WILL VINTON
Name: Will Vinton
Born: 1948
Will Vinton (born 1948) is a director and producer of animated films. He was
born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work,
and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.
During the 1960s, Vinton studied physics, architecture and filmmaking at the
University of California, Berkeley, where he was influenced by the work of
Antoni Gaudi. During this time, Vinton made a black-and-white feature-length
documentary film about the California counter-culture movement titled, Gone For
a Better Deal which toured college campuses in various film festivals of the
time. Two more films about student protest followed, Berkeley Games and First
Ten Days, as well a narrative short Reply, and his first animation, Culture
Shock.
Meeting clay animator, Bob Gardiner in the Berkeley, California area in the
early 1970s, Vinton brought him to Portland and the two commandeered Vinton's
home basement to make a quick 1 1/2-minute test film of clay animation (and the
supporting armatures) called Wobbly Wino, completed in early 1973. Gardiner
refined his sculpting and animation skills while Vinton built a system for
animating his Bolex Rex-5 16mm camera and the two began work in mid 1973 on an 8-minute
16mm short film about a drunk wino who stumbles into a closed art museum and
interacts with the paintings and sculptures. Completed in late 1974 after 14
months of production, the innovative film combined Gardiner's amazing sculpting
skills with Vinton's considerable camera skills and Closed Mondays stunned film
festival judges around the world. Closed Mondays then won an Oscar for best
animated short film in the spring of 1975, the first film produced in Portland,
Oregon to do so.
Vinton and Gardiner parted ways during the production of their second short film,
Mountain Music completed by Vinton in 1976. Gardiner focused on producing PSA
spots for local political issues (eventually evolving into other artistic media
such as music and holograms) while Vinton established Will Vinton Productions (later
Will Vinton Studios) in Portland to capitalize on his constantly-improving
animation technology. Quickly expanding his studio by hiring new animators,
Vinton produced dozens of commercials for regional and then national companies.
Name: Will Vinton
Born: 1948
Will Vinton (born 1948) is a director and producer of animated films. He was
born in McMinnville, Oregon, near Portland. He has won an Oscar for his work,
and several Emmy Awards and Clio Awards for the work of his studio.
During the 1960s, Vinton studied physics, architecture and filmmaking at the
University of California, Berkeley, where he was influenced by the work of
Antoni Gaudi. During this time, Vinton made a black-and-white feature-length
documentary film about the California counter-culture movement titled, Gone For
a Better Deal which toured college campuses in various film festivals of the
time. Two more films about student protest followed, Berkeley Games and First
Ten Days, as well a narrative short Reply, and his first animation, Culture
Shock.
Meeting clay animator, Bob Gardiner in the Berkeley, California area in the
early 1970s, Vinton brought him to Portland and the two commandeered Vinton's
home basement to make a quick 1 1/2-minute test film of clay animation (and the
supporting armatures) called Wobbly Wino, completed in early 1973. Gardiner
refined his sculpting and animation skills while Vinton built a system for
animating his Bolex Rex-5 16mm camera and the two began work in mid 1973 on an 8-minute
16mm short film about a drunk wino who stumbles into a closed art museum and
interacts with the paintings and sculptures. Completed in late 1974 after 14
months of production, the innovative film combined Gardiner's amazing sculpting
skills with Vinton's considerable camera skills and Closed Mondays stunned film
festival judges around the world. Closed Mondays then won an Oscar for best
animated short film in the spring of 1975, the first film produced in Portland,
Oregon to do so.
Vinton and Gardiner parted ways during the production of their second short film,
Mountain Music completed by Vinton in 1976. Gardiner focused on producing PSA
spots for local political issues (eventually evolving into other artistic media
such as music and holograms) while Vinton established Will Vinton Productions (later
Will Vinton Studios) in Portland to capitalize on his constantly-improving
animation technology. Quickly expanding his studio by hiring new animators,
Vinton produced dozens of commercials for regional and then national companies.