When I was a teenager and fascinated by all things cinema,

one of my favorite artists working in film was Ray Harryhausen.

Ray's forte was stop-motion animation which is the method of

repositioning articulated miniature figures made of metal

skeletons with different textures applied to create a dragon, 

a seven-headed hydra, a cyclops, or...anything! By exposing

one frame of film, then moving the armature a fraction of an inch,

then exposing another frame, the illusion of motion was made.

I had experimented with this technique many times and was in

awe of Ray's ability to bring his figures to life. So I wrote him a

fan letter and asked him a hundred questions.

 

To my complete surprise,

he wrote back! Here is the letter.