A Way with Clay
What makes those California Raisins™ dance? Clay animation! The characters are made of plastic modeling clay (not the red clay you make pots out of). What's so special about it? Let's find out.
- You will need: some modeling clay, a freezer, the sun, and your imagination.
- Here's the imagination part. First, make your own animated character out of clay. Design it so it can move or make faces. As you're working on it, notice the properties of the clay. How does it feel? What does it look like? Does it change when you're handling it?
- Make the character simple enough so you can duplicate it. You will need three figures.
- Now, put one character in the hot sun (sunglasses optional) and put one in the freezer (sorry, no winter coats, they interfere with the experiment). One character gets to stay in the room with you.
- After about 15 minutes, get all three of them back together again. How have they changed? What happens after they stay at room temperature for a while?
- In clay animation, the figure is moved a tiny bit, then a picture is taken, then it's moved a tiny bit more. It takes hours to do just a few minutes of film.
- What advice would you give to animators about using modeling clay?
Curious for an answer? Look Behind the Scenes.
Special Effects Home | All About Special Effects
Theater Release Dates | Behind the Scenes