it while filming the models , as well as rear- screen projects onto miniature shots of Kong . Even the animators went out their way to develop the sense of tension and awareness of the threat posed .
This clip shows you how Willis O ’ Brian used split screen and you can see the painted glass he has used .
born in 1920 , was only 5 when he discovered his interests for stop-motion movies when he was first introduced to the Dinosaur movie “ The Lost World ”. When he was 13 he first watched King Kong and was very impressed and fascinated about how it was made but at this time stop-motion was a secret and no one new how it was made for many years . One of his father ’ s friends worked in a studio at RKO ( Radio- Keith- Orpheum ), which was an American film production and distribution company , told him how stop-motion worked and from then on he started doing it as a hobby in the garden and his garage .
Harryhausen went to visit Willis O ’ Brian , who had created both the films that inspired him to make stop-motion . He asked his hero for advice on a stegosaurus model he had created . The advice from the man that was to become his mentor ? “ The legs look like wrinkled sausage ” and that he needed to study anatomy and graphic art in order to learn all the little details like how the muscles connect to the bone . So Ray Harryhausen then took up art , anatomy and film- making classes . His idea of art and storyboarding was outstandingly powerful , and he used this to promote and visualise his ideas to producers .
When he was 20 Ray Harryhausen was asked to make a replacement-head ‘ Puppetoons ’ for George pal , animator and film producer who specialises in science fiction genre , before he joined the army in 1942 .
Ray Harryhausen came up with a new animation technique “ dynamtion ”. This technique involved split screen with a back drop . An actual split screen had been around since films were started to be created . To make this technique you first had to film the image you want for the back ground . For example , if you wanted people to look like they are being chased by a fictional character you would film the people running towards the camera in the location you have chosen . The camera wouldn ’ t change position at all when filming the back ground . This footage can then be developed and loaded into a projector back at the studio . The motion picture camera is loaded with the film and then