The Signi cance of Norman McLaren
Norman McLaren was a twentieth-century lmmaker known for his use
of non-traditional animation techniques in his lms, ranging from stop
motion and pixilation in 1952's Neighbours to scratching images
directly onto lm in 1949's Begone Dull Care and 1955's Blinkity Blank
(in which the soundtrack was also produced via the lm). McLaren's
works all rely on audio to drive the visual aspect of his lms.
McLaren, who was born in Scotland in 1914, initially followed in his
father's footsteps while studying interior design at the Glasgow School
of Art from 1932 to 1936. During his time there, he developed an
interest in motion pictures, particularly experimental lm, prompting him
to form a production group with his fellow students. He washed o the
emulsion from a discarded 35mm reel and painted directly onto each
frame because he couldn't a ord a camera.
McLaren went on to make nearly a lm a year in genres ranging from
animation to documentary, dance, and live-action 'pixilation.' McLaren
won his Academy Award for Neighbours in 1952 for his work in
pixilation, which creates animated motion by manipulating characters
in-between each frame. The Oscar was a big deal in a culturally
depleted Canada, and it e ectively gave the brilliant Scotsman free rein
in his adopted country for the rest of his life.
Many Canadians are unaware that Neighbours won an Academy Award
in the documentary category, or that McLaren's lm was cut and
expurgated in classrooms around the world due to its steadfast
depiction of violence between two next-door families. The irony is that
McLaren was a gentle gure who became a lifelong paci st after
witnessing the brutal ghting during the Spanish Civil War.
fi fi fi fi ff ff fi fi fi fi fifi fi fi ff
Norman McLaren was a twentieth-century lmmaker known for his use
of non-traditional animation techniques in his lms, ranging from stop
motion and pixilation in 1952's Neighbours to scratching images
directly onto lm in 1949's Begone Dull Care and 1955's Blinkity Blank
(in which the soundtrack was also produced via the lm). McLaren's
works all rely on audio to drive the visual aspect of his lms.
McLaren, who was born in Scotland in 1914, initially followed in his
father's footsteps while studying interior design at the Glasgow School
of Art from 1932 to 1936. During his time there, he developed an
interest in motion pictures, particularly experimental lm, prompting him
to form a production group with his fellow students. He washed o the
emulsion from a discarded 35mm reel and painted directly onto each
frame because he couldn't a ord a camera.
McLaren went on to make nearly a lm a year in genres ranging from
animation to documentary, dance, and live-action 'pixilation.' McLaren
won his Academy Award for Neighbours in 1952 for his work in
pixilation, which creates animated motion by manipulating characters
in-between each frame. The Oscar was a big deal in a culturally
depleted Canada, and it e ectively gave the brilliant Scotsman free rein
in his adopted country for the rest of his life.
Many Canadians are unaware that Neighbours won an Academy Award
in the documentary category, or that McLaren's lm was cut and
expurgated in classrooms around the world due to its steadfast
depiction of violence between two next-door families. The irony is that
McLaren was a gentle gure who became a lifelong paci st after
witnessing the brutal ghting during the Spanish Civil War.
fi fi fi fi ff ff fi fi fi fi fifi fi fi ff
