I have NO fancy Machining Equipment, BUT I have this!

 SHOP TALK ....

This Manual Tapping stand, securely holds a tap bit at perfect perpendicularity to the metal work piece that you are tapping and NO wobble.  You have high sensitivity tactile feed-back in your hand while you are tap-threading, especially with the mini-tap bits such at #0-80, #1-72, #2-56 tap sizes (USA, not metric). Absolute control and minimizing tap-bit breakage.

These are available at specialty industrial suppliers and the prices can vary. My hand tapper unit is not the best quality. It is an imported brand and has worked reasonably okay for many years..

Before I acquired this tapping unit years ago,  I previously used a common bench top drill press to manually tap by hand: I removed the drill press belt from the pulley & motor. I then insert the tap bit into drill chuck, and you have the metal work  piece in the vise ... then firmly grab the drill chuck with your hand and turn it. It works for medium size taps, but with mini size taps, it is difficult to 'feel' using the drill press tapper method.

Note: I do have a Mini-Mill and a small precision Lathe ... but ... NO costly CNC set-up, NO humongous size Bridgeport Mill, and NO massive turning Lathe.

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'THE PRIMEVALS' - Adventure Film with Stop Motion, ready for release

About 2 weeks ago, I posted about 'The Primevals' regarding, it being very slow to complete. I was only 'echoing' the sentiments of the many fans who were getting impatient and concerned if the movie would ever be finished. 

Well ... Charles Band just made an announcement. 'The Primevals' was finished in late 2022. I am assuming it was going through post-production. We, the fans will not get a chance to watch it yet. Charles says ... they are going to do a Film Festival release first. That is interesting ... kind of giving 'The Primevals' an Independent 'Artistic' Film branding, so that it is not perceived as just another B-Movie??

WATCH and it includes a new Trailer ... you can jump to about the 2 minute video timeline mark, where he starts talking about The Primevals ....

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ASMR Stop Motion - Aardman 'Chicken Run' Sequel

Andrew Bailey aka AndyMation, hails from the USA. His expertise is in the rare art & craft of hand drawn FlipBook animation niche and also, he is experienced in Stop Motion.

Here ... a unique behind the scenes ...  Andy animating a clay puppet ... silent, no talking ... just a meditative ASMR style experience, watch ....

I have done clay animation (e.g. Gumby & few other gigs), but watching this ... it sure is painstakingly SLOW. I would rather animate a rubber made stop motion puppet, like a Cyclops creature!  Aardman's animation production style, requires highly meticulous work.and a sh*tload of patience! At this level of highly detailed work, it appears that each animator produces just a few seconds (maybe 4 - 5 seconds?) of animation each day. You do need some dexterity with sculpting for clay animation methods.

 

I think, after the animation is completed,  in post-production .... finger prints, dirt, seams, are digitally removed from the clay surface. With Aardman puppets, the head is usually clay with clay replacement mouths, but the puppet bodies, arms, hands can be made of cast foam latex, then cast again covering foam with a silicone rubber skin.  

For Gumby style clay animation, it was nothing like Aardman. We  were fast, the puppets got dirty & beat-up, and we shot volumes of animation under tight deadlines.(TV series). Also, the animation was a bit rougher & rustic ... LOL! 😀  

What is ASMR?  Just do a search. A relaxation, meditataive-esque technique, indirectly inspired by the pop culture icon ... the soft spoken painter Bob Ross.

Movie Information > CHICKEN RUN - Dawn of the Nugget

 

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Armatures - Not $1000! Not $500! Not $200! but for ...

 ... only $64.90 ... YOU can have a Professional Stop Motion Armature! If you order today, we will send you Two, yes Two Armatures for the price of One! (additional shipping cost). Offer is for a limited time, so do not wait!!

Yes ... Amazon has a number of sellers offering stop motion armatures at INSANELY LOW price 😮.  I was just JOKING about "sending two armatures" ...  a parody of those old late night loud TV commercials hustling & selling stupid useless products.

I have no knowledge about the quality of this 'Poor Man's 😉 armature.. It does appear to be somewhat okay, but photos can sometimes be deceiving. Here is the link >> AMAZON - ARMATURES and you can examine the close-up photos and read the reviews & comments. Some comments say assembly instructions are poor or inadequate. Probably it would be more ideal if the person buying these cheaper armatures, should have some minimal mechanical or tinkering skills. Some other points here:

• How do you affix the rods & balls so that they do not loosen?  Product description does mention 'a spot' of  Super Glue (e.g. Cyanoacrylate glue).The other better option would be a thread locker sealant (e.g. 271 red Loctite).
• The armature photo shows the ball joint side plates having a reasonable thickness and each pair of the ball joint plates, has one of the side plates with threaded holes (which is good) for the tension screws ... however ... my question is ... What type of metal is it? Is it a zinc alloy metal (known as 'pot' metal). Will the plates 'later' slowly bend as you tighten the joints?
• You should know the parts are in Metric sizing (not USA Imperial).    

My speculation is, that most of the people buying this low priced, much cheaper armatures, may not be aware of possible issues, therefore, I am here to offer an expert evaluation 😎. Amazon does have a 30 day return period.

