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, Memoir of a Snail, 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 that often mix sad and funny moments. His films tell stories about characters, often inspired by his own family and friends. He calls his special style of filmmaking "Clayography," which combines Claymation (animation with clay figures) and biography (stories about real lives).

Early Life and Education

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

When the farm faced financial difficulties, Adam's family moved to Melbourne. There, his father bought a small hardware shop.

Adam went to Pinewood Primary State School and then Haileybury College. He first wanted to be a veterinarian, but he didn't get the grades needed for university. In school, he was part of the Highland Pipe Band. He also enjoyed acting and won an award for his performance as Dr. Watson in a play.

Adam was born with a natural tremor, which means his hands shake a little. He used this in his art, making his drawings and animations have a unique, uneven, and natural look. After finishing school, he spent five years hand-painting T-shirts at a market in St Kilda, Victoria.

In 1996, he studied film and television at the Victorian College of the Arts. He focused on animation and made his first stopmotion film, Uncle. This film won many awards and was shown at film festivals around the world.

Adam Elliot's Career

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

In 2004, Adam won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short for his film Harvie Krumpet. This was a big achievement for him.

Awards and Recognition

Adam Elliot is a voting member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which means he helps choose the winners of the Academy Awards. In 1999, he was named The Young Achiever of the Year for Victoria.

His short films and feature movies have been shown at many film festivals and have won numerous awards. He received an Academy Award for Harvie Krumpet. His film Memoir of a Snail was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Filmography

Uncle (1996)

Uncle was Adam Elliot's first short film, made in 1996 while he was at the Victorian College of the Arts. It is six minutes long and won several international awards, including an Australian Film Institute Award for Best Australian Animated Short.

The film was made using traditional stopmotion techniques with a 16mm camera. Adam edited it using old-fashioned equipment. He prefers not to use digital effects in his films, even today. The film cost about A$4000 to make. Uncle is partly based on Adam's own life, telling the story of an anonymous uncle through the eyes of his nephew. The story is simple but mixes funny and sad parts. It is still popular at film festivals.

This film set the style for all of Adam Elliot's later works. It is loosely based on his relationships with his eight uncles, but he always focuses on telling a good story.

Cousin (1998)

Cousin was Adam Elliot's first professional film, made in 1997. It was funded by Australian film organizations. Like Uncle, this film uses a simple style and narration to tell a story about a childhood relationship with his cousin, who has cerebral palsy.

Cousin was filmed in black and white, though it was shot on color film. It was made in a small storage unit owned by his father. Adam used digital equipment to edit this film.

Cousin has been shown at many film festivals and won Adam his second AFI Award for Best Australian animation. The film was narrated by William McInnes and cost $42,000 AUD to make.

Brother (1999)

After the success of his first two short films, Brother completed what is now known as a trilogy. This film explores Adam Elliot's childhood memories of his brother.

Brother shows Adam's very simple and pure approach to filmmaking. He made it in a friend's spare bedroom. He used only traditional tools and equipment, editing it on an old-fashioned system.

Like the previous two films, Brother was narrated by William McInnes. It traveled to many international festivals and won Adam two AFI Awards: one for Best Australian Short Animation and one for best Australian Short Screenplay.

Harvie Krumpet (2003)

The film Harvie Krumpet cost about AUD380,000 to make. It was narrated by the famous actor Geoffrey Rush. In 2004, the film won an Academy Award for Best Short Animation. Harvie Krumpet has been shown at over 100 film festivals and won more than forty major awards. In 2005, it was named one of the top 100 animated films of all time at a big animation festival in France.

Mary and Max (2009)

Mary and Max was Adam Elliot's first full-length movie. It premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January 2009. It was the first animated film and the first Australian film to open the festival in its 25-year history.

From March to June 2010, Mary and Max was featured in a free exhibition at the Australian Centre for the Moving Image (ACMI). The exhibition showed how the film was made, including character models, costumes, storyboards, and tiny props like miniature wine glasses and a working typewriter.

Ernie Biscuit (2015)

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

Similar to his Academy Award-winning film Harvie Krumpet, Ernie Biscuit is a bittersweet story with both funny and sad parts. For the first time, Adam explored stronger themes of love. The film has a faster pace and lighter tone than his other shorts. It is narrated by John Flaus, who has worked with Adam on many previous films.

The film was chosen for the official competition at the Annecy International Animation Festival and won Best Short Animation at the 5th AACTA Awards.

Memoir of a Snail (2024)

Adam Elliot's second feature film, Memoir of a Snail, was released in June 2024. The movie is about Grace Pudel, a lonely person who collects ornamental snails and lives in Canberra. The story is based on people in Adam Elliot's life. The film features the voices of Sarah Snook, Jacki Weaver, Kodi Smit-McPhee, and Eric Bana.

The film premiered at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in June 2024 and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature.

Style and Themes

Adam Elliot is known for using traditional "in-camera" techniques. This means that every prop, set, and character in his films is a real, handcrafted miniature object. He does not use digital additions or computer-generated images. Each of his films can take many years to complete, with Memoir of a Snail taking over five years due to the detailed animation and craftsmanship.

His company, Adam Elliot Clayographies, produces his films. Adam is considered an "auteur," meaning he has a strong personal vision and control over all aspects of his films. Many famous actors have lent their voices to his films, including Philip Seymour Hoffman, Toni Collette, Geoffrey Rush, Eric Bana, Sarah Snook, Kodi Smit-McPhee, William McInnes, Barry Humphries, Nick Cave, Jacki Weaver, and John Flaus.

What is Clayography?

Adam Elliot created the word "clayography" to describe his unique animation style. It combines the words "clay" and "biography." This term is similar to "claymation," which is another word for clay animation.

Adam's films explore the details of real people's lives, which is why "biography" is an important part of the word. Each of his films is a "Clayography," and together, his works are called "Clayographies."

See also

In Spanish: Adam Elliot para niños