Ray Harryhausen Has Died

[Stephen_G]

Aged 92. He was in London, attending Hammersmith Hospital for treatment.

R.I.P.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-22441567

[jno]

oh, that's a shame, though of course he was very old.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pF_Fi7x93PY

[birdie1971]

What a great man he was. His stop-motion animation technique was without parallel and the films he worked on have gone down in history as some of the most ground breaking ever made.

He helped lay the foundations for all the incredible special effects we now take for granted in film and TV. A true pioneer in his field.

[FredPuli43]

A pioneer , indeed. Just learned that he employed choreographers. They planned the movements of the skeletons etc and the actors. The fight scenes were then rehearsed with a the choreographer playing the part of a skeleton, the actor hero making his movements accordingly. Then the whole scene was recreated using stop motion, the skeleton being made to copy the choreographer's movements. Blimey, it's a wonder any film was finished; that must have taken ages of painstaking work.

[Sharingan]

Brilliant man, someone we should be sorry to lose xx

[ludwig]

Talos from Jason and the argonauts is the one I always remember

http://www.enricophil.it/tales/Europe/Scripts/talos.htm

That and the skeleton fight (above)

[jim360]

On closer inspection that's even more impressive than I remembered. In the fireceness of the fight the movement is surprisingly, incredibly, fairly smooth. When the skeletons are moving slowly it's a bit too jerky to be convincing, but yes, during the fight that's wonderful techniques. A pioneer.

Wilhelm scream at 2:12, though... classic.

[sp1814]

Those skeletons scared the bejesus out of me for a very long time.

A Hollywood great.

[Purple_Popple]

Ah...yes I still am scared of Jason & the Argonauts...Talos scared me witless..the screeching noises when the statue moved!! Then the skelly-bobs!!! Brilliant special effects!! He was a master.

[TheOtherHalf]

RIP ♥
My son loved Jason and the arognauts so much we have them on a video which he will not let us tape over. It is brilliant though

[ludwig]

// When the skeletons are moving slowly it's a bit too jerky to be convincing, //

Who's to say how real supernatural skeleton warriors move jim? Maybe they're jerky.