But it was its involvement in the amazingly successful promo for Peter Gabriel’s Sledgehammer single in 1986 that put it firmly on the map. Sledgehammer (1986)Īardman was founded by Lord and Dave Sproxton in 1972, and early jobs included the opening credits for The Great Egg Race and squeaking homunculus Morph on Take Hart. Watch the video for Peter Gabriel’s single Sledgehammer 15.
Not to get too meta, but there is some fun comment here on the god-like processes of claymation: Adam, after all, was fashioned out of clay in the first place. A stream of jokes about the first created human, perched atop a tiny planet Earth, keeps this ticking along, with the real-flesh “hand of God” hammering points home. Lord was nominated for his first Oscar for this funny short, which showcases his more fingery, freeform style – compared to Park’s smoothly-polished modelling. There’s something a little bit freaky about it. A vaudeville-act dog trainer called Tiny loses his confidence after clashing with Arnold, a hulking silent-film actor it all ends up a bit Phantom of the Opera. Steve Box, who would go on to direct the unlovely Spice Girls Viva Forever video and co-direct Curse of the Were-Rabbit, made his directorial debut with this impressive 11-minute short that mixes Nick Park-ish ingredients to considerably creepier effect. Where it all began: Aardman founders David Sproxton and Peter Lord with one of their early creations, Morph. It may not have the comedy disjunction of the more famous Creature Comforts short, from the same series, but the direct, untricksy treatment remains melancholy and even haunting. Going Equipped (1990)Ī more orthodox interpretation of the Lip Sync concept: a small-time offender talks bluntly about prison life and how he became a law-breaker. On the stage, Shakespeare whizzes through references to every one of his plays Hall couldn’t be less impressed. Next, directed by Barry Purves, deviates from the concept: its basic gag is that William Shakespeare himself is auditioning for an uninterested Peter Hall.
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Peter Lord, who directed, went with a sultry singing cat and some artistic shots of piano keys.Īardman Animation secured a high-profile commission from Channel 4 at the end of the 80s: a five-part short film series called Lip Sync, mostly comprising animation of pre-recorded interview material.
Inspired, no doubt, by the (non-Aardman) video for a successful re-release of Jackie Wilson’s Reet Petite earlier in the year, this music video became a second bite at claymation-meets-1950s. After it was used for a perfume ad, Nina Simone’s jazz classic made it into the top 10 in the autumn of 1987.