Bradley Jon DeLoatche

Growing up with a lack of opportunities to have friends left me with plenty of time to pursue hobbies. One hobby of mine was making short movies. Spreading out blankets and pillows randomly on the floor with a rope strung across them, I would turn the camera sideways and pretend I was a mountain climber. In a suit with a cape, a magic wand, and some stop/start camera tricks, I was a magician that could make anyone disappear. To make animations, I’d spend hours making sketch after sketch, placing them one-at-a-time in front of the camera, and hitting record and then immediately hitting stop for each one. I did the same process with legos.

After filming, I would run the video cable into the VCR to record the video onto tape, but I would run the audio from a walkman so I’d have music accompanying the video. I remember the November I decided to make a claymation. I told my mom I needed her to buy me some clay, but she gave me a condition. If she was going to buy it, the first project I did had to be Thanksgiving themed. I recall picking out many seasonally colored clays. I created a grand claymation of pilgrims boarding the boats to sail to the new world. Once they arrived, they all unloaded. One of the pilgrims met a turkey and an “Indian”. The pilgrim whipped out his ax and lopped off the turkey’s head. In excitement he spun around to share the moment with the Indian, but accidentally took his head too. Blood went everywhere. All of this was overdubbed with the lovely ragtime music of Scott Joplin.

I was almost twelve when I spent the time and effort making these films that made me appreciate real productions.