WALLETS

Prepared wallet puppets (Armatured & Rigged) choreographed and animated (stop-mo motion control camera) completed 5 30 second spots in 6 days for Kroger stores.

CHUCK WAGON

Rigged, choreographed and animated chuck wagon miniature.  Designed a frontlite - backlite Plexiglas matting system (for each frame of animated movement 3 frames were exposed (beauty,  matte holdout and shadow).  Model could be animated on duplicate of real surface.

Through the years  I have directed, rigged, lighted and animated dozens of commercial spots for various houses.  The longest run was 4½ years at a COAST/TRIO EFFECTS in north Hollywood.  Many miniature sets and puppets were constructed, choreographed and animated with all sorts of tricky methods such as replacement series heads sculpted with progressive mouth and eye shapes. Such was the case with "Poppin Fresh", including an animated finger poke (sometimes a plaster model and other times a live person's hand animated one frame at a time as the Doboy is animated).

Gumby, Pokey and Dinosaur friend introduce a collection of George Pal's Puppetoons.  During the time when I was co-owner of Fantasy II film effects, I was asked to co-direct and co-produce the opening and closing sequences sandwiching the "Puppetoons".  I was responsible for the full miniature sets and props and actually constructed the scale model "Chapman" crane that Gumby rides.  I animated all characters (28 in all).  I used go-motion as well as a vintage "panoram" dolly also animated frame by frame.  Be sure to look at the closing finale / extravaganza.  {With S. Spielberg's generous permission}

This Ringo Star, Shelly Long prehistoric epic also cast goofy dinosaurs which easily up-staged the (almost) human actors!  I shot the majority of the stop-motion scenes in front of beautiful vista vision background plates prepared by ace effects guy, Jim Danforth.  Basic stop-motion animation.

Shot at Introvision Studios in Hollywood with Sam Remi directing.  It was great fun working with this guy.  No idea that I suggested was too wacky for Sam.  I was in charge of all miniature sets that pertained to the animated characters: set-ups, rear projection, animation and lighting.  In one big scene you can see 6 animated foreground skeletons with 12 more in the background go-motion operated.  Lots of other animated set-ups.

Fifty Six Gremlin puppets are stop-mo animated running out of the darkness in front of a rear projection.  Spielberg called this his "Wild Bunch" shot.

One of the early-on projects at Fantasy II was brought in by young James Cameron.  My partner, Gene Warren Jr. and I were excited with the immense number of effects shots laid out.  In a nutshell we did virtually all visual effects including the futuristic battle scenes and the gasoline truck explosion miniature, the burned Arnold rising from the flames and chasing the hero through the factory scenes as the robotic Terminator.  All stop-motion with appropriate background elements, I was involved with all aspects of these effects.

I animated stop-motion robot (Kane character) in all scenes in warehouse sequence and on the auditorium stage.  Many shots with practical gun flashes exposed along with animated frames.  Warehouse scenes shot in controlled smoke room.  Shots start as robot steps out of truck.  We just see his feet stepping down.

This commercial is an example of "replacement" puppet animation in as much as the character is sculpted in a progressive series of shapes.  If you look close you can see how the main part of the puppet stays the same as the cheek gradually is pinched.  Each unit in the series is replaced for each frame progression.  At the same time I animated the "hand model's" real hand as it moved in and pinched.

Designed and constructed set environment, lighted all shots, animated the characters and directed motion control camera moves.  Was the director on this spot for TRIO EFFECTS of north Hollywood.

The dancing  jalapenos were built from a flexible molding compound called "Hot Melt".  They were armatured with ball joints vertically lined up inside.  The hats were fitted out with tassels on little wires and their vertical movement was supported by tiny wires beneath.

Another spot directed and shot by yours truly at COAST / TRIO EFFECTS house.  For this "Fred and Ginger" routine I lined up three motion control tracks with camera on the middle one and each character on the other two.  The camera was then choreographed on it's path through the set.  Then the two blenders were each programmed on their courses.  When we were ready to shoot I animated the characters through their dance, up, down and tilt till we got to the end.  A separate pass was then shot with flour puffed out from below.  Oh yes, the guy's real hand in the beginning was also stop-motion animated simultaneously.