actual full-size costume! Anyone know? (This could account for both the brevity and the poor quality.) And here's another one: where's the very brief stop-motion effect in SPARTACUS?
BijouBob8mm	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#15	[-]
Feb 4 06 1:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Can you imagine the logistics of trying to animate the full-size Godzilla suit? I'm pretty sure these were miniature figures. (I've heard that additional stop-motion had been intended for the film.) Stop-motion has been credited for that sequence in a couple of magazine articles...can't recall if I've also come across that information in any books, or not.
MJ Simpson	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#16	[-]
Feb 4 06 1:34 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	There's a very, very tiny amount of stop-motion in the 1968 Romanian picture KINGDOM IN THE CLOUDS. Is that in the book? www.mjsimpson.co.uk/reviews/kingdomintheclouds.html http://www.MJSimpson.co.uk - cult movies and the people who make them
BijouBob8mm	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#17	[-]
Feb 4 06 1:53 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	Thanks for sharing the review--it sounds like a great little film. Had to laugh at your remarks regarding KIKI'S DELIVERY SERVICE, anime' and "evangelical anime' fans." They can be a dedicated bunch. While not an anime' fan, I have seen a couple of films that were head and shoulders above the rest. (KIKI wasn't one of them, however.) I don't know if it's because some of it is intended for theatres while the rest of it is intended for TV, but the quality of artwork and animation can be incredibly inconsistent from title to title. I would say the same of the writing, but since the anime I have seen has been dubbed into English, it might not be fair to base my comments on that.
Arch Stanton	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#18	[-]
Feb 4 06 2:02 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* There's a very, very tiny amount of stop-motion in the 1968 Romanian picture KINGDOM IN THE CLOUDS. Is that in the book? No, but I'll add it to my list. Is the film available on any format? Or likely to be? (Good review, by the way.)
ryanbrennan	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#19	[-]
Feb 4 06 9:25 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	*Quote:* And here's another one: where's the very brief stop-motion effect in SPARTACUS? Now there's an unexpected title.
rvoyttbots	Re: Stop motion in the movies!	#20	[-]
Feb 4 06 10:39 PM Reply Quote More My Recent Posts	KIKI`s Delivery Service. LOL If you know what kiki is in tagalog. I always laughed when I saw billboard adds for KIKI FM radio station in Hawaii. I`ve always wondered, when GODZILLA bites into Tokyo Tower and it falls over in the original B&W film, is that sequence animated?
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Stop motion in the movies!

Stop motion in the movies!