See more
Why was Ray Harryhausen so important?
One of the most remarkable aspects of Ray's work was his status as a one-man industry; as well as building and animating his creations, he was also responsible for designing the initial concepts for his creatures and films.
Did Ray Harryhausen win any Oscars?
ADG's Outstanding Contributio...Gordon E. Sawyer AwardBAFTA Special Award (Film)Ray Harryhausen/Awards
How did Ray Harryhausen make his puppets?
For the skeletons in Jason And The Argonauts, Ray Harryhausen had his father machine the armatures, then Ray actually sculpted the models using the build-up technique. He applied rubber, mixed with cotton, directly onto the armature and after it dried, he added a coat or two of rubber to smooth out the sculpture.
Did Ray Harryhausen make King Kong?
A special effect on movie history Stop-motion: Ray Harryhausen says 1933's 'King Kong' changed his life, and his life has changed the movies.
What beat Titanic at the Oscars?
Titanic received the most nominations with a record-tying fourteen (1950's All About Eve, and later 2016's La La Land, also achieved this distinction); Good Will Hunting and L.A. Confidential came in second with nine apiece.
Who won Oscar in Titanic?
By the time James Cameron took the stage to accept his Academy Award for Best Director on the night of March 23, 1998, the Oscar dominance of his blockbuster film Titanic was all but assured.
Who is the king of stop-motion?
Raymond Frederick Harryhausen (June 29, 1920 – May 7, 2013) was an American-British animator and special effects creator who created a form of stop motion model animation known as "Dynamation".
Who is the master of stop-motion?
Ray Harryhausen, Master Of Stop-Motion Animation, Dies : The Two-Way His sword-fighting skeletons in Jason and the Argonauts and models he animated in other movies made him a Hollywood legend.
Is Ray Harryhausen still alive?
May 7, 2013Ray Harryhausen / Date of death
WHO IS Kong in love with?
Ann Darrow is a fictional character from the 1933 movie King Kong and its 2005 remake of the same name whom the giant ape King Kong falls in love.
Who owns the original King Kong?
King Kong is an American media franchise featuring King Kong, a character initially created by Merian C. Cooper at RKO Radio Pictures and now owned by Warner Bros. (owners of 1933 film), Universal Pictures (owners of 2005 film) with more recent films being licensed to Legendary Pictures for production with Warner Bros.
Who is the villain of Kong?
M.U.T.O. Skull Devil, also known as Ramarak or The Big One, is the main antagonist of the 2017 action/adventure film Kong: Skull Island and a posthumous antagonist in the 2021 film Godzilla vs Kong. She is the tyrannical alpha of the Skullcrawlers and the arch-nemesis of Kong.
Who won the Oscar for Ray?
Jamie FoxxJamie Foxx wins a Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles in the movie Ray.
Did Jamie Foxx win an Oscar for his portrayal of Ray Charles?
On this date in 2005, Terrell native Jamie Foxx won the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of legendary soul singer Ray Charles in “Ray.” Foxx, who also is an award-winning singer, was praised for perfecting the look and sound of Charles.
Did Jamie Foxx get an Oscar for playing Ray?
with the Best Actor Oscar for Ray at the 77th Oscars.
Did any Marvel actor win Oscar?
Brie Larson (Captain Marvel/Carol Danvers) Brie Larson won her Oscar as an escaped hostage in the 2016 thriller, Room. She took on the title role of Captain Marvel as Carol Danvers giving a superhero role model to young girls everywhere.
Where did Harryhausen live?
Harryhausen moved to the United Kingdom, became a dual American-British citizen and lived in London from 1960 until his death in 2013. During his life, his innovative style of special effects in films inspired numerous filmmakers.
What was the first movie with Ray Harryhausen?
The first film with Ray Harryhausen in full charge of technical effects was The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms (1953) which began development under the working title Monster From the Sea. The filmmakers learned that a long-time friend of Harryhausen, writer Ray Bradbury, had sold a short story called "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" (later re-titled " The Fog Horn ") to The Saturday Evening Post, about a dinosaur drawn to a lone lighthouse by its foghorn. Because the story for Harryhausen's film featured a similar scene, the film studio bought the rights to Bradbury's story to avoid any potential legal problems. Also, the title was changed back to The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Under that title, it became Harryhausen's first solo feature film effort, and a major international box-office hit for Warner Brothers .
