Barry Purves- Quick notes

I went to listen to the Barry Purves talk and he truly does have a passion for animation. I was so interested that I didn't end up making many notes at all, just a few quick ones that I thought would be very useful tips to remember.

When King Kong breaks the T-Rex's jaw in the original movie there is a moment of doubt- is it really dead? The puppet shows a thought process that gives it a greater sense of being alive. The same sequence is replicated in the remake with a CGI Kong too, Barry was a part of the production and made sure the scene that showed Kong's intelligence and thinking processes was included.

Mary Poppins's talking umbrella- While not an animation it demonstrates that puppets have no inhibitions, they can say whats not being said.

"Give a man a mask and he'll tell you the truth"

Barry showed one of his films, Screen Play, a beautifully made stop motion set on a stage, similar to his Shakespeare animation, Barry uses animation subtly in the magic of the theatre where transitions are made by sliding screens and scenery. It is also a lovely story.



Barry emphasised that everything that goes into a film, characters, colour, lighting, etc must all add up to tell the same story.