BSW - CAA - Animator Studies

 Nats Animator Studies

Lotte Reiniger

Reiniger was a German film director who died in 1981 and was named the 'pioneer' of silhouette animation. She liked the art of Chinese paper cutting of silhouette puppets and that was the thing that set her off to create the career she did. She used to build her own puppet theatre to put on shows for her family and friends. 

She made the animated rats and created the intertitles for the Pied Piper of Hamlin. This got her into the Institute of Cultural Research which was an animation and short film studio. She later produced the 'first animated feature film' The Adventures of Prince Achmed, this was a popular success. Reiniger wrote instructions on how to construct her "trick-table" in her book, Shadow puppets, shadow theatres, and shadow films. This trick table was the thing that lead to method of cel animation.

Don Hertzfeldt

Hertzfeldt makes very simple looking animations that are all very comedic and clever. He has won many awards and has appeared on shows like The Simpsons. In his early life he drew many animations and taught himself how to animate using a VHS camera. He graduated from the University of California with a B.A. in Film Studies in 1998.

He work features his hand drawn stick figures in stories that mainly consist of dark humour and surrealism. He works with pen and paper with minimal digital aid and uses vintage 16mm or 35mm film cameras because he likes the effect that they give.