Editing Go motion

{{Short description|Animation technique}}
'''Go motion''' is a variation of [[stop motion]] [[animation]] which incorporates [[motion blur]] into each frame involving motion.{{sfn|Sawicki|2010|p=122}} It was co-developed by [[Industrial Light & Magic]] and [[Phil Tippett]]. Stop motion animation can create a distinctive and disorienting staccato effect because the animated object is perfectly sharp in every frame, since each frame is shot with the object perfectly still. Real moving objects in similar scenes have motion blur because they move while the camera's shutter is open. Filmmakers use a variety of techniques to simulate motion blur, such as moving the model slightly during the exposure of each film frame, or placing a glass plate smeared with petroleum jelly in front of the camera lens to blur the moving areas.

== History ==
In the 1920s, [[Ladislas Starevich]] started using this technique by the time he started making films in France. He moved the puppet or the set during the exposure of the frame to create motion blur.<ref name="Go motion">[https://filmschoolrejects.com/how-go-motion-animation-works/ How the Special Effect of “Go Motion” Works]</ref> Some of this can be seen in films like ''The Midnight Wedding'', ''Love in Black and White'', ''The Voice of the Nightingale'' or ''The Little Parade'' and more extensively in the battle scene of ''The Queen of the Butterflies'' (1924) and ''The Mascot'' (1933).

[[Phil Tippett]] and Industrial Light & Magic later recreated the go motion technique for some shots of the [[tauntaun]] creatures and [[AT-AT]] walkers in the [[1980 in film|1980]] ''[[Star Wars]]'' film ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]''.{{sfn|Smith|1986|page=90}} After that, go motion was used for many other movies: for the dragon in ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]'' (1981),{{sfn|Smith|1986|pages=91–95}} the [[dinosaur]]s in the prehistoric documentaries ''[[Prehistoric Beast]]'' (1984)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hlaXIRTjNfo|title=Phil Tippett's Prehistoric Beast|date=14 April 2011 |via=www.youtube.com}}</ref> and ''[[Dinosaur! (1985 film)|Dinosaur!]]'' (1985), the harpy sequence in ''[[Young Sherlock Holmes]]'' (1985),<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ILXMCuwvwu8 Harry Walton talks about working at ILM, and stop motion animating the Harpy sequence from ''Young Sherlock Holmes''], in this deleted scene from ''[http://www.senseofscalefilm.com/ Sense of Scale]''</ref> the lord demon creature in [[Howard the Duck (film)|''Howard the Duck'']] (1986), the winged demon in ''[[The Golden Child]]'' (1986), the extraterrestrial living flying machines in ''[[Batteries Not Included]]'' (1987), and the two-headed Eborsisk dragon in [[Willow (1988 film)|''Willow'']] (1988). The last film using go motion was ''[[Coneheads (film)|Coneheads]]'' (1993).<ref name="Go motion"/> Other minor sequences using go motion appeared in films like the first three ''[[Indiana Jones]]'' installments (1981–1989) and ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'' (1982).

With the completion of ''[[Jurassic Park]]'' (1993), Tippett Studio abandoned go motion and fully converted its teams and equipment to CG [[computer-graphics]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.angelfire.com/film/philtippett/articles/motion-control.html|title=Phil Tippett - Articles|website=[[Angelfire]]}}</ref>

==Methods for creating motion blur==

=== Petroleum jelly ===
This crude but reasonably effective technique, known as ''vaselensing'', involves smearing [[petroleum jelly]] ("Vaseline") on a plate of glass in front of the camera lens, then cleaning and reapplying it after each shot—a time-consuming process, but one which creates a blur around the model. The technique was used for the [[endoskeleton]] in ''[[The Terminator]],'' by [[Jim Danforth]] to blur the pterodactyl's wings in [[Hammer Film Productions|Hammer Films']] ''[[When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth]]'', and by Randal William Cook on the "terror dogs" sequence in ''[[Ghostbusters]]''.

