Yes my day job so if anybody ever needs any sets making Iam a freelancer so just drop me a line .

Wonderful, I wish I did need your services!

Martin

Yes probably a bit of a niche market but you never know their my be somebody out their, But thanks for comments . Few more pics been doing this for 25 years so lots of it !

Wonderful!! I love the casual legs-crossed stance of the engine driver.

Now I understand the obvious importance of duplicating the same move in your tests. Timelapse of sunsets isn't quite your main preocupation!

Kit

Very impressive work, displacement1! Those sets look awesome.

Damn! That is just amazing!!!!

Wow! Those sets are wonderful. If you get time then post more!

most impressive - would love to see then end use of these, any links. very crafty!

thanks for sharing,
Tim T

What a great job to have!

Now I'd like to see you filming more with that wonderful pan/tilt/roll head of yours!

Edward

Cheers thanks for the comments peoples . Bit of a dying art these days alot of it is now done on computer mainly because its cheeper . Not many camera moves either . They have large Mark Roberts rigs but just take to long to set up . Just in the process of doing a deal to supply some D MOCOS so that should keep me busy in my shed for a bit .
So few more photos and links to last two shows worked . Tend to do a lot of mechanics (for obvious reasons) but all made and painted by me .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 0-ChONIQug
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty3bwIvfVvk

Wow !! Just watched both videos and the production quality is fantastic. Are the figures armatures moved in stop motion? As mentioned previously ... what a fantastic job to have .... I think I need a shed!! Might visit B&Q and see if they do large ones in stock .... Seriously though great stuff ..... John

Ps pleased to hear about the DMoco's .... they look seriously good.

Hi John yes all stop motion . The figures are about 6in tall and fully armatured a don't do those another company in Altrincham produce them .
Been doing it a long time now . Started on a program called Wind in The Willows . So doing rigs is a bit of distraction

I think I know he company you mean in Altricham. Not in the business myself but have been interested in stop motion for a while now. Thought about buying some armature figures recently but am a bit focused on this controller thing at the moment. It's only part time though. Got day job. Main problem is time.

DMOCO looks good ..... Got to be a winner ....

I'm still thinking about buying hat shed! Will try to get B&Q discount though!

A lot of kids are studying animation at uni, it has become a very trendy thing. As far as I can tell they spend most of the 3 years learning how to rig characters in Maya with all the equations to create realistic movement. I am not sure they are taught that much about using real puppets...

I have a friend working at Laika and they do all their models in maya/studiomax and then export via 3d printer. That way they can print the mouth for each syllable and just snap on/off like a lego peice, which makes a lot of sense, but takes a lot of the blood, sweat and tears out of the work, which in my opinion gives it character in the first place.

Would that be the 1983 Cosgrove Hall production linked to below?

Interesting to see how techniques change. Obvious film weave in the titles and all the camera developments are done on a static set ( presumably in real time) with no animated characters in frame. All the animations are done with a static camera. No Arduinos when we was lads!

Keep up the good work, computer generated animation still doesn't have quite the same look and feel as a hand-made model being animated by real hands.

Kit

I to have friends working at Laika ! Yes technology is changing things always find laikas method a bit odd though . Each frame as to have a lot of post done on it to remove join lines



Yes Kit Cosgrove Hall sadly no more . In fact they knocked it down last year and built retirement flats perhaps i should buy one . All very sad !
And yes lots of camera weave shot on 16mm bolex in those days and no video assist . Took real talent to animate like that .

My this thread as gone well of topic perhaps we are all bored of talking about timelapse

Well you started it What's a flying submarine got to do with timelapse anyway?

I've never done any animation, though I've always loved it, and the equipment for timelapse is just what you need anyway. Reading this thread makes me want to try something. Who's old enough to remember Tony Hart and 'Vision On' (that's one for our UK readers) with Morph rising up through the table to talk to him while he was painting?

Where can I buy some plasticine?

Kit

. I used to watch Morph ....... on 405 lines B&W ..... Brilliant

Sure beat "supermarionation" ..... I'm thinking here of "Four Feather Falls" with Tex Tucker (with his swivelling six shooters)

I had the privilege of pulling the plug on the very last 405 line transmission (from Holme Moss above Manchester) in the UK in January 1984 when I was a trainee transmitter engineer with the BBC.

Don't remember Tex but I enjoyed Fireball XL-5, Stingray and Thunderbirds.

Today's quiz question: Where did Gerry Anderson get the names for the 7 (clue) Tracy Brothers?


Kit

PS Displacement1, as we're discussing animation, and looking at the style of your engine, are we allowed to mention the name 'Park' on this thread?

Hi Kit small world i know Holme Moss in fact my Mums house looks out to Emley Moor mast which you may have worked at to .
Never worked with Mr Park in fact the Engine is from a production Mr Anderson was involved in ( small world again ) . Lavender Castle you prob never heard of it don't think it did to well .
Does anybody remember Trap door ! Little animated Plasticine things that lived under a trap door . Simple animation at its best .
But yes Thunderbirds the best ! Mr Anderson quite a boring fella though

I know Emley Moor as well, the Holme Moss team looked after the BBC equipment there. Quite a good view from the observation platform at 800 feet, though the top of Emley (1088 feet) is actually about ground level at Holme Moss. I remember driving up from fog and snow at home, through the clouds and up into clear blue sky and sunshine. The top of Emley cast a shadow on the top of the clouds.

Enough of that, must get ready for work.

Kit

Wonderful ! Great job

Thank you and welcome to the Forum . Good luck with your project.