Comments on: The Original King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time

The Original King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time

JPowers — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 20:52:55 -0800

The *Original* King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time (large Quicktime video).

By: armoured-ant

armoured-ant — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 21:04:16 -0800

Excellent. And my, hasn't Peter Jackson lost weight? (So has Kong, mind...)

By: zixyer

zixyer — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 22:07:44 -0800

It's funny how much better the animation is than it was in the original movie, even though the animators are using the same tools and presumably had less time because they were just doing it for fun. I guess people really just sucked at everything back then.

By: wumpus

wumpus — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 22:21:20 -0800

Yeah, unlike now, a time where we're good at everything.

By: jonson

jonson — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 22:30:36 -0800

Now's so much more awesome than back then.

By: JPowers

JPowers — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 23:07:36 -0800

Go now! Boo then!

By: dhartung

dhartung — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 23:41:19 -0800

zixyer, I think part of the difference was that they could do it with much less effort -- digital video and all -- and the animators at WETA have much greater knowledge of anatomy and animal movement. Plus, more frames per second helps enormously. While they were manipulating the model on Jackson's coffee table, I kept half expecting an ominous snap! followed by expletives. I know it's steel and looks to be in fabulously maintained condition, lubrication and all, but still, it's an historic artifact!

By: Potsy

Potsy — Sat, 22 Oct 2005 23:56:23 -0800

Yeah, having personally done a little stop motion animation both with and without immediate video feedback, I can definitely say that it makes things a heck of a lot easier. The WETA people have it of course, but the folks in 1933 didn't.

By: brundlefly

brundlefly — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 00:48:30 -0800

Dang it! I was thinking about posting this. Cool as hell, ain't it?

By: Joey Michaels

Joey Michaels — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 01:42:03 -0800

Argh! Peter Jackson! How dare you get me excited to see a Jack Black filk! Argh!

By: Busithoth

Busithoth — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 05:27:23 -0800

I usually watch these on Mondays, but that was cool and completely unexpected. And zixyer, while I should ignore the troll, I ask you to imagine the state of WETA's computers in 70 years.

By: Bugbread

Bugbread — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 05:41:53 -0800

Potsy : "Yeah, having personally done a little stop motion animation both with and without immediate video feedback, I can definitely say that it makes things a heck of a lot easier." Having no experience with stop motion, I thank you for the insight. Would it be correct if I ventured to guess that back then, more time was spent on each frame because they had to make sure that everything was exactly right, while now they can just move the figure a bit without paying as much care, check the result, move whatever was wrong, check again, and repeat until correct? And that doing it in that faster, but more error-prone, way results in more bad takes but far less time before getting the good take? Or is that guess off-base?

By: Songdog

Songdog — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 06:26:53 -0800

bugbread, it's more that they can compare the current frame with the previous frames and make sure that they have made precisely the movements they intended, that the lighting hasn't changed, etc.. Without this feedback they didn't know until they got it all developed. Then they might discover, for instance, that they moved a limb too far for smooth motion and they'd need to decide whether to reshoot the entire scene, cut or edit it, or just use the flawed footage.

By: Songdog

Songdog — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 06:29:37 -0800

... because this stuff is so time-consuming, even now, that you really only plan on one take.

By: briank

briank — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 07:09:25 -0800

Very cool short. Too bad the movie will suck.

By: NinjaPirate

NinjaPirate — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 11:33:55 -0800

That is a beautiful piece of mechanics. The hands, the spine, the fanged skull. What I'd give to find that in a stocking.

By: mecran01

mecran01 — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 13:40:45 -0800

I wish someone would sell a replica armature. For now, we'll have to settle for the animatronic chimpanzee heads that are making the rounds.

Comments on: The *Original* King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time

The *Original* King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time

By: armoured-ant

By: zixyer

By: wumpus

By: jonson

By: JPowers

By: dhartung

By: Potsy

By: brundlefly

By: Joey Michaels

By: Busithoth

By: Bugbread

By: Songdog

By: Songdog

By: briank

By: NinjaPirate

By: mecran01

Comments on: The Original King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time

The Original King Kong Model is Animated One Last Time