Phil Tippett Case Study Outline

I. Introduction

• A. Thesis: Phil Tippett can be seen as an innovator in Visual Effects, taking the steps from Stopmotion Animation to Computer-generated imagery.
• B. Sub Thesis: Many of his works on creature design and character animation stand as landmark points within the film industry.

II. Body

A. Background Information

• 1. Inspiration, education
• The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
• University of California, Irvine
• 2. Career in VFX
• ILM: Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back
• Dragonslayer
• Return of the Jedi
• 3. Stopmotion
• Design, models, animation
• “Go-Motion” Technique

B. From Stopmotion to CGI and early Tippett Studio

• 1. Leaving ILM
• Garage Studio = Tippett Studio
• Prehistoric Beast, 10 min. experimental = first emmy
• 2. Expanding with Jon Davison
• Robocop: ED-209 robot
• Howard the Duck: Dark Overlord creatures
• 3. Stopmotion to CGI
• Steven Spielberg and Jurassic Park for Go-Motion then CG
• Supervising animation @ ILM and Tippett Studio: realistic digital dinosaurs, which could breathe, flex twitch and react. Oscar

C. Expansion of Studio and CGI facility

• 1. Starship Troopers, expanding studio, process
• 2. Films
• Digital doubles/worlds
• Hellboy
• Blade 2
• Hollow Man
• Starship Troopers 2
• The Matrix Revolutions
• Creatures/Animals
• The Spiderwick Chronicles
• Enchanted
• The Golden Compass
• Charlotte’s Web
• FX Animation/Robots
• The Stepford Wives
• Robocop 1 & 2
• Commercials
  
• 3. Phil Tippett’s “Priorities in Work”
• Craft and Skill, not tools or technology

III. Conclusion