What was Harryhausen's biggest hit of the 1950s?
Reluctant at first, Harryhausen managed to develop the systems necessary to maintain proper color balances for his DynaMation process, resulting in his biggest hit of the 1950s, The 7th Voyage of Sinbad (1958).
How did Harryhausen create his effects shots?
In most of Harryhausen's films, model animated characters interact with, and are a part of, the live action world, with the idea that they will cease to call attention to themselves as only "animation." Most of the effects shots in his earliest films were created via Harryhausen's careful frame-by-frame control of the lighting of both the set and the projector. This dramatically reduced much of degradation common in the use of back-projection or the creation of dupe negatives via the use of an optical printer. Harryhausen's use of diffused glass to soften the sharpness of light on the animated elements allowed the matching of the soft background plates far more successfully than Willis O'Brien had achieved in his early films, allowing Harryhausen to match live and miniature elements seamlessly in most of his shots. By developing and executing most of this miniature work himself, Harryhausen saved money, while maintaining full technical control.
How did Harryhausen make the Beast from 20,000 Fathoms?
It was on The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms that Harryhausen first used a technique he created called "Dynamation" that split the background and foreground of pre-shot live action footage into two separate images into which he would animate a model or models, seemingly integrating the live-action with the models. The background would be used as a miniature rear-screen with his models animated in front of it, re-photographed with an animation-capable camera to combine those two elements together, the foreground element matted out to leave a black space. Then the film was rewound, and everything except the foreground element matted out so that the foreground element would now photograph in the previously blacked out area. This created the effect that the animated model was "sandwiched" in between the two live action elements, right into the final live action scene.
Why did Harryhausen not get an Oscar?
Perhaps because of his hermetic production style and the fact that he produced half of his films outside of Hollywood (living in London since 1960), reducing his day-to-day kinship with other more traditional, but still influential Hollywood effects artists, none of Harryhausen's films were nominated for a special effects Oscar. Harryhausen himself says the reason was that he worked in Europe, but this oversight by the AMPAS visual-effects committee also occurred throughout the 1950s when Harryhausen lived in Los Angeles.
What was Harryhausen's first movie?
After having seen King Kong (1933) on its initial release for the first of many times, Harryhausen spent his early years experimenting in the production of animated shorts, inspired by the burgeoning science fiction literary genre of the period. The scenes utilising stop-motion animation (or model animation ), those featuring creatures on the island or Kong, were the work of pioneer model animator Willis O'Brien. His work in King Kong inspired Harryhausen, and a friend arranged a meeting with O'Brien for him. O'Brien critiqued Harryhausen's early models and urged him to take classes in graphic arts and sculpture to hone his skills. Taking O'Brien's advice, while still at high school, Harryhausen took evening classes in art direction, photography and editing at the newly formed School of Cinematic Arts at the University of Southern California, where he would later serve as a lecturer. Meanwhile, he became friends with an aspiring writer, Ray Bradbury, with similar enthusiasms. Bradbury and Harryhausen joined the Los Angeles-area Science Fiction League formed by Forrest J. Ackerman in 1939, and the three became lifelong friends.
Filmography
2005 I'm King Kong!: The Exploits of Merian C. Cooper (Documentary) (acknowledgment: still photographs provided by)
Did You Know?
Oh, certainly it was. The Academy ignored every film. So I was grateful we got an Oscar. But that was for Lifetime Achievement. See more »
Who produced Harryhausen's sixth film?
His sixth film marked the first collaboration with Charles H. Schneer who produced most of Harryhausen’s later works. Budgeting restraints and the simplistic plot have kicked it down so low on this list. Otherwise, it is enjoyable. Some notable scenes are when the giant octopus attacks the Golden Gate Bridge, then San Francisco, and the shot of the tentacle emerging from the sea early on. This is a Harryhausen classic.
Is Harryhausen a stop motion?
Harryhausen’s work was not his trademark stop motion animation with clay monsters but superimposed live insects making this an interesting entry to his career. Technically Ray’s eighth movie, the film itself is enjoyable for fans of aliens and giant killer insects. Other than a few notable creature sequences (a giant spider in particular) this film is just worth a look.
Is Harryhausen a non-fiction movie?
This is Ray’s fourth film chronologically and his only non-fiction work. Today, the documentary itself pales in comparison to the likes of “Planet Earth” or “Walking with Dinosaurs,” but, if you’re lucky enough to find a copy, be sure you watch it for the dinosaur sequences. They’re still fascinating today.
