Photograph on paper

Bonus text
The Cave Bear was Harryhausen’s first real attempt at creating a model for animation. It was constructed with a wooden frame with ball and socket joints made out of beads. For the fur of the Cave Bear he asked his mother for permission to cut up her old black fur coat.

Harryhausen did not initially have a camera capable of taking one frame at a time so he had to quickly tap the release button to advance the film. This hit or miss method sometimes resulted in capturing three frames at a time, contributing to the jerky animation in the film. The film was shot outside in the Harryhausen’s garden. Harryhausen quickly realised that he needed lights and an indoor space as the movement of the sun while animating outdoors changed the shadows of the models between shots. Shortly afterwards his father cleared a space in the garage for him to work.

© The Ray and Diana Harryhausen Foundation.