Who Invented the Stop Motion?

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The history of cinema (precisely, the film technique) is full of “fatherhood” in dispute. Without going any further, the very invention of “cinema” has been claimed, as always, by Americans and French.

While for Americans the father of the new invention was Thomas Edison (who in 1893 introduced his Kinetoscope), for the Gauls no doubt that “cinema” debuted in 1895 with the brothers Auguste and Louis Lumiere.

The truth is that in the meantime discovery called into question, there is one for almost one hundred years, “faces” to the United States, France and Spain. This filming technique called “step crank” or also called “stop motion”.

This technique, under which there have been countless films throughout the twentieth century and you could say, is the cornerstone of the animated film, is to record frame by frame, drawn images, puppets, silhouettes and other objects inanimate, then “simulate” the movement of the same through the projection of that record.

So stands the “object” before the camera still, lie down to shoot a few frames (or digital equipment, recorded a couple of frames) and then, with the camera stopped, slightly change the state or the object’s location and retake the shoot, repeat the procedure until the programmed sequence. The projection of these static images consecutively, resulting in a movement that obviously did not exist during registration.

The Wizard of Montreuil

Son of a wealthy shoe manufacturer, Georges Melies (1861-1938) decided not to hear their father’s command, and instead of procuring training “commercial”, got into the captivating world of entertainment. Professional magician and theater director Robert Houdini, Melies was thirty-four years old, a privileged witness of the first public projection and legendary cinema Lumiere. Fascinated by the wonderful invention, venture soon, first in the exhibition and then making his own films.

Although his early films did not contain anything other than the mere recording of “scenes of everyday life” (arrival of trains at the station, out of the factory workers, sprinkler irrigated, etc.), it was thanks to an “accident” that would be discovered their own “style” cinematic.

One morning in 1896, the budding filmmaker had placed his camera “Imager” in the middle of the Plaza de la Opera, with the intention of recording some documentary images circulating traffic through the area. Suddenly in the middle of filming, the handle of the camcorder and the film got stuck inside stopped, even while printing the images. Overcome the defect, but Melies project continued filming what was recorded, discovered with surprise that “magic”, where he had originally men and women now appeared Madeleine-Bastille bus was passing in front of the camera, he “became” suddenly, in a hearse.

Melies realized so that, by chance, had just discovered the first trick film: “Step crank.” Hereinafter technique would lead to animated films and multiple substitution effects, based on image by image registration. That’s how this curious film magician saw the possibility of bringing the art of illusion to places not imagined.

Although since 1896 Melies did not stop to apply their tricks (especially “Crank step”) to the hundreds of films he made in 1913, it is difficult to find one in which the use of this technique was put at the service of the story (is ie, as a narrative) and not as an attraction in itself. However, Journey to the Moon (Le Voyage dans la Lune, 1902) a “blockbuster” based on texts by Jules Verne and HG Wells, displayed in one of his most famous scenes, the tibia will integrate the “magical” effect achieved with the “crank step” to the plot. This is the moment when the projectile space, launched from Earth, hits the eye of an anthropomorphic moon. This was the first “shot” in the development of stop-motion.

Vaudeville illusionist

While Melies in Paris, makes magic with the new invention, the other side of the ocean, in America, the New York Evening World entrusted the young cartoonist James Stuart Blackton (1875-1941), an interview with Thomas Edison inquire about his latest invention: the Vitascope. The content itself is not passed into history, but the encounter between themselves. Blackton was shocked to know the details of the device and quickly came up that could apply to his activity as an artist, “encouraging” their creations on paper.

For some time, James made a living with a poor number of Vaudeville in which, in view of the public and with surprising speed, drawing funny cartoons with which he could tell stories simple but effective. It occurred to Blackton film frame by frame drawings (applying this technique to “step crank”) and during the screening, make changes to the figures in a movement that looks “real.”

So it was born “The Enchanted Drawing” (1900) and “Humorous Phases of Funny Faces” (1906), two of his first films based on this technique. But in fact the truth, the application of stop-motion itself, would not Blackton’s work until 1907, when the premiere of “The Haunting”, surprised the spectators with the appearance of real objects inanimate mysteriously came to life.

The screening of this film gave a new and unexpected boost to the primitive technique discovered by Melies and laid the foundations of stop-motion animation as a consolidated basis, which from then on would be applied to all kinds of objects, puppets and dolls.

Wandering Aragonese

If there is a film pioneer who has not been duly recognized for their contributions “technicians” that is, without doubt, Chomón Second (1871-1929). An enthusiastic explorer born in Teruel province, northeast of Spain, in 1895 (just months before the presentation “official” cinematographer) migrated to Paris. His stay in the “city of light” was soon interrupted as, in May 1897, left the French capital to return to Spain and fight as a volunteer in the war against the United States.

After his return to Paris in 1899, Aragon came into contact with Georges Melies and immediately offered to work in his workshop hand-colored films.

In contact with the inventive profuse Melies, Chomón was encouraged to undertake their own explorations. That was how he began experimenting in the most varied fields: from color to the picture, through the faking and the revealed.

In 1901 began a series of trips to Barcelona to make his first “takes” as a director. A year later he settled permanently in that city, where trade represents both Pathé house, besides having charge of the Castilian translation of the intertitles of French films and color.

Already installed in Spain, making resumes Chomón films, but from that moment, he turns increasingly to the use of tricks or visual effects. In this stage of his career realize movies like “train wreck” (1902) or “Gulliver in the land of the giants” (1903).

It was in 1905 with the release of “Eclipse of the sun” when introduced Chomón Second Spanish cinema as mentioned the technique of “Crank step.” A few years later, in 1908, inspired by the Blackton film (“The Haunting”), was finalized Chomón and finished to the technique of stop-motion in what would be one of his most popular films around the world: ” The hotel electricity. ” Filmed in London for the Pathé company (remember that in 1905 had returned to Paris Chomón), the film was a veritable compendium of the heavy bag of tricks that had hitherto developed.

Years later, would return again to Spain and, after a dozen films based on sketches and popular dramas, leave for Turin in search of more resources and creative freedom. But that is another story.

The end or means?

In light of this story is difficult to determine with precision and force the paternity of a technique so simple but fundamental as has been discussed here. The lack of reliable sources, the insurmountable damage or disappearance of many of the works of those years, and even a certain chauvinism by film historians, make any statement in this regard should be bracketed.

However, the issue brings us the following question: What can be more important to the origin of a technical process your application to art?

Beyond any response, the truth is that the world of animation “frame by frame” honors, day to day work of the illustrious Melies, Blackton, Chomón and many other “unknowns” who have contributed their talent, intelligence and imagination to make the film, something bigger than life.

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