Expert: Russell Calabrese - 8/25/2011

Question
I have a vague memory of an abstract animation technique where crayons are melted into a tube shape and then photographed end on.
Then the end is shaved off revealing the next little bit of tube and the next photo is taken and so on.

I could of swore I saw it in "The Complete Kodak Animation Book" but upon re-reading it this morning it isn't there. Maybe it was in the first four volumes of Animation Magazine but I sold those so I can't doublecheck.

I've tried to google and the google has failed. And so the question is:


Does the techique have a more formal name so I can Google up some examples?

TIA
-William

BTW, my household is geeky enough that we still run around going
"What are we gonna do tonight Brain?"
"Same thing we do every night Pinky...try and take over the world"

Answer
Hi William,

I know Oskar Fischinger made some experimental films using this method. Then there are some 'traditional image' Animation using this technique.
I don't know if this is the "formal" term but one I know of is "Strata-Cut" using clay or wax and slicing and photographing it.

Here's some URLs for you...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oskar_Fischinger
http://stage.itp.nyu.edu/history/timeline/fisch.html
http://www.stopmotionworks.com/stratacut.htm

Hope this helps.

ой

Brain: "Are you pondering what I'm pondering?"
Pinky: "I think so Brain, but if Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why does he keep doing it?"