The Mexican director Guillermo del Toro and the Gobelins school, which especially trains animation film careers, announced on Friday the upcoming opening in Paris of a training studio in “stop motion”, a technique on the verge of disappearing, with the support of Netflix.
Few directors still perpetuate the tradition of “stop motion,” the frame-by-frame animation of stationary objects that are given the illusion of movement.
Today, “the people who count in +stop motion+ are all over 50 years old,” observed Guillermo del Toro during a press conference in Paris. The filmmaker, who initiated the project and co-finances it, hopes to bring out new talents.
“We conceive this future studio not only as a training space, but also as a creative laboratory, a place to experiment,” explained the general director of Gobelins, Valérie Moatti, on the school grounds.
“HE stop movement is perpetually on the brink of extinction. And it’s perpetually kept alive by crazy people, it’s a very small cult with very dedicated people,” laughed Guillermo del Toro, who directed the animated film. Pinocchio (2022) produced by Netflix with this technique.
“At a time when artificial intelligence can infiltrate all other forms of animation, (this art) is protected from it, and that is very good,” said the filmmaker.
“Stop motion is filmmaking”
Students trained in animation today “may end up making an advertisement with a skate yogurt or working on a supporting character in a big franchise,” the director explained.
“HE stop movement “It’s different” because it guarantees greater space for creativity, he defended. “It’s an art that remains highly experimental. It’s a bit like the rebel force in the world of animation that refuses to give up,” he said.
“HE stop movement “It’s filmmaking,” added Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, who was present at the Gobelins to address the students and who financially supports the project.
“It’s costume design, set design, lighting, camera, every discipline you use to make a movie, you use it in animation in stop movement“Mr. Sarandos stressed.
The details of the project (investment, necessary equipment, studio size) will be discussed in the coming months. “The full release date for the study will be announced later,” according to the school.
Source: BFM TV