===Bumping the puppet===
Gently bumping or flicking the puppet before taking the frame produces a slight blur; however, care must be taken that the puppet does not move too much, and that props or set pieces are not moved.

===Moving the table===
Moving the table on which the model is standing while the film is being exposed creates a slight, realistic blur. This technique was developed by [[Ladislas Starevich]]: when the characters ran, he moved the set in the opposite direction. This is seen in ''The Little Parade'' when the ballerina is chased by the devil. Starevich also used this technique on his films ''The Eyes of the Dragon'', ''The Magical Clock'' and ''The Mascot''. [[Aardman Animations]] used this for the train chase in ''[[The Wrong Trousers]]'' and again during the lorry chase in ''[[A Close Shave]]''. In both cases the cameras were moved physically during a 1-2 second exposure. The technique was revived for the full-length ''[[Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit]]''.

===Go motion===
The most sophisticated technique was originally developed for the film ''[[The Empire Strikes Back]]'' and used for some shots of the [[tauntaun]]s and was later used on films like ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]'' and is quite different from traditional [[stop motion]]. The model is essentially a [[puppet|rod puppet]]. The rods are attached to motors which are linked to a computer that can record the movements as the model is traditionally animated. When enough movements have been made, the model is reset to its original position, the camera rolls and the model is moved across the table. Because the model is moving during shots, motion blur is created.{{sfn|Smith|1986|pages=91–95}}

A variation of go motion was used in ''[[E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial]]'' to partially animate the children on their bicycles.{{sfn|Smith|1986|page=96}}

==Go motion today==
Go motion was originally planned to be used extensively for the [[dinosaur]]s in ''[[Jurassic Park (film)|Jurassic Park]]'', until [[Steven Spielberg]] decided to try out the swiftly developing techniques of CG instead.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Failes |first=Ian |date=2023-06-13 |title=How ILM's MORF tool nearly became the way the stop-motion dinos were motion blurred on 'Jurassic Park' |url=https://beforesandafters.com/2023/06/13/how-ilms-morf-tool-nearly-became-the-way-the-stop-motion-dinos-were-motion-blurred-on-jurassic-park/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=befores & afters |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-05-29 |title=The oral history of the Dinosaur Input Device or: how to survive the near death of stop-motion |url=https://vfxblog.com/dinosaurinputdevice/ |access-date=2024-09-03 |website=vfxblog |language=en}}</ref>

Today, the mechanical method of achieving motion blur using go motion is rarely used, as it is more complicated, slow, and labor-intensive than computer generated effects. However, the motion blurring technique still has potential in real stop motion movies where the puppet's motions are supposed to be somewhat realistic. Many professional visual effects applications now allow for motion blur to be simulated in post production.

==See also==
* [[Tippett Studio]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Works cited==
* {{cite book
 | title = Industrial Light & Magic: The Art of Special Effects
 | first = Thomas G.
 | last = Smith
 | year = 1986
 | publisher = Ballantine Books
 | location = New York  |isbn=0-345-32263-0
 }}
* {{cite book
 |title=Animating with Stop Motion Pro
 |last=Sawicki
 |first=Mark
 |author-link= Mark Sawicki
 |year=2010
 |publisher=Focal Press
 |location=
 |isbn=978-0-240-81219-9
}}

==External links==
*[http://www.stopmotionworks.com/mischtml/gomotion.htm Explanation] Stop Motion Works site with images and brief description of a Go motion mover used for the stop motion dragon puppet in the movie ''[[Dragonslayer (1981 film)|Dragonslayer]]'' (1981)
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141001173156/http://c803844.r44.cf2.rackcdn.com/ev_monsters_07_tippett.mp4 Phil Tippett on "go motion" and how it is shot]

{{Animation}}

[[Category:Animation techniques]]
[[Category:Cinematic techniques]]
[[Category:Stop motion]]