Strata-cut animation
Encyclopedia
Strata-cut animation, also spelled stratcut or straticut, is a form of clay animation
, itself one of many forms of stop motion
animation.
Strata-cut animation is most commonly a form of clay animation in which a long bread-like "loaf" of clay, internally packed tight and loaded with varying imagery, is sliced into thin sheets, with the animation camera taking a frame of the end of the loaf for each cut, eventually revealing the movement of the internal images within. Wax may be used instead of clay for the loaf, but this can be more difficult to use because it is less malleable.
Pioneered in both clay and blocks of wax by German animator Oskar Fischinger
during the 1920s and 30s, the technique was revived and highly refined in the mid-90s by California-Oregon animator David Daniels, a past associate of Will Vinton
, in his 16-minute short film Buzz Box. Daniels has also used it as background imagery as other forms of animation or live action is superimposed over it.
Designing the interior contents of a clay block is a complex art form in and of itself. Obviously, abstract images and patterns are easier to do than recognizable images or character-driven moving images. Both the pace and forms of the movements of the internal imagery have to be considered when building the block (or loaf). A kind of non-high-tech "underground" quality of the all-moving imagery is usually the result, which has its own level of charm, unique to that process.
Interesting abstract images can be created by folding strips of different-colored clay together, and then flattening them out again so they can be folded again, repeating this process until the final result is a relatively tight mosaic of "weaved" patterns, interesting to the eye, even in its static (unmoving) form, but even more so when animated via the strata-cut process. Eventually, a series of blocks of these mosaics can be combined into single blocks (loafs) and also combined with non-abstract imagery.
Although David Daniels' Buzz Box film is his showcase for all these techniques, he has also used variations of them for a variety of TV commercials and bits made for the Pee Wee's Playhouse series during the mid-90s.
The method of strata-cut animation has also been used in the music video
for "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel
(1986).
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
, itself one of many forms of stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation.
Strata-cut animation is most commonly a form of clay animation in which a long bread-like "loaf" of clay, internally packed tight and loaded with varying imagery, is sliced into thin sheets, with the animation camera taking a frame of the end of the loaf for each cut, eventually revealing the movement of the internal images within. Wax may be used instead of clay for the loaf, but this can be more difficult to use because it is less malleable.
Pioneered in both clay and blocks of wax by German animator Oskar Fischinger
Oskar Fischinger
Oskar Fischinger was a German-American abstract animator, filmmaker, and painter. He made over 50 short animated films, and painted c. 800 canvases, many of which are in museums, galleries and collections worldwide. Among his film works is Motion Painting No. 1 , which is now listed on the...
during the 1920s and 30s, the technique was revived and highly refined in the mid-90s by California-Oregon animator David Daniels, a past associate of Will Vinton
Will Vinton
Will Vinton is an American director and producer of animated films. He was born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work, and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.- Education :...
, in his 16-minute short film Buzz Box. Daniels has also used it as background imagery as other forms of animation or live action is superimposed over it.
Interesting abstract images can be created by folding strips of different-colored clay together, and then flattening them out again so they can be folded again, repeating this process until the final result is a relatively tight mosaic of "weaved" patterns, interesting to the eye, even in its static (unmoving) form, but even more so when animated via the strata-cut process. Eventually, a series of blocks of these mosaics can be combined into single blocks (loafs) and also combined with non-abstract imagery.
Although David Daniels' Buzz Box film is his showcase for all these techniques, he has also used variations of them for a variety of TV commercials and bits made for the Pee Wee's Playhouse series during the mid-90s.
The method of strata-cut animation has also been used in the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
for "Big Time" by Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
(1986).
External links
- Explanation at StopMoWorks, with a diagram and links
- Buzz Box review
- Bent Image Lab David Daniel's Company