Facebook Twitter Instagram YouTube
    Nostalgia Central
    • Home
    • Blog
      • Lists
    • Television
      • TV by Decade
        • TV – 1950s
        • TV – 1960s
        • TV – 1970s
        • TV – 1980s
        • TV – 1990s
      • Comedy
      • Drama
      • Kids TV
      • Variety
      • News & Sport
      • Advertisements
    • Music
      • Music by Decade
        • Music – 1950s
        • Music – 1960s
        • Music – 1970s
        • Music – 1980s
        • Music – 1990s
      • Artists – A to K
        • Artists – A
        • Artists – B
        • Artists – C
        • Artists – D
        • Artists – E
        • Artists – F
        • Artists – G
        • Artists – H
        • Artists – I
        • Artists – J
        • Artists – K
      • Artists – L to Z
        • Artists – L
        • Artists – M
        • Artists – N
        • Artists – O
        • Artists – P
        • Artists – Q
        • Artists – R
        • Artists – S
        • Artists – T
        • Artists – U
        • Artists – V
        • Artists – W
        • Artists – X
        • Artists – Y
        • Artists – Z
      • Artists – 0 to 9
      • Genres
      • Music on Film & TV
      • One-Hit Wonders
      • Playlists
      • Online Radio
    • Movies
      • Movies by Decade
        • Movies – 1950s
        • Movies – 1960s
        • Movies – 1970s
        • Movies – 1980s
        • Movies – 1990s
      • Movies – 0 to 9
      • Movies – A to K
        • Movies – A
        • Movies – B
        • Movies – C
        • Movies – D
        • Movies – E
        • Movies – F
        • Movies – G
        • Movies – H
        • Movies – I
        • Movies – J
        • Movies – K
      • Movies – L to Z
        • Movies – L
        • Movies – M
        • Movies – N
        • Movies – O
        • Movies – P
        • Movies – Q
        • Movies – R
        • Movies – S
        • Movies – T
        • Movies – U
        • Movies – V
        • Movies – W
        • Movies – X
        • Movies – Y
        • Movies – Z
    • Pop Culture
      • Fads
      • Toys & Games
      • Fashion
      • Decor
      • Food & Drink
      • People
      • Technology
      • Transport
    • Social History
      • 1950s Year by Year
      • 1960s Year by Year
      • 1970s Year by Year
      • 1980s Year by Year
      • 1990s Year by Year
      • Events
    Nostalgia Central
    Home»Blog
    Blog 3 Mins Read

    Supermarionation

    Share
    Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email

    Coined by British filmmaker Gerry Anderson and his wife, Sylvia, while making the series Supercar in 1960, “Supermarionation” was the name given to a technique through which marionettes (string puppets) achieved locomotion through electronic means.

    A combination of the words “super”, “marionette” and “animation”, the technique was used by Anderson’s production company AP Films (later Century 21 Productions) in television series in the 1960s, including Supercar (1961); Fireball XL5 (1962); Stingray (1964); Thunderbirds (1965); Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons (1967); and Joe 90 (1967).

    Some sources consider Four Feather Falls (1959) to be the first Supermarionation series (although it was not billed as such) because it saw the introduction of the electronic lip-syncing mechanism. The final series to be “filmed in Supermarionation” was The Secret Service (1969), although the series used extensive footage of live actors.

    The feature films Thunderbirds Are Go (1966) and Thunderbird 6 (1968) were also produced in Supermarionation. All the productions were filmed at APF’s studios on the Slough Trading Estate in Buckinghamshire.

    Voice artists created the voices of the main and peripheral characters for each episode, with the recording then edited to remove pauses (particularly where an artist was playing two characters in one scene).

    The marionette heads were initially sculpted in clay or plasticine and then formed as fibreglass shells with provisions allowing for eyes and mouth mechanisms.

    An electronic solenoid, controlled by the prerecorded dialogue, was inserted into the head and enabled the puppet character to “speak” in direct synchronization with the recorded voices by moving the puppet’s lower lip with each syllable.

    The eyes, constructed by optical experts, were capable of movement and expression through electronics.

    Male figures were fitted with wigs with human hair used for the female figures (each strand separately fixed to the head, gradually building up the tresses).

