Production - Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance - page 282

few) versus the crew of hundreds. There's something about the work coming from one person, as much
as possible. Because one can rework a shot in CG (an advantage if used properly), two things can
happen. One, nobody puts their soul into the take because they know it's going to be changed. Two, in
a large company, too many hands can make too many changes, risking watering down a shot instead of
enhancing it.
AW - I'm never happy handing my work over to an editor. Every frame is like my child. It hurts.
SB - Cutting and editing scenes are as important to fi lm-making as animating. I hate reshoots and leaving
shots on the cutting-room fl oor, but if it makes for a better fi lm it has to happen. Learning to let go of
something you've lovingly slaved over for hours is a hard lesson.
RH - Editing can be regarded as 'criminality' in animation, so when I made The Typewriter every shot was
tightly fi tted to the music, so we didn't animate too much.
JC - An editor is invaluable to any fi lm. Animated shorts are often one person's vision from conception
to delivery. As director/animator you see a shot, perhaps beautifully animated, and fi nd it hard to cut it.
A trusted second opinion is extremely useful and can keep a fi lm on target. (Though I have once or twice
insisted on keeping a shot.)
DS - For me the fi lm simply has to work in its own right and whatever needs to happen to make that so
is justifi ed. Having not done the animation work itself makes it easier for me to play editor, but I've found
even the most precious animators eventually realise you have to lose stuff. Jeff Newitt is ruthless with
his work when it comes to editing. Having just spent months animating he'd happily chuck out shots to
make the edit work.
Many characters are shot against blue screen, which makes things harder for the animator but
easier for the editors; well, there is so much creativity, but we need to be careful that the actual
stop motion does not become a series of elements in a kit, like some drawn animation, that
can be assembled in postproduction. Some of this is necessary, and has rescued me from tricky
situations, but we must not forget that the appeal of stop motion is its existence in a spatial
environment, reacting with its surroundings and reacting spontaneously. Editing should not be
a safety net.
The sound of silence - Matt Holt, Hullabaloo, UK
An animation sound editor makes sound where naturally, little or no sound occurs, requiring a great deal
of creativity, ingenuity and a fair amount of luck. Mainly it's about trial and error.
A new episode means a new challenge. You have to formulate ideas very quickly based on limited visual
effects. The process has many layers, all crucial to the fi nished programme.
Sound editing raises some questions that would never come up in most fi elds. What sound does an
octopus make when it walks? When a magical scooter goes berserk, does the bell ring and when
underwater how loud is a trumpet calling a mermaid? I need to answer them all.
When I describe what I do I keep it simple - 'I do the sound effects on the show'. But it's more than that.
In most shows like Rupert Bear the process is divided into four sections. Firstly, the dialogues for each