In Memoriam: ROBERT "TIGER" WEST (1923-2006)

[AarHan3]

Courtesy of The BCDb Message Board (http://forum.bcdb.com/):


Robert "Tiger" West, a key developer of Xerox equipment for all animation cartoon processing, died February 13 at 81.

An assistant animator, animation checker and supervisor, West started at Disney in 1944, where he was an animation checker and scene planner under Ub Iwerks. He was a character assistant under Bob Carlson and an effects assistant under Josh Meador.

West actually began his show business career as an infant actor in silent film shorts at Warner Brothers from 1924 to 1926.

He worked for MGM as an assistant on the Tom and Jerry cartoons from 1950 to 1953, and was vice-president and production manager at Grantray-Lawrence between 1953 and 1958.

From 1968 to 1977, he supervised the Xerox department at Hanna-Barbera. He had numerous credits as the head of H-B's Xerox department. In addition, West helped set up Hanna-Barbera Productions in Australia.

He later worked for Ruby-Spears and Marvel until his retirement in 1989. He also animated for DiC and DePatie-Freleng.

West was production supervisor for Spider-Man (1967). He handled xerography for Wacky Races and The Adventures of Gulliver (both 1968); Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!, The Perils of Penelope Pitstop and Dastardly and Muttley in Their Flying Machines (all 1969); Josie and the Pussycats and The Harlem Globetrotters (both 1970); The Pebbles and Bamm-Bamm Show and Help! It's the Hair Bear Bunch (both 1971); Roman Holidays and The New Scooby-Doo Movies (both 1972); Hong Kong Phooey (1974); The New Tom & Jerry Show (1975), The All New Pink Panther Show (1978); The Plastic Man Comedy/Adventure Show and Spider-Woman (both 1979); and Heathcliff (1980).

West spoke some Spanish and Korean.

In 2005, The Animation Guild (IATSE Local #839) presented "Tiger" West with the Golden Award for his 50-year career in the animation field. He was a longtime member of Local #839.


To absent friends...


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[JCorey3rd]

i was always wondering why "Tiger" was able to have his nickname put in the credits. Sad to see that he has departed.

[PeppeRaskell1]

I often wondered what "Xerography" was. And "Tiger" West was clearly the master of his craft.

BTW, what is Xerography anyway? How is it used in animation?

EDIT: Rank Xerox? Is that where the Heavy Metal character "RanXerox" got his name? (yeah, this is OT, but I'm really curious as to how Xerox machines are used in animation.)

[Steve Carras]

I often wondered what "Xerography" was. And "Tiger" West was clearly the master of his craft.

BTW, what is Xerography anyway? How is it used in animation?

EDIT: Rank Xerox? Is that where the Heavy Metal character "RanXerox" got his name? (yeah, this is OT, but I'm really curious as to how Xerox machines are used in animation.)

Good question, P'Raskell. "Xerography" is the device devloped in 1959 by Disney unsung great Ub(be) Iwerks [1901?-1971] that is able to do replication..in short's it's a animation and then general use carbon copy.They take a scene [or in the flcik lsited below!!] part then dupe it acorss.

It was used, for isntance, (first full lentgh flick use) in Disney's (ONLY worthwhile!) "101 Dalmations" (the ONLY version of that property far as I'm concerned!:D) [The dalmation groups, just dupe across anf the IDEA of groups of dalmations requiring thsi method.

[I , too, always wodnered in the 70s what "xerography" meant!" and WHAT a "Robert Tiger" was! Now I KNOW!!!]

[Fifi Fanatic]

Robert "Tiger" West. Wow. How many countless H-B cartoons did I see that name in? I mean, that name just jumps right out of the credits at you, even to a five year old. And no, I had no idea what "Xerography" was back then either.

R.I.P. Robert "Tiger" West.

[Eric Brown]

To simplify SC's explanation of the Xerography process, it's simply running the "cleaned up" animation drawing through a copier, which copies the drawing onto a clear acetate sheet. Before Xerography, the drawing was hand traced onto the acetate sheet. Once on the acetate sheet (now called an animation cell) the character was filled in by painting on the back side of the sheet. Each cell was then photographed over a backround plate and placed on movie film.

Disney first used the process in a small portion of Sleeping Beauty in 1958 and as SC stated, the first full feature use by Disney was in 101 Dalmations. H-B started using the process in the fourth or fifth season of the Flintstones. Many animators stated that they preffered the Xerography process over the hand traced transfer, because more "character" of the animated image was retained.

You can easily make your own animation cells -- suitable for framing. You can pick up the clear acetate sheets at an office supply store. Make your drawing, run it through a copier (supplying the acetate instead of blank paper), paint it, frame and display.

Enough said THANX

[PeppeRaskell1]

To simplify SC's explanation of the Xerography process, it's simply running the "cleaned up" animation drawing through a copier, which copies the drawing onto a clear acetate sheet. Before Xerography, the drawing was hand traced onto the acetate sheet. Once on the acetate sheet (now called an animation cell) the character was filled in by painting on the back side of the sheet. Each cell was then photographed over a backround plate and placed on movie film.

Disney first used the process in a small portion of Sleeping Beauty in 1958 and as SC stated, the first full feature use by Disney was in 101 Dalmations. H-B started using the process in the fourth or fifth season of the Flintstones. Many animators stated that they preffered the Xerography process over the hand traced transfer, because more "character" of the animated image was retained.

You can easily make your own animation cells -- suitable for framing. You can pick up the clear acetate sheets at an office supply store. Make your drawing, run it through a copier (supplying the acetate instead of blank paper), paint it, frame and display.

Enough said THANX

I make drawings like that and give them as Christmas gifts for my family and friends every year. I'm a Xerographer and I don't even know it!

[FredVelDaphFan]

those overhead sheets that your teachers use in school (before Power Point came around)? That was Xerography at its other use.