Context of Practice: October 2017

The process is tedious at times but incredibly rewarding.
It's tangible, physical quality sets it apart from the likes of CG, which still has yet to replicate this.
Audiences seem to like stop-motion because it is easier for them to understand and appreciate the process than something that is abstract to them such as digital animation.
It's exciting that anything can come to life in a whole world that you have created and nothing is off limits.
Within stop motion animation the hand is always apparent, theres always a sense of the handmade.
Stop-motion brings the inanimate to life.
Stop-motion shows it's "flaws", physical reality and imperfection in the movements.
Over other methods of animation the texture is natural and present in every character and set.
The appeal for stop-motion doesn't seem to go away, and thus proves it longevity and importance in the film-making world.
It would seem that a certain type of person prefers stop-motion as their medium choice.

'They love watching real physical objects move on the screen with a life of their own, bathed in real lights on real sets' - K. A. Priebe (2007), 'The Art of Stop-motion Animation', Thomson Course Technology, USA, (pg. XIII).

'So to see these kinds of materials come to life on screen is a kind of surreal nostalgia trip that harkens us back to old past times and imagining the life we would give to our toys' - K. A. Priebe (2007), 'The Art of Stop-motion Animation', Thomson Course Technology, USA, (pg. XIII).

'You know, I love stop-motion. I've done almost all the styles of animation: I was a 2D animator. I've done cutout animation. I did a CG short a few years ago, "Moongirl," for young kids. Stop-motion is what I keep coming back to, because it has a primal nature. It can never be perfect. There's always something like—[Points to the Coraline puppet on the table.] Coraline's sweater, you can notice here that it's sort of boiling. And that's because people are touching it and moving it for every frame. There's an undeniable reality that I don't think any of the other mediums give you. You know these things are real even if you don't know exactly how they move, how big they are. It's something I got when I was 4 or 5, and I saw my first Ray Harryhausen film. I saw some monsters he created. So why still follow that in this day and age? Well, it has certainly been the age of CG, and the hits keep coming. You know, Jeffrey Katzenberg's company [DreamWorks], they seem to have a formula. Pixar as well. And they make very, very well-made films with maybe the best story department in the world. But I do think there's a part of everyone that likes to see handmade stuff. That's what we offer. It's never going to be the dominant filmmaking style. It's always going to be the cousin off to the side. You know, the more eccentric relative of yours that some of the kids like.' - H. Selick (2009), 'Interview with A.V Club', A.V Club.

'Because of this personal interaction, the medium of stop motion brings with it a level of familiarity to the viewer along with this instant connection and appreciation for both the intense, arduous process and for the "I've done that" connection' - N. L. Wolfgram Evans (2011), 'Animators of Film and Television: Nineteen Artists, Writers, Producers and Others', McFarland & Company Inc, USA. (Pg. 86)

'Animation enables me to give magical powers to things. In my films, I move many objects, real objects... I use animation as a means of subversion.' - J. Svankmajer (1992), 'The Magic Art of Jan Svankmajer', BBC, London.

'Animation can redefine the everyday, subvert our accepted notions of 'reality' , and challenge the orthodox understanding and acceptance of our existence' - P. Wells (2013 [1998]), 'Understanding Animation', Routledge, Oxon.

'I have a special place in my heart, however, for stop-motion. There's something about the dimension, texture and physical armatures that I've always loved. It's a visceral, tangible experience. It's a field that ofter gets overlooked and that I hope will continue to exist.' T. Burton (2013), 'Direct Conversations: The Animated Films of Tim Burton', eBookit.com, London. (Foreward)

'Whoever builds the puppet animates it, as he has come to terms with it's possible life beyond deadness and has a vision of how it moves and the vision it might represent for him' Quay Brothers (2011), S. Buchan (2011), 'The Quay Brothers: Into a Metaphysical Playroom', University of Minnesota Press, Minneapolis. (108:308)

'That these characters exist is one of the main satisfactions, and the intrigue of an inanimate object 'magically' moving by itself is never likely to lose its appeal' - B. J. C. Purves (2014), 'Stop-motion Animation, Frame by Frame Film-making with Puppets and Models, Second Edition', Bloomsbury Publishing, London. (10:228)

'It can make you feel naked, frustrated, excited, vulnerable and exposed. How you react to that pressure must colour how you feel about stop-motion' - B. J. C. Purves (2014), 'Stop-motion Animation, Frame by Frame Film-making with Puppets and Models, Second Edition', Bloomsbury Publishing, London. (34:228)