Aardam Animation

Aardman Animation

 How do they create animations?

They create animations by using Stopmotion. There are many people involved with the company and they are all in charge or part of pacific roles to help produce the animated film. Whilst producing Wallace & Gromit there were many rooms in the building where the different roles would take part in their workshops.

Rigg workshop

The Rigg workshop was were they would fix and put together the props, scenery, costume, characters and puppets needed for filming.

Set dressing workshop

The set-dressing workshop is were all the vegetables, which are used throughout the film, are individually hand made by specialist who make and create model vegetables.

Art department

The art departments are in charge of the overall look of the film, this is a very important job as they are in control of the landscape, colour and props.

Production office

The production office is one of the main rooms; it’s where all the planning and organization for the film is sorted and put into place.

Animation room

The animated room is where the assistant animators work, they contain the job of preparing and making the puppets, this job takes a lot of time and commitment to get the puppets perfect.

Edit room

The editing room is where the whole film is put together to make the final piece. All the sound and voices are added in here in this room, and this is where they keep all their high top toys and gadgets for all there editing and cutting and putting together the film.

Storyboard office

The storyboard office is a really important room! It is where every single shot for the film is drawn and placed into order, in here is also the timeline where all there timing for the film is put so they know exactly what they are filming on the pacific days.

Animators 

The animators in Wallace and grommet are very high experienced animators due to the the prestigious Aardman studios. The animator is the person who creates multiple images that give an illusion of movement called animation. There are a number of animators in Wallace and grommet. The animators will work in 2D animation, 3D model-making animation, stop frame or computer-generated animation. The animators at the Aardman studios are always pushing the boundaries of the art from an exceptional sense of various acting and performance styles. They are the the artists who are used to give a story though the movements of the characters and also the movement of the camera and the way footage has been shot. 

Layout artist 

A layout artist is responsible for the overall mise-en-scene of Wallace and grommet. This is everything that appears before the camera its there job to arrange the composition of the shot, props, actors, costumes and lighting. A cinematographer’s eye and an understanding of film-making are vastly helpful for this job role; this is because they will be dealing with the visual aspect to film-making. At Aardman studios there is a huge art department for making big background landscapes; they look at architectural designs to make realistic models for the film set. There are lots of the same puppet armatures used for different scenes within Aardman studios productions, for example: Wallace & Gromit and the Curse of the Were-rabbit, for the main villain in the film the Were-Rabbit they built a skeleton like structure and then used lots of different materials on a number of the Were-Rabbit puppets made, in scenes where the character would talk or howl they used flexible and malleable materials to move the mouth. Aardman studios set a high quality level of stop motion animation that’s why there world renowned, but this is only because all of the sectors work hard and in sync with each other, in which creates a successful production. He or she arranges text and images to create a pleasing layout for readers. Layout artists will arrange the staging, blocking, and camera work.  They have to produce work (shots) in a fast-pace.

Assistant animators 

Assistant Animators- assistant animators have to assist the animation directorswith a variety of tasks in order to meet the animation deadlines and budgets. In Wallace and grommet they need to work hand-in-hand, with the animation director providing the managerial direction and the animation assistant providing any support needed.

CGI Animators- Computer-generated imagery animators are in charge of the application of computer graphics in the animation of Wallace and grommet. The visual scenes may be dynamic or static, and may be 2D or 3D, though the term "CGI" is most commonly used to refer to 3D computer graphics used for creating scenes or special effects in films and television.

Storyboard artists 

Storyboard Artists- Storyboard artists in animation render screenplays into a series of illustrations. The illustrations are vital because they help spell out what they want the film to accomplish. Not only that, but they are also important because they show everything that is required for the film. Storyboard artists relay the script in visual form. Their images are linked in a sequential fashion to convey information. Their work is important because they help the director conceptualize sequences. The storyboard is especially helpful during complex scenes. It gives the director time to create plans before filming. It also helps to eliminate on-set improvisations during complicated shots.  The storyboards are very important, as they are where the animations first begins and the first place that ideas are put onto paper.

ArchictesArchitects- the architects are in charge of the making of all the buildings in the film, they will have set people who will draw the building, this will then be passed on to a 3d designer who will put the drawing onto a 3d software. This will then be passed on to the makers who will make the building. The architects play a big part in the animation of Wallace and grommet. An example of a very well designed and well built building is the town hall. I really like this building as it is very surreal.The set and props that they use in the animation are designed in two different departments. Firstly the set is the props are made in the graphic art room in the animators department. They are in charge of making all the small props; an example of some of the props they make is the prize winning pumpkin. There is a set person that will make the groceries for the animation, this will vary from carrots to cabbages to pumpkins, every prop counts.