Stop Motion: Barry Purves 'Screen Play'

Stop motion animator Barry Purves amazing , 11 minute film is called Screen Play (1992). How much time would it have taken to craft such an intricate film? It's hard to find on the WWW but a version can be seen here.

Grade 2's are starting a short 'stop mo' project. That means NOT 11 minutes. How do we do it? The ARC Blog has some good posts on the subject worth reviewing. Particularly the links from the Fool Hardy Films post that show the process of animating.

Another resource page can be found at Animateclay.com

7 comments:

Kristi said...

I can't view YouTube today but I think that I remember this one - I saw it on SBS years ago. It is the most beautiful traditional-looking stage play where the stage is as animated as the characters, and after the play's narrated story ends, it changes abruptly for no apparent reason, which I hate. Totally different camera styles between the two sections - long shot for the first part (maybe even a single still shot? I don't remember) as if you were sitting in the stalls, followed by up-close-and-personal.

Kristi said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Kristi said...

I sense a theme here... Purves has also directed the short films "Next" (for Aardman - a fantastic piece), "Achilles" and "Gilbert and Sullivan: The Very Models". All of these take place on a stage, and are different styles of play (Shakespeare, Greek tragedy, and operetta).

MattG said...

Kristi beat me to it... I started watching the video and then found "Next" in the related section...

http://au.youtube.com/watch?v=V3dQFR8oWb4

I remember seeing this one at an Aardman festival thing in sydney years ago and I absolutely love it. His subtle prop and costume swaps and scene changes are absolutely brilliant. using animation to show something in a way that only animation can. Go watch it now. :)

frank said...

I really enjoyed how the animated narrator in 'Screen Play' uses a form of sign language.

(It really stands out due to the clip on the WWW not having audio.)

The sign language is a technique and technical detail that just adds to the complexity and richness of the film.

Jane (teacher) and Cory (student) showed us some of Barry Purves other films last year, including "Next". Really good.

Anonymous said...

Screen Play was nominated for an Oscar in 1992, which was won by Peter Lord's film Adam (Aardman Animation).

Lisa said...

i remember Barry Purves coming out and talking at QCA years ago. He was an awesome bloke, and talked about 'next' and all his other films.