Is Harryhausen adapted?
As far as film adaptations of H.G. Wells go, this is the least adapted and is quite refreshingly original. Harryhausen is in solid form here, this being his twelfth film. Some iconic moments include: the heroes’ escape from a giant caterpillar (Moon Cow), an x-ray skeleton, and Professor Cavor meeting the Grand Lunar, Leader of the Selenites. This one comes recommended for Wells fans and those looking for some insect-like aliens.
What did Ray Harryhausen do?
Ray Harryhausen worked near single handedly to make his most fantastic creations. He designed, sculpted, painted, and filmed a skeletal army, a massive cyclops, and the fearsome Medusa, and along the way he changed cinema forever.
What was Ray Harryhausen's obsession with?
Born in Los Angeles, California, Ray Harryhausen was obsessed with monster and special effects from an early age. After seeing King Kong in 1933, Harryhausen started experimenting by animating short science fiction stories that he was reading in literary journals at the time. After a brief meeting with model animator Willis O'Brien, Harryhausen was inspired to take classes in graphic arts and sculpture to round out his skills.
How did Harryhausen describe the long, lonely hours of stop motion animation?
Harryhausen described the long, lonely hours of stop motion animation: It is a lonely profession, at least it was when I worked on my pictures. But the loneliness, accompanied by much frustration and pain, was always outweighed by the excitement of seeing my creatures move in the same 'reality' as humans.
How long did it take Harryhausen to make one million B.C.?
Working with such a small crew, it could take months for Harryhausen to complete his effects. The production of One Million B.C. took Harryhausen nine months , and even while farming out the molding and modeling work it took him two years to complete work on Jason and the Argonauts. Harryhausen described the long, lonely hours of stop motion animation:
What is Harryhausen's greatest creation?
The skeleton army is his greatest creation. source: Columbia Pictures. One of the most impressive effects created by Harryhausen is the group of seven sword wielding skeletons from Jason and The Argonauts. The stop motion magician had already given audiences one animated skeleton in The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad, but creating a full army was ...
How long did Harryhausen shoot?
According to Harryhausen, the work was so labor intensive that some days he only shot one second of screen time, he explained:
What happens after the Hydra defeats Harryhausen?
After defeating the Hydra, the creature’s teeth fall to the ground and turn into skeletons. The sequence that follows is one of the most technically marvelous scenes of Harryhausen’s career, with each skeleton featuring multiple components and a variety of moves in order to make the creatures look life like.
What movie was Ray Harryhausen in?
Ray Harryhausen’s work on Mighty Joe Young —which was directed by Ernest B. Schoedsack, one of the directors of the groundbreaking 1933 movie King Kong —contributed to the film’s Academy Award win for Best Special Effects in 1949.
How long did it take Harryhausen to make the Cyclops?
It took him 11 months to complete the animation for the film, which features one of Harryhausen’s most iconic creations, the monstrous single-horned Cyclops.
What is Jason and the Argonauts best known for?
Jason and the Argonauts is perhaps best known for the iconic sword fight featuring seven skeleton warriors, which took Harryhausen four months to complete. He considered Jason and the Argonauts to be his best film; it was nominated for the American Film Institute’s Top 10 Fantasy Films of all time. Director Robert Rodriguez paid homage to the skeleton sword fight scene in his 2002 film, Spy Kids 2: Island of Lost Dreams .
What is Mighty Joe Young known for?
The movie is known for its elaborate action sequences and larger-than-life characters. Mighty Joe Young is seen as one of the best examples of what stop-motion animation can offer .
Did Harryhausen make a movie?
Although he never directed a full-length feature film, his style of stop-motion animation special effects and his bold imagination directly impact nearly every genre movie from the 1940s to today. Harryhausen almost single-handedly kept the stop-motion animation technique alive for three solid decades before the advent of computer camera motion ...
Where was Ray Harryhausen born?
Ray Harryhausen was born June 29, 1920, in Los Angeles, California. His parents, Martha and Fred Harryhausen, nurtured Ray’s passions and often took him on day trips to museums, movie houses and the ocean. In 1925, Ray’s parents took him to see the film The Lost World. The stop motion animation of dinosaurs battling and coming to life on ...
What camera did Ray Harryhausen use?