If you are reading this post in later years, that amazon link may not work, and the armature seller may have vanished into the vacuum of the inter-web graveyard space!

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The KONG that NEVER WAS

This was for a Tony McVey project, back from many years ago,1996-97. I designed & built the armature, also, going fancy with it, I had the steel parts chrome plated and black anodized the aluminum parts. I did not want to attempt to construct the Kong skull, as Tony having way more expertise in anatomy & knowing exactly what he needed. Since I was a former dental lab technician, I advised him about materials for Kong's teeth/gums and gave him dental acrylic resins to cast the teeth & gums/jaw form. The Kong rib cage & pelvis form that Tony made was an intensive fabrication. He actually meticulously bent stiff steel rods to form the rib cage & pelvis curves & shape! I would never do that myself and I would construct the rib cage & pelvis differently, however, Tony's rib cage does look very 'anatomically' Cool!

Tony was going to do an 'interpretation' of some Kong sequences specifically the LOG Scene!?? All animated humans on a huge log big-ature (large miniature). Pretty ambitious! Just remember, many times, in general, with independent self-funded projects, sometimes 'life' gets in the way and pay the rent jobs takes priority!

Here are is the basic overall schematics I drafted for the Kong design. There were also other design drafts for the specific components of the armature such as the feet, hips, chest, hands, etc. With this Kong puppet standing fairly erect, as shown in the schematics ... he would be 17.25 inches tall (43.82 centimeters), from the top of head to feet.

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Later on, around 2012, Tony had another project brewing, "The Gardens of Miranda" - A Science Fiction fantasy stop motion series. He converted & modified the Kong armature and transformed it into a Sloth-like creature. You can see some images/photos here, Tony McVey's THE GARDENS OF MIRANDA

 

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MAGIC ISLAND (1995) - Stop Motion in Adventure 'Family' Film

The low budget producers known as Full Moon Pictures (USA) and their subsidiary brand name, Moonbeam Films, released this movie. No comments about the story line as it is the common adventure fantasy movie for family entertainment.

(c) joelfletcher

Even though Magic Island is a low budget feature, it does include some good Harryhausen style stop motion scenes. It is of a giant stone statue embedded in a rocky hill and then it comes to life and emerges from the hillside. 

Here is a Trailer ....

 You can watch the animation scenes here Magic Island stop motion

Joel Fletcher and behind the scenes of Magic Island ... you can also Watch (better video quality) the finished stop motion scenes and read Joel's experiences. He says, Magic Island might have been the last time Harryhausen style, 'Dynamation' was used in a feature movie. Is he referring to 'rear screen projection' combined with the stop motion? Read his article >> Read Joel's Article

(c) joelfletcher

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'SINBAD - The Fifth Voyage' (2014) Stop Motion Visual Special Effects

So, I have just been reflecting & pondering about this independent feature and of course, focusing on the Stop Motion visual special effects. I am familiar with all of the artists & techs who worked on this ... the team included: Ron Cole, Peter A Montgomery, Mark Sullivan, Tom Brierton, Dave Hettmer, Paul J McConnochie, and Stan Milton (Strawn)..

The Magnificent Seven

I would say, that the website message board StopMotionAnimation.com played an indirect background role in the making of 5th Voyage. This message board is where stop motion hobbyists, aficionados, and some professionals, congregated at. Ron would do production updates there about 5th Voyage, some of the issues, the progress status, etc. It was a community thing ... us offering Ron feedback. SMA.com is still around today.I did a search at their archives which goes back to over 20 years! I revisited some of those conversations from years past, to about 2009 ... the beginnings of 5th voyage.

Reading those early message board posts / comments, this team was highly passionate about the stop motion for 5th Voyage and eagerly contributed their skilled talents & expertise. Ron Cole being the overseer of the effects, had the task of coordinating the team while he was also immersed doing the hands on fabrication of the puppets and the slow frame by frame animation process. Puppet-model fabrication also done by Stan Milton Strawn, Mark Sullivan (also animation) & Peter A Montgomery (also animation). Dave Hettmer and Tom Brierton doing the armature construction. Paul J McConnochie doing post production digital motion blurs & matte/masking the stop motion shots. I have no knowledge what was the 5th Voyage producer/director's monetary reimbursement to the stop motion effects crew. With freelance work, many times, it is about a 'work of passion' ... an opportunity to partake in a unique project here, for just a moment ...  bringing back, a reasonably well produced movie in the spirit of the classic Harryhausen works. The producer/director seems to have had a similar vision. Sometimes in the general arts & low budget projects, labor is done in exchange for publicity, portfolio & credit attribution, etc. I know, justifiably that you immediately think that this is not fair or right, and you are correct.

 

Click Red Play - Look for 'The Magnificent Seven' NAME CREDITS

The 5th Voyage stop motion special effects were not done at a specific studio location.The artists worked out of their homes, garages, shops, etc. Since the 'pay' was maybe so-so, I am not sure if there were issues in trying to maintain the stop motion team's morale. I did not envy Ron Cole ... he must have been stressed at times also having to deal with the producer/director ongoing 'changes' while supervising the stop motion team. However, since the producer/director seemed to have been moving at a somewhat slow pace, I am guessing that time pressure deadlines were perhaps, not a major problem. After all the stop motion effects were completed, in post production it took forever for the studio/director to release 5th Voyage, in 2014.

