Stop Motion by Tim Allen

Tim Allen was always captivated by art, but wasn't sure what sense of direction he should follow, until he attended an open day at a university, by chance he stumbled on to discover an animation course which lead him to pursue a direction that lead him to happiness.

http://www.timallenanimation.co.uk/animators-cv

Tim Allen now specialises in stop motion animation, which is essentially a series of photographs, where in each photograph there will be enough movement to create an illusion to viewers of motion. 25 frames per second (25 photographs per second), are enough photographs to provide the illusion of natural movement and motion. This process is very time consuming which is usually why the series of animation are a short duration. Stop motion is usually used in children's TV series to animate cartoons, which is where Tim Allen had the honour of first doing work experience when he recently graduated, of animating the characters in Bob the Builder using the technique of stop motion. 

http://tvlistings.zap2it.com/tv/bob-the-builder/photo-gallery-detail/EP00326087/282141?aid=zap2it

To be given the opportunity to gain experience or be given job placements in TV series you had to create a showreel, that showcases a collection of your work designed to specifically grab the viewers attention, to entice them to see more of your work. Even though I specialise in graphic design, creating a showreel is completely irrelevant towards me, however the advice on how to order your work, I felt I could apply this arrangement in my portfolio. Tim Allen advised animators to have the beginning and especially the last shot of your showreel to be your best work, which I completely agree, as the last shot is what viewers are most likely going to remember, so it needs to be the most captivating powerful shot/communication piece that should be saved for the end in order to deliver a memorable showreel/portfolio.

http://www.ovguide.com/tv_season/fireman-sam-season-5-73517

http://puppetsandclay.blogspot.co.uk/2008/11/el-nombre-1994-2003.html

Tim Allen has gained an incredible amount of experience by animating and directing in vast amounts of different series such as Shaun the Sheep, Fireman Sam, Postman Pat, and even El Nombre. When developing the stop motion for different TV series, you have to develop all aspects, such as developing the style of the character, creating the set, and lastly writing the script. Tim Allen talked about how the way the puppets are positioned is key, so you don't get the eyes out of focus. Another thing to consider when positioning the puppets, is that you have to make sure you don't get bad shadows or overcast. 

The talk given by Tim Allen gave me a much deeper insight into stop motion, and made me realise how time consuming this process really is. For Tim having such passion for making things, is partly the reason why he could commit so well to creating the sets for the characters and developing the style. Every detail is considered, to deliver the characters movement to be most realistic as possible, complimenting their personality and style, which Tim Allen did effectively.