Apr i l 2 00 1 C o m puter Tracker computertracker.corn
18
longer exist so I try to revive them in bronze." Many of thefi gures being made
..~a
included Cyclops from The Seventh Voyage Of Sinbad, and the gigantic dinosaur-like Beast from 20,000 Fan toms. These figures are made for
r
l
«4i
-jj4 58
Ray Harryhausen thrills at the Digital Media Expo and many other beloved films too numerous to list here, Harryhausen has inspired generations of film o, out there, has not seen makers and animators to launching The Seventh Voyage Of their own professional careers. This Sinbad (1958) which fea is a man who has single-handedly tured Cyclops, a gigantic one-eyed animated, without computer assis tance, classic fantasy images that creature? Or remember Todd Arm have imbedded themselves into the Jason And The Argonauts strong in minds of countless fans. Many of l1963) which featured one of stop his noted admirers are today's leg motion animation's finest hours — a thrilling sword battle between three ends in their own right: Directors George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, intrepid warriors and seven re-ani mated skeletons? And do you remem James Cameron; makeup artists Stan ber Harry Hamlin, as Perseus, in Winston, Rick Baker; modelmakers Clash Of The Titans (1981) and his Dennis Muren, Ken Ralston and spine-tingling encounter with a most Phil Tippet. In an exclusive interview with Com deadly creature, Medusa, who, with a puter Tracker,Ray Harryhausen, at the blinding glance, could turn you into tender age of 81, reveals that he came stone? to Vancouver because he is still very Because of his work as a pro ducer, writer, director, special effects interested and active at attending fes technician and designer on these tivals and conventions. "I like to keep
by Frank Garcia and Graeme Bennett
up with the times, although I don' t want to get involved with the com puter," said Harryhausen with a wan smile. "Computer generation, I think is a wonderful tool, but it's not the be-all, by-all that everyone seems to think it is. I wish I had a computer to blot out the strings of my flying saucers! I had to paint out each wire in everyframe! Ifyou passed a cloud, you'd see the wire if you were so dose to the lens. A computer can wipe out a cableholding Arnold Schwarzeneg ger. It's helpful in that respect." A recipient of the Gordon Sawyer award in 1992 from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sci ences, Harryhausen says that he also stays busy with other activities. "I am doing a lot of sculpting in bronze. We had to cannibalize many of the characters in our films because of time and money. Some of them no
Harryhausen's personal use and for display at an exhibition that opened just last year a t the Sony F i l m Museum in Berlin, Germany. They are also o n d i s play a t F o r rest Ackerman's famous Ackermansion Museum in Los Angeles. Asked about his views on today' s visual and animated special effects, Harryhausenremarked that"they do some marvelous things. The BBC made a documentary called Walking with Dinosaurs, that was very impres sive. There were things t hat w e couldn't do like multiple animals walking off i n t h e distance. That would take forever in animation. And we can move [the camera] on objects. There were certain things that would have been very difficult for us to do with travelling mattes. I had to pave the way for that technique on film rather than