Co Hoedeman
Encyclopedia
Jacobus Willem Hoedeman (born August 1, 1940 in Amsterdam
) is a Dutch
-Canadian
filmmaker known for his mastery of stop motion
animation and technical innovation in films that reveal his close observation of human and social interaction.
At the age of 15, Hoedeman left school to work as a photograph retoucher in the printing industry in his native Holland, but soon decided to try film. He first worked at Multifilm, a small production company in Haarlem
, and then at Cinecentrum in Hilversum, where he worked in the optical and special effects department and helped out with camera, laboratory and sound work when he could. Hoedeman spent his evenings taking courses at the School of Fine Arts in Amsterdam and the School of Photography in The Hague
. As his skills improved, he took on more complex work, including transitions and models, and eventually began designing, editing, and directing commercials.
Hoedeman immigrated to Canada
in 1965 with his then-wife, on the chance that the National Film Board of Canada
might hire him. He showed up at the NFB with a reel of his previous work under his arm, and within days landed a job as a production assistant. His first major project there was an educational film called Continental Drift. He then moved to the recently created French Animation Studio and made what he called his first "real" film, Oddball, in 1969. Wanting to learn more about stop-motion animation techniques, he went to Czechoslovakia
in 1970 to study puppet animation.
On his return, he produced the innovative and charming children's film Tchou-Tchou (1972), made entirely by using wooden blocks. Then, he made a series of animated films based on Inuit
legends: The Man and the Giant, The Owl and the Lemming, The Owl and the Raven and Lumaaq. He collaborated closely with artists in the Arctic communities of Frobisher Bay (now called Iqaluit) and Povungnituk to illustrate the legends, using sealskin figures, soapstone carvings, and drawings.
His next project was the very ambitious The Sand Castle
/ Le Château de sable, a touching fable that earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 50th Academy Awards
. This work, which featured an array of odd creatures created from foam rubber, wire, and sand, won numerous international awards and has proven to be an enduring favourite.
With every film, Hoedeman experimented with new techniques and materials, including papier-mâché, paper cutouts, and computer animation.
In 1992, Hoedeman collaborated with a group of Native and Inuit inmates at La Macaza Penitentiary in northern Quebec
to make The Sniffing Bear / L'Ours renifleur, a cautionary tale about substance abuse. He followed that with another serious film, The Garden of Écos / Le Jardin d'Écos, an ecological fable that shows just how easy it is to upset the balance of nature.
In 1998, Hoedeman returned to his passion – making whimsical children's films – by crafting a series of four puppet films featuring Ludovic, a sweet young teddy bear, and his family. The Snow Gift (1998), A Crocodile in My Garden (2000), Visiting Grandpa (2001), and Magic in the Air (2002) were eventually released together on DVD under the title Four Seasons in the Life of Ludovic.
His last film as an employee of the National Film Board was Mariannne's Theatre (2004), which he completed after learning that he and fellow animation pioneer Jacques Drouin would both be laid off just short of retirement, victims of budget cuts and the NFB's move toward hiring filmmakers on contract, rather than supporting full-time, permanent staff.
Hoedeman now acts as an independent filmmaker and consultant. He is currently working several projects, including the production of an animated TV series based on his Ludovic films.
Hoedeman is the subject of two documentary films: Nico Crama's Co Hoedeman, Animator (1980) and In the Animator's Eye: A Conjurer's Tales - Co Hoedeman (1996).
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
) is a Dutch
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
-Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
filmmaker known for his mastery of stop motion
Stop motion
Stop motion is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence...
animation and technical innovation in films that reveal his close observation of human and social interaction.
Biography
Hoedeman was born during the German occupation of the Netherlands and survived the Hunger Winter of 1944-45, when many of the city's residents died of starvation brought on by a German blockade and other factors.At the age of 15, Hoedeman left school to work as a photograph retoucher in the printing industry in his native Holland, but soon decided to try film. He first worked at Multifilm, a small production company in Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
, and then at Cinecentrum in Hilversum, where he worked in the optical and special effects department and helped out with camera, laboratory and sound work when he could. Hoedeman spent his evenings taking courses at the School of Fine Arts in Amsterdam and the School of Photography in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
. As his skills improved, he took on more complex work, including transitions and models, and eventually began designing, editing, and directing commercials.
