Animation artworks

Description

This series contains some of the animation artworks created for each film project. Typically these files contain a mixture of rough drawings; initial concept sketches; collaged, drawn or painted paper backgrounds; painted cels or cut-out characters and cut-out props.


This series shows the way in the which the Workshop developed their animation techniques and styles, from solely tradtional painted cel animation to a mixure of cut-outs and painted cels and then entirely cut-out animation.


The first three films (MS 2267/2/3/1, 2/3/2 and 2/3/3) are almost entirely cel animation. From "Give Us a Smile" (MS 2267/2/3/4) onwards there is some use of collage and "Out to Lunch" (MS 2267/2/3/8) provides an early example of characters being animated using cut-out puppets rather than painted cels.


The files range in size and detail, with "Crops and Robbers" (MS 2267/2/3/6), "Through the Glass Ceiling" (MS 2267/2/3/13) and "They Call Us Maids" (MS 2267/2/3/39) including all remaining artworks that existed from these projects. Due to the volume of artworks produced for each film, most of the files include only a sample of the material that still existed at the Workshop. Each file showcases a particular aspect of the Workshop's animation process as well as providing an example of the characters, backgrounds and colours used to create the animation for that film.


The Workshop members took it in turns to lead on the aesthetic design of the animation and different styles can be attributed to certain Workshop members. Toward the Workshop's fourth decade of filmmaking a particular recurring aesthetic is evident in films such as "Good to Be Home" (MS 2267/2/3/27) and the "Getting Better" and "Getting Together" films (MS 2267/2/3/36, 2/3/37 and 2/3/38). This repeated style likely allowed the Workshop to work more quickly and efficiently in a period where they were more dependent on funding for specific films and had to work to a strict schedule of production and dissemination.


Highlights of the series include:


- "Alice in Wasteland" (MS 2267/2/3/10) use of magazine collage to create the cut-out characters as well as the backgrounds;


- "Who Needs Nurseries" (MS 2267/2/3/1) the first animation created by the Workshop as the Nursery Film Group and showing a more diverse range of characters for a film made in the 1970s;


- "In Sickness and In Health" (MS 2267/2/3/14) a film made for the NHS about the Patient's Charter;


- file of nevermade films for which the synopsis and these artworks are the only evidence of their existence (MS 2267/2/3/42);


- Educational boards and mounted pitch boards (MS 2267/2/3/44 and 2/3/45) that were used by Workshop members in their training workshops and at funding meetings to provide funders with an idea of how the production was developing.

Biography or history

GLOSSARY



Animation Background Drawing or Setup

A sketch used as the basis for a background painting with the placement and action of the characters in that scene, occasionally with colour highlights.



Animation Cel Setup

An animation cel or group of cels usually combined with a production background. A cel setup may have one or more levels of cels overlaid on the animation background.



Articulated cut-out

A character with separate joints sewn together in order to be able to move the body-parts to animate character.


Background

A painting over which a series of animation cels are photographed to make up a scene in an animated film. During the scene, the background remains constant, whereas the cels, which are placed over the background and photographed, create the action. Original production backgrounds are rare.


Cel

Short for celluloid, which is a clear sheet of plastic or acetate on which images are inked and painted for traditional hand drawn animation. Cels are placed over a background to be photographed in succession to form the action of a completed film.



Key Master Setup

An animation cel or cels paired with their original matching background as they appeared at the same moment in the actual animation film.



Layout Drawing

Very detailed animation drawings depicting the master backgrounds, or showing camera movements with sketchy indications of the placement of the characters.


Model Sheet

A single character or group of characters in a variety of poses used as a reference guide for animators to ensure consistency when drawing each character. Generally, one original model sheet and a few reproductions were made and distributed amongst the animators working on a specific sequence.


Rough Drawing

An animation drawing done by an animator to indicate the position and pose of the character.



Storyboard Drawing

Any animation art drawing or sequence of animation art drawings used to describe the plot of a film visually. Typically, these rough animation drawings depict the overall theme or scenario of a brief moment in the film.


Title Cel

The image at the beginning of a cartoon depicting the title of the production. Title cels and the production backgrounds over which they are placed are very rare.


12-Field Cel or Drawing

An animation cel or drawing measuring 10" x 12."



16-Field Cel or Drawing

An animation cel or drawing measuring 12" x 16."

System of arrangement

Files are arranged by film project and chronologically by date of the projects, with nevermade films and other non-project related artworks appearing at the end of the sequence.

Access and usage

Reproduction

Access

Access to this part of the collection is protected under the Data Protection Act. You will need to complete a data protection access form and return it to Special Collections for review by staff before access can be granted

Some parts of this collection are in copyright. Photocopies or digital images of the material in copyright can be supplied for private study purposes only. It is the responsibility of the researcher to obtain the copyright holder’s permission for reproduction of copyright material for purposes other than research or private study. Guidance is available on tracing copyright status and ownership.