digital — the way it is today." Harryhausen has a very simple philosophy when it comes to the nature and use of stop-motion ani mation. "Animation to m e i s you don't expect them to b e to o real. You know that dinosaurs don't exist. [Although] you try to make them as real as you can, [but] if you make them too real, it loses the fantasy. I always felt, like a good painter, if you ask a landscape artist to paint a photographic copy of a scene, yet it' s not an interpretation. Anyone can do that. You want to give your inter pretation. The modern films try to make it a semi-documentary, not a melodrama, like the Sinbad voyages, Perseus andJason, rather than just a straightforward, 'Loold A dinosaur! Another dinosaur!' This is what I learned &om Willis O' Brien. He was the only one to make the dinosaurs movie stars " It was at the early age of 13 years old when Harryhausen had his life set for him when he watched King Kong in 1933. Frightened, and yet fascinated by the giant ape, Harry hausen soon discovered that special effects animator Willis O' Brien was
responsible for the films' remarkable images. "When I saw King Kong, I haven' t been the same since," he chuckled. "That shows a film's powerful influ ence. If I had seen Little Caesar, and admired that one, I could have been a godfather!" He laughed. Asked why he reacted to the film so strongly that it set a career course for him, Harryhausen explained, I just felt it driving. I don't know where the urge came from. I just felt like something was forcing me into this. "I was following in the footsteps of O' Brien. He was the snowball that started down the hill. I got involved with it and I m a de the snowball bigger and someone today is making the snowball even bigger!" Sadly, 1981's Clash Of The Titans was his final film, but Harryhausen i s relieved to know that all of hi s filrns continue to be distributed and appreciated today thanks to television, laserdisks, video, and DVDs. "Thank god it's not dated," he says. "All our films are reissued to new generations [of fans], and they appreciate it even more than the original release!" Just as soon as a publisher can be found, fans can look forward to a "technical biography" that Harryhau sen has recently completed. "It's going to have a lot of color in it and stills that you' ve never seen before," he says. For three of today's busiest ani mation artists, Vancouver animator David Bowes, and MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch co-creators Eric Fogel and Steve Jaworski appearing with Harryhausen at the festival's stop motion effects panel, was a dream come true.
For David Bowes, who was also an exhibitor at the Digital Media Expo, and who specializes in stop-motion and clay animation, Ray Harryhausen was a childhood inspiration. Literally watching Jason and The Argonauts on television with his father set him on a long journey that culminated in his becoming an professional anima tor with extensive commercial and corporate credits. "My father really loved Ray Harry hausen's work," Bowes told Computer Tracker. "The films would appear on TV and my Dad and I would sit down and watch and I was so inspired see Ray Harryhausen thrills, page 21
All Systems Have 3Years Labor & 1 Year part warranty (umited) Plu6 i Month Free Internet. Finance or Lease Available Finance from 3 to 36 Month Lease base on 36 Months
e ie % buyout
We Offer: f,HighequalityC omputerSystems 2,GreatPricefor SystemsBuilder 3,FixesAndVpgrates Computers
