The Art of the animator. Part 1

This Canadian series examines the creative thoughts and processes behind the meticulous work of several animators; this part examines the work of Ishu Patel, Caroline Leaf and John Weldon - animators who create motion out of still images, in what is often lonesome and painstaking work. In his film “Afterlife” (1978), Ishu Patel used plasticine spread over glass, before carving and moulding the clay for each new shot, then lit it from behind, to create a surreal and dream-like vision of life after death. In “Bead game”, Patel manipulated thousands of beads, to create swirling and magical patterns, telling a story of global violence. Using traditional graphic and watercolour and pinhole techniques, Patel created “Paradise” - the story of a blackbird’s quest for beauty. Caroline Leaf paints over a glass surface, meticulously adding and removing, to create changing and shifting movement. Her film “The Street” (1976), presents the world of young schoolboys and their pre-adolescent yearnings. Leaf shoots frame by frame, editing in camera, which allows for no mistakes. John Weldon uses pencil crayon to create works that are extraordinarily humorous. He likens this process to cell animation, except that as paper is opaque, it requires the artist to draw each frame individually. By observing these artists at work, the filmmakers show the deft and quite magical process of animation that requires great commitment, patience and artistic cleverness. See part 3 of the series for completed works.