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Norman McLaren: Animated Musician

2014 26 min
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Not only did Norman McLaren create his own film imagery, he also made his own music by drawing, etching and photographing patterns directly onto the sound track area of the film, becoming a pioneer of electronic music long before the invention of the synthesizer. Norman McLaren: Animated Musician celebrates this exploration and presents much never-before-seen work by this master of cinema.

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Norman McLaren: Animated Musician

Details

Not only did Norman McLaren create his own film imagery, he also made his own music by drawing, etching and photographing patterns directly onto the sound track area of the film, becoming a pioneer of electronic music long before the invention of the synthesizer. Norman McLaren: Animated Musician celebrates this exploration and presents much never-before-seen work by this master of cinema.
  • writer
    Donald McWilliams
  • director
    Donald McWilliams
  • editor
    Donald McWilliams
  • music consultant
    Luigi Allemano
  • sound consultant
    Luigi Allemano
  • sound restoration
    Luigi Allemano
    Donald McWilliams
    Jean Paul Vialard
    Aldo La Ricca
  • sound editing
    Luigi Allemano
  • object animation
    Élise Simard
  • The McLaren hen
    Norman McLaren
    Marcy Page
    Randall Finnerty
  • titles
    Mélanie Bouchard
    Randall Finnerty
  • graphic layout
    Mélanie Bouchard
    Randall Finnerty
  • narrator
    Donald McWilliams
  • narration recording
    Geoffrey Mitchell
  • narration director
    Karen Feiertag
  • re-recording
    Jean Paul Vialard
  • online editing
    Denis Pilon
  • technical director
    Éloi Champagne
  • technical coordinator
    Steve Hallé
  • digital editing services
    Isabelle Painchaud
    Pierre Dupont
    Patrick Trahan
  • French sub-titles
    Robert Paquin
  • marketing
    Christine Noël
  • administration
    Rosalina Di Sario
    Victoire-Émilie Bessette
    Stéphanie Lalonde
    Dominique Forget
  • executive producer
    Michael Fukushima
  • producer
    Jelena Popovic
    Marcy Page

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Education

Ages 16 to 18
School subjects

Ideal for students of animation or musical composition. Compare McLaren’s intent and process in Loops (1940) to the combination of music, sound and animation in a contemporary film such as Disney’s Fantasia. Why do you think McLaren was inspired by an avant-garde composer like John Cage? Discuss the legacy of McLaren’s innovations and their influence on other filmmakers, artists, and animators. Use McLaren’s techniques to produce your own composition on a one-minute strip of film.