Animation Background
I began my film animation training as assistant to the late, great Peter Luschwitz at Flicks Animation, Sydney in 1984. This was high-end special effects at the time, computer controlled rostrum camera and 'aerial image' projection. Using controlled lightplay and techniques such as 'slit-scan' and 'backlight/frontlight' optical layering we often created, on film, simulations of the emerging CGI effects that were coming out of NY and LA at the time. This was mainly ads, station IDs and title sequences. Peter Luschwitz was also an accomplished classical animator and drummed into me many of the basic tenets that I go by when animating. Peter encouraged me to pick up in-betweening work from Hanna Barbera up the road which was my introduction to the animation processes and cartoon factories that were thriving in Sydney at the time, the mid 80s.
I was lucky to work on the Footrot Flats movie "A Dog's Tale" and still find it a joy to watch. The artwork is beautiful, particuarly the backgrounds by the amazing Richard Zaloudek. Over the next few years I worked at Burbank Animation, Yoram Gross, Hanna Barbera all the while fiddling away with stop motion at home. First on Super-8 film then I aquired a wind up Bolex 16mm camera. Stop Motion has never ceased to fascinate me as a technique and medium it is endless. Any material can come to life before the camera. It is all about the play of light on the material that creates the illusion, that is what I have enjoyed about working with cellophane, plastic and mirrors in the water scenes I have done.