Hoedeman immigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1965 with his then-wife, on the chance that the National Film Board of Canada
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's twelve-time Academy Award-winning public film producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary, animation, alternative drama and digital media productions...
might hire him. He showed up at the NFB with a reel of his previous work under his arm, and within days landed a job as a production assistant. His first major project there was an educational film called Continental Drift. He then moved to the recently created French Animation Studio and made what he called his first "real" film, Oddball, in 1969. Wanting to learn more about stop-motion animation techniques, he went to Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
in 1970 to study puppet animation.
On his return, he produced the innovative and charming children's film Tchou-Tchou (1972), made entirely by using wooden blocks. Then, he made a series of animated films based on Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
legends: The Man and the Giant, The Owl and the Lemming, The Owl and the Raven and Lumaaq. He collaborated closely with artists in the Arctic communities of Frobisher Bay (now called Iqaluit) and Povungnituk to illustrate the legends, using sealskin figures, soapstone carvings, and drawings.
His next project was the very ambitious The Sand Castle
The Sand Castle
The Sand Castle is a 1977 stop motion animated short by Co Hoedeman. Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 50th Academy Awards, the film was produced by Gaston Sarault for the National Film Board of Canada.-External links:*...
/ Le Château de sable, a touching fable that earned him the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film at the 50th Academy Awards
50th Academy Awards
The 50th Academy Awards were held at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, California on April 3, 1978. The ceremonies were presided over by Bob Hope, who hosted the awards for the eighteenth and last time....
. This work, which featured an array of odd creatures created from foam rubber, wire, and sand, won numerous international awards and has proven to be an enduring favourite.
With every film, Hoedeman experimented with new techniques and materials, including papier-mâché, paper cutouts, and computer animation.
In 1992, Hoedeman collaborated with a group of Native and Inuit inmates at La Macaza Penitentiary in northern Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
to make The Sniffing Bear / L'Ours renifleur, a cautionary tale about substance abuse. He followed that with another serious film, The Garden of Écos / Le Jardin d'Écos, an ecological fable that shows just how easy it is to upset the balance of nature.
In 1998, Hoedeman returned to his passion – making whimsical children's films – by crafting a series of four puppet films featuring Ludovic, a sweet young teddy bear, and his family. The Snow Gift (1998), A Crocodile in My Garden (2000), Visiting Grandpa (2001), and Magic in the Air (2002) were eventually released together on DVD under the title Four Seasons in the Life of Ludovic.
His last film as an employee of the National Film Board was Mariannne's Theatre (2004), which he completed after learning that he and fellow animation pioneer Jacques Drouin would both be laid off just short of retirement, victims of budget cuts and the NFB's move toward hiring filmmakers on contract, rather than supporting full-time, permanent staff.
Hoedeman now acts as an independent filmmaker and consultant. He is currently working several projects, including the production of an animated TV series based on his Ludovic films.
Hoedeman is the subject of two documentary films: Nico Crama's Co Hoedeman, Animator (1980) and In the Animator's Eye: A Conjurer's Tales - Co Hoedeman (1996).
Filmography
- Continental Drift (1968)
- Oddball (1969)
- Matrioska (1970)
- Tchou-tchou (1972)
- The Owl and the Lemming: An Eskimo Legend (1971)
- The Owl and the Raven: An Eskimo Legend (1973)
- Lumaaq: An Eskimo Legend (1975)
- The Man and the Giant: An Eskimo Legend (1975)
- The Sand Castle / Le château de sable (1977)
- The Treasure of the Grotoceans / Le trésor des Grotocéans (1980)
- Masquerade (1984)
- Charles and François (1988)
- The Box / La Boîte (1989)
- The Sniffing Bear / L'Ours renifleur (1992)
- The Garden of Écos / Le jardin d'Écos (1997)
- Ludovic: The Snow Gift (1998)
- Ludovic: A Crocodile in My Garden (2000)
- Ludovic: Visiting Grandpa (2001)
- Ludovic: Magic in the Air (2002)
- Marianne's Theatre / Le théâtre de Marianne (2004)
- Winter Days / The Poets of Winter Days (2003)