Cut-Outs
Analog Animation
Published: 1/13/2021
By: Cory Pavlinac
As someone who has no animation experience, I was intimidated when I decided to try and make a video to fit a piece of music I wrote. I’ve never used film editing software or popular design programs like Photoshop or Illustrator. I know nothing about animation techniques or practice. But after a quick Google search, I came upon some instructional videos from the ‘70s featuring Monty Python director and animator, Terry Gilliam. In the videos, Gilliam demonstrates techniques he used to create the animated shorts set between live-action skits in the British television show Monty Python. They are some of my favorite animated shorts, and after watching the videos, I was inspired to try some of my own. I like making collages, and this style of animation was a perfect way to use some of the collages I’d already made. This medium also provided me with some inspiration to get more imaginative with narrative and story creation.
As one of the oldest animation styles, cut-out animation has been around since the early 20th century. The film The Adventures of Prince Achmed came out in 1926 and featured a style of animation using paper silhouettes to create characters, which were then animated using stop motion photography. This style of animation lends itself to a humorous and sort of surreal feel. Terry Gilliam used it extensively in Monty Python because it was relatively easy and because the choppy, clumsy style was funny, and provided the opportunity to juxtapose opposites like sacred and secular or sexy and prudish. And it’s totally accessible for someone like me, who has no background or experience in computer animation or illustration. Anyone can create short stop motion videos or clips with some paper, photographs, or magazines, some scissors, and their imagination.
Thoughts
– What are some of your favorite forms of animation (specific movies, cartoons, etc.)?
– How do you interact with animation currently?
– Why use old forms of animation? Can it still be or relevant or original?