He eventually set up shop in his parent’s garage, purchased lights and a Kodak Cine II camera which possessed single-frame capability. The stage was set to allow Ray Harryhausen to develop and learn stop motion animation at his own pace and mimic the magic he had witnessed several years earlier.
Why did Ray Harryhausen make the puppets in the movie?
He would give performances for his friends and school mates using his marionettes, but was never satisfied with just puppets on strings because it wasn’t close enough to what he had witnessed in the theater.
What was Ray Harryhausen's first puppet?
Eventually, Ray Harryhausen began experimenting with stop motion by animating dinosaurs with a Victor 16mm movie camera. These first puppets were a brontosuarus, stegosaurus, and a cave bear.
How many pieces of Harryhausen are there?
To preserve his work for future generations Harryhausen signed an agreement with the National Medium Museum in England. The Museum will be home to 50,000 pieces of his personal work along with displays of his drawings, armatures, molds, and castings that have survived after so many years.
What was the movie called that wreaked havoc in France?
Soon after the success of the The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Ray Harryhausen set out to push an idea he had for a feature film called The Elementals in which winged creatures wreaked havoc in modern day France. After a brief spark of interest, the project collapsed and died.
Why did Ray leave Fantasia?
But after seeing Disney’s Fantasia, he completely abandoned his own film because he felt that Disney had reached the essence of what he was telling in his own film. He was left, however, with a great amount of footage to demonstrate his ability as an animator.
Overview
Life and career
After having seen King Kong (1933) on its initial release for the first of many times, Harryhausen spent his early years experimenting in the production of animated shorts, inspired by the burgeoning science fiction literary genre of the period. The scenes utilising stop-motion animation (or model animation), those featuring creatures on the island or Kong, were the work of pioneer model ani…
Early life
Harryhausen was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Martha L. (née Reske) and Frederick W. Harryhausen. Of German descent, the family surname was originally spelled "Herrenhausen".
Death and legacy
Harryhausen married Diana Livingstone Bruce in October, 1962. The couple had a daughter, Vanessa. The family announced Harryhausen's death on Twitter and Facebook on May 7, 2013. Diana survived her husband by five months.
The Daily Mirror quoted Harryhausen's website, saying his "influence on today's film makers was enormous, with luminaries; Steven Spielberg, James Cameron, Peter Jackson, George Lucas, John …
Foundation
Harryhausen left his collection, which includes all of his film-related artifacts, to the Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation, which he set up in 1986 to look after his extensive collection, to protect his name and to further the art of model stop-motion animation. The trustees are his daughter Vanessa Harryhausen, Simon Mackintosh, actress Caroline Munro, who appeared in The Golden Voyage of Sinbad [1] and film maker John Walsh, [2], who first met Harryhausen in 1988 as a stud…
Centenary
In July 2018, it was announced that the largest ever exhibition of Ray Harryhausen's models and artwork would take place at the Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art in Edinburgh, to mark the centenary of his birth. The exhibition is running for a year, from October 2020 until September 2021. Ultimately, the exhibition was extended to end in February 2022. The exhibition was the subject of a BBC iPlayer documentary entitled Culture in Quarantine, which featured interviews wi…
The Gordon E. Sawyer Academy Award
During the 1980s and early 1990s, Harryhausen's fans who had graduated into the professional film industry started lobbying The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to acknowledge Harryhausen's contribution to the film industry, and so, in 1992, the academy finally awarded him the Gordon E. Sawyer Award (effectively a lifetime achievement "Oscar") for "technological contributions [which] have brought credit to the industry", with actor Tom Hanks (as the Master o…
Other awards and honors
• The work of Ray Harryhausen was celebrated in an exhibition at London's Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in 1990.
• In 2010 the main screening theater at Sony Pictures Digital Productions was named in honor of Harryhausen.
• The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Harryhausen in 2005, the first year it honored non-literary contributors. He received the annual British Fantasy Society Wagner Award
• The work of Ray Harryhausen was celebrated in an exhibition at London's Museum of the Moving Image (MOMI) in 1990.
• In 2010 the main screening theater at Sony Pictures Digital Productions was named in honor of Harryhausen.
• The Science Fiction Hall of Fame inducted Harryhausen in 2005, the first year it honored non-literary contributors. He received the annual British Fantasy Society Wagner Award in 2008 for his lifetime contribution to the genre.