A study in Greek mythology : stop-motion and compositing

Abstract

Stop-motion animation has long since established itself as an art form, since the very first documented animation attempt in 1898, and one of the most commonly encountered themes spanning through this period of one hundred and thirty years is the retelling or adaptation of old tales, folklore and myths. Despite the repetition of this broad theme, in a more specific frame, that being of the Greek stop-motion film scene, documented attempts and productions in this art field are very few, emerging only in the past decade. The aim of this dissertation is to bridge the gap of Greek mythology and stop-motion animation in a local context, by creating a short-film adaptation of the original myth of Narcissus and Echo. As a result, this project will shed light in the process of building, filming and post-production, and hopefully it will inspire and guide others to pursuit, while helping them demystify stop-motion as an art form.