Adam Elliot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Adam Elliot
Elliot in 2010
Born	Berwick, Victoria, Australia
Education	The Victorian College of the Arts.
Known for	Clayographies – Clay Animated Biographies
Notable work	Mary and Max, Harvie Krumpet, Ernie Biscuit, Uncle, Cousin, Brother
Awards	Academy Award, Five Australian Film Institute Awards, Young Achiever of the Year for Victoria – 1999, Australian of the Year Award

Adam Benjamin Elliot is an Australian animator and filmmaker from Melbourne. He is known for making unique animated films. His movies often tell stories that are a mix of sad and funny moments. They explore how characters grow and change. These films are often based on his own family and friends. Elliot calls his special style of filmmaking "Clayography." This word combines "clay animation" with "biography."

Adam Elliot's Early Life and Education

Adam Benjamin Elliot was born in Berwick, Victoria, Australia. He grew up on a prawn farm in the Australian outback. His father, Noel, was a retired acrobatic clown. His mother, Valerie, was a hairdresser. Adam has three siblings: Samantha, Luke, and Joshua.

When the farm faced financial trouble, Elliot's family moved to Melbourne. There, his father opened a small hardware shop.

School Days and Early Dreams

Elliot went to Pinewood Primary State School. Later, he attended Haileybury College, Keysborough. He first wanted to become a veterinarian. However, he did not get the grades needed for university.

During school, Elliot was part of the Highland Pipe Band. He also enjoyed acting. In his final year, he won a top award for his acting. He played Dr. Watson in a Sherlock Holmes play.

Elliot was born with a natural tremor, which means his hands shake slightly. He used this in his art. His drawings and animations often have uneven lines, giving them a unique, natural look. After finishing school, he spent five years hand-painting T-shirts. He sold them at the St Kilda, Victoria Esplanade Craft market.

Studying Animation

In 1996, Elliot finished a special diploma in film and television. He focused on animation at the Victorian College of the Arts. There, he made his first stop motion film, Uncle. This film won many awards and was shown at film festivals around the world.

Adam Elliot's Filmmaking Career

Adam Elliot has worked with several Australian film organizations. These include the Australian Film Commission and Screen Australia. He has made four more short films: Cousin, Brother, Harvie Krumpet, and Ernie Biscuit. He also made a full-length movie called Mary and Max.

Awards and Recognition

Elliot is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. In 1999, he was named "Young Achiever of the Year" for Victoria.

His five films have been shown at over 700 film festivals. They have won more than 100 awards. This includes an Academy Award for Harvie Krumpet. He also won five Annecy Cristals at the Annecy International Animated Film Festival.

Adam Elliot's Filmography

Uncle (1996)

Uncle was Elliot's first short film, made in 1996. He created it at the Victorian College of the Arts. The film is six minutes long. It won many international awards, including an Australian Film Institute Award.

Elliot used traditional stop motion techniques for Uncle. He shot it with a 16mm Bolex camera. This hands-on method taught him a lot. He still prefers not to use digital effects in his films. Uncle tells a semi-true story about an anonymous uncle. It is narrated by an anonymous nephew, voiced by William McInnes. The film mixes comedy and sadness. It has a simple, timeless feel.

This first film set the style for all of Elliot's later work. The story is loosely based on his own relationships with his eight uncles. He always focuses on telling a good story, even if it means changing some facts.

Cousin (1998)

Cousin was Elliot's first professional film, made in 1997. It was funded by Australian film groups. Like Uncle, it uses a simple style and narration. The film remembers a childhood relationship with his cousin, who had cerebral palsy.

Cousin was filmed in black and white, but on color film. Elliot used digital editing equipment this time. The film has been shown at many festivals. It won Elliot his second AFI Award for Best Australian animation. William McInnes narrated this film too.

Brother (1999)

After the success of his first two shorts, Brother completed a trilogy of films. This short film explores childhood memories of Elliot's brother. Elliot has said that Brother is his most personal film. He feels the "Brother" character is actually himself.

Brother shows Elliot's simple and pure style at its best. He made it in a friend's spare room. He wanted to use only traditional methods. He even edited it on an old-fashioned Steenbeck machine.

William McInnes again narrated Brother. The film won Elliot two AFI Awards. It won for Best Australian Short Animation and Best Australian Short Screenplay.

Harvie Krumpet (2003)

Harvie Krumpet was narrated by the famous actor Geoffrey Rush. Other voices were by Kamahl, John Flaus, and Julie Forsythe. In 2004, the film won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short.

Harvie Krumpet has been shown at over 100 film festivals. It has won more than 40 major awards. In 2005, it was named one of the top 100 animated films ever. This was by the Annecy International Animation Festival in France.

Mary and Max (2009)

Mary and Max was Elliot's first full-length movie. It first showed at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009. It was the first animated film and first Australian film to open the festival.

From March to June 2010, an exhibition about Mary and Max was held. It was at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). The exhibition showed how the film was made. It included character models, costumes, and tiny props.

Ernie Biscuit (2015)

Ernie Biscuit is Elliot's most recent "clayography" short film. It is 20 minutes long and in black and white. The film tells the story of a deaf Parisian taxidermist.

Like Harvie Krumpet, this film is a bittersweet biography. It has both funny and sad parts. For the first time, Elliot explored stronger themes of love. The film is also faster-paced than his other shorts. It is narrated by John Flaus, who has worked with Elliot many times.

Ernie Biscuit was chosen for the Annecy International Animation Festival. It won Best Short Animation at the 5th AACTA Awards.

Memoir of a Snail (2024)

Elliot's next full-length film is Memoir of a Snail. It is about Grace Pudel, a lonely person who collects ornamental snails. She lives in Canberra.

The film features the voices of Sarah Snook, Jacki Weaver, and Kodi Smit-McPhee. Eric Bana also joins the cast again after working on Mary and Max.

Adam Elliot's Unique Style and Themes

Elliot is known for using traditional "in-camera" techniques. This means every prop, set, and character is a real, tiny, handmade object. He does not use digital effects or computer-generated images in his films.

Each film can take up to five years to finish. His latest film, Memoir of a Snail, took even longer. Even though he promotes his films at festivals, he only works on his own projects. He does not do commercial work.

His company, Adam Elliot Clayographies, produces his films. Elliot's way of working is like an "auteur." This means he has complete control over his creative vision. Many famous actors have lent their voices to his films. These include Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Geoffrey Rush, and Eric Bana.

What is a Clayography?

Adam Elliot created the word "clayography." He needed a way to describe his unique animation style. It combines the words "clay" and "biography."

The term is similar to "claymation," which is a registered trademark. "Clay" is often used to mean plasticine in stop motion animation. Elliot's films tell the stories of real people's lives. This is why "biography" is a perfect fit for his work. Each of his films is a "Clayography." Together, they are "Clayographies."

Images for kids

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  Elliot in 2010

See also

In Spanish: Adam Elliot para niños