Ogopogo Studios: Where stop motion magic springs to life
Founded in 2019, Ogopogo Studios is currently the only player in Bangladesh when it comes to stop-motion animation
In the captivating realm of animation, one technique stands out as an enchanting art form that breathes life into inanimate objects: stop-motion animation.
With meticulous precision and boundless creativity, this magical process has the potential to take us on extraordinary journeys where imagination knows no bounds.
From charmingly quirky characters to awe-inspiring landscapes, stop motion's allure lies in its ability to evoke a sense of childlike wonder in audiences of all ages, reminding us that the world of animation truly knows no limits.
When it comes to Bangladesh, 'Ogopogo Studios' is the pioneer of stop motion animation in the country. Before them, this particular area of handcrafted genius was left unexplored.
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Despite being the leading studio of its kind, the beginning of 'Ogopogo Studios' was more like a side project. Something that was born out of the personal fondness of the founder Amit Ashraf and Saiq'a S Chowdhury.
"Stop motion is something that I took up as more like a side project, as I was already very much invested in filmmaking and animation. I started stop-motion animation alongside the studio's co-founder Saiq'a S Chowdhury and we found it rather interesting and grew fond of it. So we thought of doing stop motion on a smaller scale. Ogopogo as a studio is basically a result of that fondness," said Amit.
"The only difference is that at the beginning it had about 20% of my attention, as I was already working on various filmmaking projects. Right now both filmmaking and stop motion have an equal effort from me", added Amit.
The studio opened its doors in 2019. Despite being a fresh face in the industry, it has unlocked a doorway to an unexplored universe. In the more developed Western nations, stick figures and stop-motion animation have already attracted a sizable audience. But the animation in Bangladesh has always leaned more towards digital art forms. Therefore this style of art requires a more human touch and is a bit more complex than just puppeteering.
'Ogopogo Studios' themselves undertake projects from clients. They do not make independent stop-motion short films or videos. Being new and unique in the field, this is their stepping stone towards growth.
"We take projects from clients and deliver short films or videos. For now, this is how the studio is growing. The resources we have at our disposal are very limited and there are a lot of things stop motion requires, which we cannot avail here in Bangladesh. So keeping the studio as a business afloat needs a steady flow of finance, which we are generating through our clients," said Ashraf.
But the studio does intend to transcend the boundaries they have found themselves in. The founder shared his vision of expanding his stop-motion animation venture into the world of feature films.
Ogopogo has a small yet a very powerful arsenal of stop-motion short films or videos with inspiring messages. The most notable among them are 'Char Ronger Basha (House of Four Colours)', 'Quarks and Socks' and a very recent 'All is Full'.
The process of making these short films can only be categorised as classic. The puppets that are used to make the stop motion are handmade. The skeletons are made using flexible metal wires, while the exterior skins are usually made of clay. The clothing used to decorate the puppets are made of real fabric more often than not.
And it's not just the puppets. The miniature sets are made from scratch depending on the theme of each project. Since every minute detail of stop-motion animation is mostly handmade, it takes longer to actually flesh out a full project, compared with digital animation. The animation itself is the magic of the movement of the puppets, props and camera work.
The motions and the movements of the puppets are captured frame by frame. Then they are put together in an animated form, just like how cartoons were made way back when it was first popularised. This process does not only take time but also a decent amount of manpower.
Amit Ashraf, however, does not involve himself in many of the projects anymore. For example, their recent music video 'All is Full' was made by someone who was completely new to the craft. It took five months to complete but the result was awesome.
"I have a team that looks after the different aspects of stop motion. From prop makers to costume designers for the puppets, we have everyone playing a crucial role in every project. I personally leave most of the work to my team because stop motion is a craft that doesn't require much technical knowledge, but it does require hands-on experience. So even if it takes time, I leave the projects to my team members, old and new alike, while I only oversee them, because this is the best way of progress," Amit expressed.
The founder further stated that he wants to teach stop motion to aspiring artists. They intend to conduct workshops under the studio banner, where a select few aspirants will have the opportunity to learn as much as possible and then expand the industry.
Ogopogo Studios is exploring a new horizon of arts and crafts. Their reach so far and the reception to their works has been massively positive, and it will most certainly have a positive impact in the future of Bangladeshi animation entertainment industry.