My Mini-Review:  I thought  that Sinbad - The Fifth Voyage, very much captured the essence of the Ray Harryhausen spirit. It was filled with high production quality executed stop motion homages to 'Uncle Ray.'. Another thing, I think the actors were mostly middle eastern, adding a little more authenticity to the characters. My only minor critique ... the actor, Patrick Stewart's voice over, narrator as an elder Sinbad, had a 'British' accent, which was completely different & contradicts the Sinbad actor's voice (middle eastern) in 5th Voyage.When it was finally released, it was predictable that mainstream CGI brainwashed audiences with an attention span of a 'Gnat', including the movie reviewer critics, would pan & diss 5th Voyage. Perhaps, 5th Voyage has emerged as a cult classic fun entertainment escape for a niche audience!

I will never understand these snobby reviewers double-standard hypocrisies. Example: 5th Voyage has very similar 'production values', including the typical adventure story narrative when compared to the original 7th Voyage of Sinbad ... however they would never ever criticize Ray Harryhausen's work and praise his films as iconic classics. Stupid dumb-ass critics including today's addled brain TikTok-er generation. Yes, I am a Retro-Grouch and a Luddite! 😠

So it appears that there is an updated Sinbad at this link ... DIRECTOR'S CUT 'Sinbad - The Fifth Voyage' What extra scenes? Extra stop motion?  I recalled there was a Dragon in 5th Voyage but scenes were very brief. If you blink, you might miss it!

There is a FULL MOVIE here at this link ... SINBAD 5TH VOYAGE but quality and sound is not so good compared to a DVD or a Streamed version. If you have Smart TV with Youtube, you can watch on bigger TV screen.

 

 EXTRA BONUS FOR YOU .... 

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THE THING (1982) - John Carpenter Deleted Stop Motion

John Carpenter was the director of this now, cult classic. He unfortunately was critical of the finished stop motion Blair Monster stop motion shots. As usual, the studios in general put deadline pressures to rush & complete the scenes often resulting in mis-communication issues between 'front office & the director' and the artists, special effects crew. You can read more of my comments at my Stop Motion Works Youtube channel. I thought the stop motion scenes were good and should NOT have been deleted!

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Jurassic June, Dinosaur Babes, & Stop Mo Dinos!

I did not know, there was this thing called 'Jurassic June' that was mentioned in a youtube video, where the voice-over was showing brief clips from an obscure B-movie called 'Dinosaur Babes' ....

 

 

I heard of Dinosaur Babes (released in 1996) many years ago and might have seen some still pictures. I knew Brett Piper was involved with the special effects, but also as the producer & writer.  Just for your information ... to the best of my knowledge ... Brett is almost the only current practitioner of Ray Harryhausen style animation. Not just a hobby, but he fairly consistently works on & produces B-movie projects. Similar to Ray, Brett does almost  all the effects, or oversees them, however one area of his expertise is, the hands-on animation which he solely does on his own ...  stop motion creature character animation, especially still doing it, in these past  years to present of  CGI saturation.

Well ...  this movie is on the interwebs. Here you go, 'Dinosaur Babes" (for mature audiences) The quality is not that good including the audio, but hey it's got stop motion!

 You can try this one on Youtube / Dinosaur Babes but also, it is sub-quality so-so. 

Brett's previous Dinosaur content B-Movie was, A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell which was made in 1990. Wow ... he has been doing this for a long time, as early as 1982  See Brett Piper's screen credits

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"The Primevals' - Fantastic trailer BUT ....

 ... we are still waiting. It has been about 23 years since David Allen (animator & FX artist, writer, director) passed away RIP (1999) and the progress has been very slow to complete it. 😕 The trailer has a strong classic Harryhausen-esque flavor. The Primevals will definitely satiate the hunger of the salivating, very niche audience! This is not for the CGI movie indoctrinated, or the hyper-short attention span TikTok'ers, & including the computer gaming addicted  generation.😉

In 2018, Charles Band (Full Moon Features did give a update. Again, that was awhile ago. We can only hope that 'The Primevals' will make it to an eventual release.Of course, it is obvious that the general economy is a bit unpredictable and also impacts the entertainment biz.

If you are not familiar with 'The Primevals', here is a link to a past fund raising attempt (4 years ago) and it provides some back story about the project. Click > The Primevals/Indiegogo

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RARE - Behind the Scenes : Ray Harryhausen

Ray very briefly demonstrating rear projection and he is actually handling the puppet & posing it to the projected image. It's only about 2-1/2 minutes, watch ....

Of course, there have been publicity still photos of Ray with puppets and sometimes with a rear projection tabletop set-up ... but for me, I have never seen a video of him actually showing his method, posing the puppet, including the rear projection.
 

 

At the Youtube channel, you can read further details, below the player ... the description & notes.

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