Iem iumSystem ream SystemPowe r 5stemP (Finance $76/ M o nth)
Tll300 M HZ(266)—42I AsusAtV133ATAI00AGP4XScoketAMB 256MB PCI33SDRAMl 1,44MF[ID Max!or40G7200rpmATA100HardDrive 12 X]0 X32CDRW/]2XDPI[MOM AsusV7700GeForce2G TSItIMDeluxe CreativS eoundBlasterLiveValueSond
AltecACS54wSpeaker>S ubw oofer (5pcs) eelMouse MSInternet Keyboardt MS Wh USR5 6KIJ.90FAXPCIHardwareMcdem 18'ATX 300WTowerCase<2XExlraFan
( Finance $23
M o nth)
(Finance $33 I Month)
o n sto r
E nvis io n 5 1 0 0 1 5 " L C D . . . . . . .........7 1 9
Printer/Scanner/Cable
K7 A G P 1 28 M P 2 OG H a 5 2X C D 3D PC I
2eow
4 X M B C —1 3 3 r d D r iv e RO M S ou nd
s pe a k e r
1 .44 M F D D w in9 8 K e y o a r d W h ee l M o use u pt o 3 2 M A G P A TX T o w e r
Home Theater
/933IOG-t!96 8/1025/i065 Pentiu m Partner Duro rSillill— 4629llll PIII866 Same,SaSt(l (Finance $23 I Month) (Finance $30 I Manth) n733/800— 4835/925 PIII 866/933/1G TB NDI10DO— l739!ill Celero —$750/805/850 P III866--- — — -$91 8 Thunderbird1000li100 /1200 turd/D uronAG t4XScoteiAM ainboard AsusC[JSL2-CATA1[j[j AGP4XMB Celeron667/766— 4575/625 Celeron 700-- $777 — — — t12S9/1349/1399 6309 AGP4X 133MHZ MB C-i33SDRAMI1.44MFDD EliteP MSI K7T Pro2-AATA100 MB G Stt M tI128MPC133StjRAM MSI % 28M BPC133SD RAM JPanasonic1.44M FDIj 128MP 128M PC133 RAM / 1.44M FDD 256M SDRAM /1.44M FDD 2 0G 7 2 0 0 rp m A T A 1 0 0 /K e y b o a rd 2QG AtAI00IDD/PanasonicI,44MFD O 20G 7200rpm HD/12X DVD 40G 7200rpm HD/52X CDROM 20G UltraAtAI|I Hard0rivel3DSound NvidiaGeForce25632MAGP4X 52X MSI Geforce2GTS DDR 32MB TNT232MB AGP /3B Mouse RO M (upto64M ttideaC ardlntegrated AC97 3D Sound Integrated 52X CD RQ MIN VIDIATN t232M BAG P4t 52XCDROM/ PS2WheelMouse CD Sound Blaster PCI-128 Sound Altec ACS54W Speaker + SUB Aopen 1000W Speaker+ SUB 5 6KV9 0 F a X M O d e m l 1 0 I1 0 0 N e tW O rk R e a d y 56K v90FaxModemC10/100NetwoAReady SB En EagleTouch Internet Keyboard soniqSound/28[IWSpeakers 56K V.90 Data Voice Fax Modem Dual Wheel 4D Optical Mouse board/Mats,/3DSound+280WSpeaker Eagle TouchInternet Keyboard 56K V.90 Voice Fax Modem 1TA TXtowe[Case<300W PowerSupply 56KIJ,90DataVoiceFaxModem Key 17" ATX 300W Tower Case Ttow erCase>2NItowerSupply 15" ATX 250W Tower Case Win dows98Keyboard(Mouse/280WSpeakers 7" ATX TowerCase<250WPowe 15'AX M I cpm ~ M ode m / N e t w o r k
KDS VS z i 17 " I V S - 1 90 i 1 9 "....... 219 I 33 5 Conaxant 56K V.SO Fax Modem.............. 23 Aopen 56K v.90 PCI Fax Modem............ 26 KoS AV7TF .2 4m m F l a t . .............. 348 KDS AV 1 9 5T F . 2 4 m m 1 9 " . . . .........615 56K PCMCIA Modem....................,...........77 A.O.C 7 G Ir I 7 K I r 1 7 " . . . ................ 255 I 2 9 9 surecom ethternet 10mbps....................12 A.O.C 9Glr ...................................s39 surecom 10mbps Hub sport I 8 port.30/45 Samsung 7 5 3D F F lat 1 7 - . . ..........309 Surecom PCMCIA 10 /100..................45 /89 Sama un g 9 5 5 o F F l a t 1 9 " . . .......... 489 0-Link 530TX 1 0/100 NIC .............,...........22 NEC F E 70 0 I A S T O ...................... 319 I 2 5 8 use Hub 4 port........................................ 29 Views o ni c E 7 0 F 1 7 " . . . ................. 325 RJ45 Cable 10/15/25/50'......,. 6 / e I 11 I 17 Aopon F50L 15 " L c o . . . . .............. 888 samsung 570v 15" Lo o . . . ...........739
E M P U
Best Buy: huron1 0/800 — $555 1 OO L A N
