Nick Park is one of the better known stop-animators of this generation. His work is known by adults and children alike, and has created works such as the Wallace and Gromit films and series, Creature Comforts, Chicken Run, and Shaun the Sheep. He also helped create the Peter Gabriel music video of 'Sledgehammer', also linked in this blog. I feel Nick Park is a key figure in animation which is why I researched him, as he was one of the first people to make a feature length film through stop animation that was this much of a success. I was also considering doing stop motion animation with material figures just like Nick Park but I think it would require a lot more research, planning and time than doing it photographically.
Nick Park uses stop motion photography for the majority of his work, specifically with clay, creating the whole Wallace and Gromit series this way. Personally I think the success of a claymation would be dependable on the person creating it, as a lot of skill and art is involved and as this area is not my strong point, I feel I'd be better off working with something I'm better at, such as photography. I'd also imagine it would take a lot of time and hard work to create an animation even a few minutes long using this method. Nick Park in particular is a great example of how smooth this sort of animation can be, as the movement is completely fluid and it would be quite difficult and take a lot of practice to get the animation this precise. I feel that in my position, for my final piece it would be easier for me to use stop motion animation photography rather than clay as with the resources available and the time I have to create it, I think photography would be more time efficient.
With Nick Park's animations, particularly Wallace and Gromit, they all follow a theme. For example, in Wallace and Gromit every film features some form of crazy, nonsensical invention or machine that plays some part or another without the audience even noticing the theme. Another small reoccurring theme is that one of the characters is always seen knitting, using the correct methods, even though it's made of clay. This sort of detail would only belong to a seasoned animator who has a lot of interest in the profession and takes pride in his work.
One of my favourite things about Nick Park is his characters. The main characters in all of his productions are very innocent and appealing to children. They're all very likeable, in the way that they're designed and also their personalities. Wallace, for example, is quite foolish and at times stupid. He has childish attributes and is easily pleased. Gromit, his dog, is more the adult of the relationship as he has to rectify all of Wallace's mistakes and keep him out of trouble. He doesn't speak, but somehow manages to restore the equilibrium in every Wallace and Gromit production. Another reoccurring character is Shaun the Sheep, who is also very childish and is the star of a children's series. Again he's appealing in the way he's designed, very small and cute and simple. I think the lack of detail in the characters is what makes them all so attractive to younger minds. Park also created a television series called "Creature Comforts" which was where the public were asked random questions and then clay characters were lip synced to their answers. These characters also follow the same conventions of Park's characters, but were all different and altered each episode. They ranged from household pets to insects, to larger zoo animals. This showed the range of Nick Park's artistic abilities.
I liked the way his animating was fluid, and the stories were simple yet effective. This is the sort of success I want my own animation to entail.
An advertisement featuring Wallace and Gromit:
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