POWERHOUSE COLLECTION

Animation rostrum, camera and lighting equipment

Animation rostrum, camera and lighting equipment

Object No. 2003/73/1

This animation camera rostrum was designed and built in Australia in 1964. It was used in the production of television commercials, documentaries, children's television series, film title sequences and animated feature films produced in Australia and internationally over a period of 38 years. The practice of animation closely followed the beginnings of cinema practice (with stop frame effects, matting and animated sequences). Animation was created in Australia from the early 1900s and flourished after the introduction of television, which provided the opportunity to produce more local content and offshore content locally. Hanna Barbera, an important Raymond Lea client, provided employment and training opportunities for many Australian animators. The practice of animation has changed drastically with the adoption of computer aided graphic design and later with computer rendered animation and special effects. The local industry saw the rise of Animal Logic over the last decade of the 20th century. With the use of computers for animation, a practice that old school animators claim is not really animation, rostrums like this are now obsolete. The animation rostrum was commissioned by Graphik Animation (later known as Raymond Lea Animation) in 1963. Designed and made by Jack Kennedy with the assistance of Jim Lynich, it was in operation by 1964. In 1982 the Raymond Lea studios closed and the camera and rostrum passed to Cinemagic Animated Films, where it was in use until early 2002. The Bell & Howell (B&H) camera used on the rostrum dates from the silent film period and was acquired with the original hand crank. It is believed that the camera was purchased by Metro Goldwyn Mayer (MGM) new from B&H, was adapted for use in the 1930s by MGM's Hollywood optical effects department, and was used to produce special effects for 'The Wizard of Oz' in 1939. The B&H 35mm pilot pin camera was purchased in 1964 from MGM through Burns & Sawyer, Sydney, a film equipment sales and hire company. The B&H camera was manufactured to very high specifications. In particular its precision pilot-pin mechanism, which positions each advancing frame, helps to produce rock steady images after multiple passes. This made the camera most suitable for special effects and animation use. The animation camera rostrum is well complemented by the acquisition of animation cels, posters for finished productions, exposure wall charts and office stationary from Raymond Lea and Cinemagic studios. Additional documentation is held on file in the form of photographs of the rostrum in operation as well as photographs of the staff from Graphik Animation at work on animation cels.

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Summary

Object Statement

Animation rostrum, camera and lighting equipment, metal / plastic/ paper, rostrum designed and made by Jack Kennedy and Jim Lynich, 1930-1964

Physical Description

Animation rostrum, camera and lighting equipment, metal / plastic/ paper, rostrum designed and made by Jack Kennedy and Jim Lynich, 1930-1964 Animation rostrum with a Bell & Howell Pilot Pin 35mm camera, three film magazines, a bi-pak magazine, hand written charts from the walls of the animation studio at Pymble, colour grey scale charts for film grading, two cut back signs for use to mark errors on film, frame size and counter charts, an image of the 'Footrot Flats' dog and images of the rostrum in use and idle. There are also field grids, a handwritten instruction book, camera operator's work book, small box of registration pins, floating peg point which can be attached to the platen and a small prism and projector for use in the film gate when projecting simultaneous action and three framed animation scenes.

PRODUCTION

Notes

The Animation camera rostrum was designed and built in Sydney, Australia in 1964 by Jack Kennedy with assistance from Jim Lynich. The animation rostrum was commissioned by Graphik Animation (later known as Raymond Lea Animation) and was broadly based on the design of the Oxburry type animation stand (made in USA). Modifications to the Oxburry design were made to overcome what were seen as its limitations, in particular: the table may be continuously rotated; double peg bars at top and bottom and floating pegs allow multi plane work; the hand-operated platen is made from optically clear ground glass; the camera is mounted on a platform attached to a single steel post that in turn is attached to the tabletop to eliminate movement; and prior to the stand's move to Cinemagic it sat on a one inch thick steel plate. All this combined to make the stand extremely rigid, enabling multiple exposures to be made with great accuracy. The design and manufacture of the rostrum also posed particular engineering demands that were overcome by Australian ingenuity, in particular the electric motor that drives the camera carriage zoom mechanism. In order to achieve certain effects the camera on an animation rostrum must be stopped and started with a very high degree of accuracy, and the engineer who designed and built this rostrum adapted the gun-turret motor of a B52 bomber for that task.

HISTORY

Notes

It is believed (unconfirmed report from Cecily Lea, donor) that the Bell & Howell pilot pin camera was purchased new by MGM in the late 1930s and adapted for use within MGM's Hollywood optical effects department. It was used to produce special effects for 'The Wizard of Oz' in 1939. The B&H 35mm pilot pin camera was purchased in 1964 from MGM through Burns & Sawyer, Sydney (a film equipment sales and hire company) and then adapted for use with the animation rostrum commissioned by Graphik Animation (later known as Raymond Lea Animation). In 1982 Raymond Lea studios closed and the animation camera rostrum was passed on to Cinemagic Animated Films where it was used up until 2002. Over that period the rostrum was used to shoot hundreds of television commercials and documentaries for clients all over the world, subcontracted TV series work for Hanna Barbera, the animated feature 'Footrot Flats', and 'Family Dog', the half hour animated episode of Stephen Spielberg's TV series 'Amazing Stories'. The camera and rostrum's last job early in 2002 was the shooting of 'Ada'. an animated short film for the SBS series 'Australian Animators'. The camera remained in the ownership of Cecily Lea until she donated it to the museum in 2003.

SOURCE

Credit Line

Gift of Cecily and Raymond Lea, 2003

Acquisition Date

30 April 2003

Copyright for the above image is held by the Powerhouse and may be subject to third-party copyright restrictions. Please submit an Image Licensing Enquiry for information regarding reproduction, copyright and fees. Text is released under Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivative licence.

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