p s o n 5 8 0 / 7 7 7 . . . . . . . . . . . .. 9 9 / 1 3 9 u s t e k 1 2 0 0 V S T . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . 1 0 8 r i r a t e r C a b l e 6 / 1 0 / 1 5 " . . .5 / 8 / 1 0 S B P r i n t e r C a b l e 6 " . . .. . . . . . . . 6
Keyboard 8 Mouse
M ot h e rb o a rd
Aaua CUV4X-C I CU V 4 X -E................. 149 I 1 Ts Asus CUSL2-C I CU S L 2 . ....................188 I 2 2 9 Asus ATV133/ A 7 V 1 33 W/Audio.......ale I 2 2 9 GA 7ZMM A T A 1 00 w / S B P C I - 1 2 8 . . ......154 GA 6VXC74 X S 3 7 0 A G P 4 X . . . ............119 MSI K7266 Pr o D D R . . ..........................239 MSI 6309 Sooket 370 AGP4X........ ......118
Mal K7T Proa Socket A AGP4X............1 55
Elite P6STP I P6 B A P . ..........................118 I 118 Elite K7VZA S o c ke t A A G P 4 X . . ........ .120 Elite K7 AG P4X VI S I L On B o a r d . . ......119
W it h s y s t e m p u r c h a s e o n ly : Logitesh cordless Key + Mouse...... 98 Windows ME Full Version CD with Installed.............. $138 I nternet / L o g i t e c h i n t e r n e t . ....... 19 / 3 5 Ms Elite I Internet........................35 I sa Windows 98 SE Full Version CD wah Installed..........$128 Ap 3B M o use r wh e e l M o u s e . . .......5/10 Windows 2D00 Pro with Installed...............................$218 Dual w h ee l Nl o u se I Op t i c a l . . . .....15 /33 Designer wheel mouse........................8 Back Headphone with Value Contaller & Mic............. $9
DVDICDROM/CDRW/FDD
creative 52x I Afreey 52x I Aopen 48x.......... 52/ 50 I 47 pionner 16x DVDI Aopen 12x DVD.................... 115 /95 Plextor 12X10X32I 16X10X32 CDRW................319 / 369 LG SX4X32 CDRW With Software ..............................138 LG 12XSX32 BM Buffer With software ......................169 Panasonic BX4X32 CDRW.....................,.....................139 panasonic 1.44M FDD /100M zip ........................17! 69
Blank cow 74M with casei aspcs...................,... 1 I 22
S oun d 8 S p e a k e r
A u d i o E x c e l P C I S o u d C a r d . . ... . . . 1 9 C r e a t i v e S B E n s o n l g . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 9 C r e a t i v e S B 1 2 8 P C I S o u n d . . . . ... . 4 8 C r e a t i v e S B L i v e V a l u e . . . . ... . . . . . . . . . . 6 9 A r t c c A C S 5 4 W S p e a k e r s y s t e m . .85 . .. . . . . . . . . . 4 9 S a m su n g S M S 5 10 0 . .47 1 OOOW S p e a ke r+ S u b w o o fs r. B l o s t s r 3 0 S p e a k a r s 2 8 OW . . . . . . . . . . . 1 0 .
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Hls Nvrdia TNT2 32M i eeForce 2 MX....„.69/125 Nvidia TNT232M I GeForce 256 32 M.........67 I88 Asus V7100 32M I Twin New....................175r 199 Asus V7700 Dlex Geforce GTS 32M DDR...... .325 AsusV7700 Dlsx GeForce GTS 64M DDR........sie Gigabyte TNT2 32M ...,....................„.........„,.......79
Case I Power I Fan
1 5" AT X I 2 5 O W I 3O OW . . . . . . . . . . 3 5 I 4 7 17" A T X I 25 OW I 3 OOW . . . . . . . . .. 42 I 5 2 1 8- A T X I 2 5 OW / 3 OOW . . . . . . . . . . 4 7 I 5 9 1 8" B l a c k T o w e r + K B + M S . . . . . . . . . 1 4 5 2 0"S l i v e r T ow e r n o p o w e r ... . . . . . .. , $ 9 2 30 w p o w e r A T / 2 5 0 w A T X . . . 2 2 / 2 7 3 00 w p o w o r AT X I 3 5 0 w . . . .. . . . 4 5 I 6 9 P ill S c o k e t 3 7 0 C o o l i n g F a n . . . . . . . . . 8 Co o l e r M a s te r C o o l i n g F a n . . . . . . . . . 1 0 T h e r r n a l t a k e c o o li n g F a n .. . . . . . . . ...a 5