Suitmation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (November 2007)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Suitmation (スーツメーション, Sūtsumēshon^?) is a term originally used in Japan for a Tokusatsu (special effects) technique to portray a daikaiju (giant monster) using an actor in a monster suit. Although the origin of the term is not quite known, it is said that the term was used to differentiate this technique from the "Dynamation" stop-motion animation by special effects wizard, Ray Harryhausen.

Eiji Tsuburaya, Japan's special effects pioneer, set the standard for Suitmation, starting with his work on the many classic Godzilla movies and other tokusatsu kaiju films from Toho Company Ltd. Other studios, including Daiei Motion Picture Company, Toei Company Ltd., and even Eiji Tsuburaya's own Tsuburaya Productions, continue to portray giant monsters (and even giant superheroes and robots) in movies and television using the Suitmation technique. The technique began to evolve as artists emphasized great detail. Design teams are sometimes only one or two people, and the suits can take a long time to develop. In the US, the term became associated with B movies and point out the cheesiness of "rubber suits" and when the US became highly dependent on CGI and soon saw "classic techniques" as being obsolete, Japan further perfected the art, and when CGI was integrated, it brought more out of the suits. In the US, effects artist such as Steve Wang, Rick Baker, Stan Winston, and a handful of others still do traditional techniques and treat the style as an art form, dedicating themselves to detail and precise realism for the suits. It was and is still used on Jim Henson's well-known programs Sesame Street, The Muppet Show and Dinosaurs; and on TV Globo's children's program TV Colosso.

In any case, the suits were very, very grueling, especially in the old days when studios were very hot. The average stuntperson could only last for three minutes before becoming too uncomfortable. Conditions improved when studios became air-conditioned. In Godzilla 2000: Millennium, an oxygen hose was attached to Godzilla's tail, which threaded up to the neck so that the actor could breathe.

For superheroes, Ultraman's suit actor usually wore a form-fitting latex costume similar to a wet suit. The helmet was made originally from latex, and later, fiberglass. A set of batteries in the suit made the eyes and ColorTimer light up. Toei superheroes had various sorts of costume materials, from leather to vinyl to cloth. Starting with Kagaku Sentai Dynaman, the heroes in Sentai wear spandex. Helmets are made of fiberglass, and had clips on the side to lock them into place. Later, helmets had the clips hidden for a smoother look, although knockoff helmets used for promotional work and live appearances do retain the external clips.