    Produced in plastic, the puppet bodies – between twenty-two and twenty-four inches in height – were constructed in the correct human proportion, dispensing with the tradition that puppet heads should be bigger than bodies.

    Clothes for the marionettes were hand-made using the finest lightweight material to prevent bulkiness and weight.

    Completed marionettes were wired with 0.005-inch-thick tungsten steel wires, coloured matte black so as not to photograph or reflect light. Each figure was controlled by nine twelve-foot-long wires fixed to a control and worked by a human manipulator who stood on a bridge above the set.

    Electric current was passed through the control wires to activate the puppet’s lip-sync mechanism.

    Sets were constructed at one-third the normal size and made extensive use of scale-model special effects, directed by Derek Meddings.

    Because five camera crews and two sets were constantly used, an identical twin to each character had to be made. When the film was completed, the editorial department added the music score and the twelve tracks of sound effects and dialogue were blended to form the soundtrack.

    Video

    Related Posts

    • Colour TV - The Dawn of Glam Television
      Colour TV - The Dawn of Glam Television
      It's no coincidence that Britain embraced Glam at precisely the moment that colour TV sets became affordable. Out went any…
    • Marilyn Monroe in Korea (1954)
      Marilyn Monroe in Korea (1954)
      In February 1954, actress Marilyn Monroe travelled to Korea to entertain the American troops stationed over there. Marilyn was asked…
    • Television in Australia
      Television in Australia
      The first television channel to win the race to air in Australia was Sydney's Channel Nine. A smiling announcer, Bruce…
    • The Beatles in Hamburg
      The Beatles in Hamburg
      On 27 December 1960 The Beatles appeared at the Litherland Town Hall Ballroom in Liverpool in a performance widely regarded as being…
    • Bond's First XI (and what happened to them)
      Bond's First XI (and what happened to them)
      Ursula Andress walked from the sea in Dr No in 1962 and became the first of many beautiful women who…
    • The Beatles in Bangor (August 1967)
      The Beatles in Bangor (August 1967)
      During the summer of 1967, The Beatles' Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club album had shot straight to the top of the UK…
    • Elvis's Movie Occupations
      Elvis's Movie Occupations
      Shrimp Fisherman - Girls! Girls! Girls! (1962) Commercial Photographer - Live A Little, Love A Little (1968) Water Skiing Instructor - Clambake (1967)…
    • Abigail Hates Aussie Men
      Abigail Hates Aussie Men
      Originally published in TV Week (Australia). 27 May 1972 Abigail, sexy star of Number 96, has branded Australian men as coarse,…

    Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest WhatsApp Reddit Email
    Previous ArticlePenda’s Fen (1974)
    Next Article Bridge, The (1959)

    Comments are closed.

    Follow us
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
    • Instagram
    You May Also Like
    • Feather and Father Gang, The
      1 9 7 7 (USA) 1 x 90 minute episode 13 x 60 minute episodes This […]
    • Thank Your Lucky Stars
      1 9 6 1 – 1 9 6 6 (UK) 250 x 40 minute episodes Produced […]
    • Fire Crackers
      1 9 6 4 – 1 9 6 5 (UK) 13 x 30 minute episodes The […]
    • Vipers, The
      The Vipers Skiffle Group, featuring a young singer called Wally […]
    • Return of Captain Nemo, The (1978)
      “I am Captain Nemo. I have been asleep for 100 years […]
    • Dickie Pride
      Richard Charles Kneller was born in Thornton Heath, Surrey. […]
    Twitter Feed
    Please note


    Nostalgia Central covers the period 1950 to 1999 and contains some words and references which reflect the attitudes of those times and which may be considered culturally sensitive, offensive or inappropriate today.
    Popular Tags
    1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1975 1976 Action Figures Amicus Arcade games Australia Beach movies Beatles Blaxploitation Board games Britpop Canada Crime Disco Disney Doo-Wop Elvis Presley Girl groups Glam Goth Hammer Heavy Metal Irwin Allen Labels Merseybeat Mod revival Motown New Romantic New Wave NWOBHM Oi! One-hit wonders Power Pop Pub rock Punk Radio Scotland Ska Soul music Surf music
    Search Nostalgia Central
    Copyright © 1998, 2022 Nostalgia Central
    • About
    • Contact
    • FAQ

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.