Peter Lord
Encyclopedia
Peter Lord CBE
(born 1953 in Bristol
, United Kingdom
) is a British film producer
, director
and co-founder of the Academy award
-winning Aardman Animations
studio, an animation firm best known for its clay animated
films and shorts, particularly those featuring plasticine duo Wallace & Gromit.
, a friend of his youth, he realized his dream of "making and taking an animated movie". He graduated in English from the University of York
in 1976. He and Sproxton founded Aardman as a low-budget backyard studio, producing shorts and trailers
for publicity. Later on, in the early eighties Nick Park
joined the group.
Lord, Park and Sproxton developed and finalized their style of detailed and lovingly designed clay animation
characters from stop motion techniques
(though directed by Stephen Johnson
their claymation is shown in the music video
Sledgehammer (1986) by Peter Gabriel
). In 1991 Lord directed and produced Adam, a 6 minute clay animation that was nominated for an Academy Award. Park created the "odd-couple" Wallace and Gromit
-shorts in cooperation with Lord and Sproxton. All three together worked as producers, editors and directors. Other awarded productions by Peter Lord are Chicken Run
(2000), the first feature film from Aardman and the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit from (2005).
In May 2006, Lord (along with Sproxton) visited the "Aardman Exhibit" at the Ghibli Museum
in Mitaka
, Tokyo
, Japan
, where he met Hayao Miyazaki
. Miyazaki has long been a fan of the Aardman Animation works.
Lord was made a Commander of the British Empire
(CBE) on 17 June 2006.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(born 1953 in Bristol
Bristol
Bristol is a city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, with an estimated population of 433,100 for the unitary authority in 2009, and a surrounding Larger Urban Zone with an estimated 1,070,000 residents in 2007...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
) is a British film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
, director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and co-founder of the Academy award
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
-winning Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations
Aardman Animations, Ltd., also known as Aardman Studios, or simply as Aardman, is a British animation studio based in Bristol, United Kingdom. The studio is known for films made using stop-motion clay animation techniques, particularly those featuring Plasticine characters Wallace and Gromit...
studio, an animation firm best known for its clay animated
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
films and shorts, particularly those featuring plasticine duo Wallace & Gromit.
Biography
In cooperation with David SproxtonDavid Sproxton
David Sproxton CBE is one of the co-founders of the Aardman Animations studio.David graduated from Collingwood College, University of Durham before starting as an animator, producing segments for the Vision On TV program, Sproxton and Lord created the character of Morph for Take Hart .He is...
, a friend of his youth, he realized his dream of "making and taking an animated movie". He graduated in English from the University of York
University of York
The University of York , is an academic institution located in the city of York, England. Established in 1963, the campus university has expanded to more than thirty departments and centres, covering a wide range of subjects...
in 1976. He and Sproxton founded Aardman as a low-budget backyard studio, producing shorts and trailers
Trailer (film)
A trailer or preview is an advertisement or a commercial for a feature film that will be exhibited in the future at a cinema. The term "trailer" comes from their having originally been shown at the end of a feature film screening. That practice did not last long, because patrons tended to leave the...
for publicity. Later on, in the early eighties Nick Park
Nick Park
Nicholas Wulstan "Nick" Park, CBE is an English filmmaker of stop motion animation best known as the creator of Wallace and Gromit and Shaun the Sheep....
joined the group.
Lord, Park and Sproxton developed and finalized their style of detailed and lovingly designed clay animation
Clay animation
Clay animation or claymation is one of many forms of stop motion animation. Each animated piece, either character or background, is "deformable"—made of a malleable substance, usually Plasticine clay....
characters from stop motion techniques
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...
(though directed by Stephen Johnson
Stephen Johnson
Stephen Johnson may refer to:* Stephen C. Johnson, computer scientist, mathematician and Unix specialist* Stephen E. Johnson, U.S. Navy admiral...
their claymation is shown in the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
Sledgehammer (1986) by Peter Gabriel
Peter Gabriel
Peter Brian Gabriel is an English singer, musician, and songwriter who rose to fame as the lead vocalist and flautist of the progressive rock group Genesis. After leaving Genesis, Gabriel went on to a successful solo career...
). In 1991 Lord directed and produced Adam, a 6 minute clay animation that was nominated for an Academy Award. Park created the "odd-couple" Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit
Wallace and Gromit are the main characters in a series consisting of four British animated short films and a feature-length film by Nick Park of Aardman Animations...
-shorts in cooperation with Lord and Sproxton. All three together worked as producers, editors and directors. Other awarded productions by Peter Lord are Chicken Run
Chicken Run
Chicken Run is a 2000 British stop-motion animation film made by the Aardman Animations studios, the production studio of the Oscar-winning Wallace and Gromit films...
(2000), the first feature film from Aardman and the Academy Award-winning Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit from (2005).
In May 2006, Lord (along with Sproxton) visited the "Aardman Exhibit" at the Ghibli Museum
Ghibli Museum
is a museum featuring the Japanese anime work of Studio Ghibli, and is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western suburb of Tokyo, Japan.The museum is a fine arts museum, but does not take the concept of a usual fine arts museum. With many features that are child-oriented and a sprawling and...
in Mitaka
Mitaka, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 November 2010, the city has an estimated population of 176,737. The total area is 16.50 km² and is about 50 – 55 meters above sea level...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, where he met Hayao Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki
is a Japanese manga artist and prominent film director and animator of many popular anime feature films. Through a career that has spanned nearly fifty years, Miyazaki has attained international acclaim as a maker of animated feature films and, along with Isao Takahata, co-founded Studio Ghibli,...
. Miyazaki has long been a fan of the Aardman Animation works.
Lord was made a Commander of the British Empire
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
(CBE) on 17 June 2006.
Books
- Peter Lord & Brian SibleyBrian SibleyBrian Sibley is an English writer. He is author of over 100 hours of radio drama and has written and presented hundreds of radio documentaries, features and weekly programmes.- Early life :...
: Cracking Animation (1998) Thames & Hudson; ISBN 0-500-28168-8