Ladislas Starewitch (Wladyslaw Starewicz in Russia) created delightful stop-motion, puppet animation films in his pioneering days in Russia. "The Cameraman's Revenge" (1912) is particularly a masterpiece of early film-making. "The Mascot" shows him at his peak after emigration from Bolshevist Russia to France.
Now, there's sound to master. Starewitch mostly stays clear of dialogue, but adds an appropriate score, with the clown's serenade to the ballerina as its zenith. Still, however, the focus is on the more important aspect of imagery. The moving camera on the drive and shots of traffic, including the matted backgrounds are of note, as is the mixing of live-action with animation.
The devil's ball segment is the culmination, though: an imaginative, macabre collection of the grotesque and most delightfully odd creatures to ever come from Starewicz's mind onto film. Both sound, with the backwards gibberish, and camera help bring the devil and ball to life. The quick zoom-ins were probably impossible to accomplish with such rushing steadiness at the time without doing it in stop-animation. The use of sound, music, camera, editing and stylized black and white photography complement the horrific, intriguing creatures in creating startling imagery.
Now, there's sound to master. Starewitch mostly stays clear of dialogue, but adds an appropriate score, with the clown's serenade to the ballerina as its zenith. Still, however, the focus is on the more important aspect of imagery. The moving camera on the drive and shots of traffic, including the matted backgrounds are of note, as is the mixing of live-action with animation.
The devil's ball segment is the culmination, though: an imaginative, macabre collection of the grotesque and most delightfully odd creatures to ever come from Starewicz's mind onto film. Both sound, with the backwards gibberish, and camera help bring the devil and ball to life. The quick zoom-ins were probably impossible to accomplish with such rushing steadiness at the time without doing it in stop-animation. The use of sound, music, camera, editing and stylized black and white photography complement the horrific, intriguing creatures in creating startling imagery.