Pinscreen animation makes use of a screen filled with movable pins, which can be moved in or out by pressing an object onto the screen. The screen is lit from the side so that the pins cast shadows. The technique has been used to create animated films with a range of textural effects difficult to achieve with any other animation technique, including traditional cel animation.
An image on a pinscreen
Pinscreen used for animation (Baby Screen model)
Close-up of a Baby Screen pinscreen from aside
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and alternative dramas. In total, the NFB has produced over 13,000 productions since its inception, which have won over 5,000 awards. The NFB reports to the Parliament of Canada through the Minister of Canadian Heritage. It has bilingual production programs and branches in English and French, including multicultural-related documentaries.
NFB headquarters in Montreal
A group of cameramen who worked for the Canadian Government Motion Picture Bureau in 1925. Frank Badgley, the bureau's director from 1927 to 1941, is in the background.
John Grierson was the first commissioner of the National Film Board of Canada.
The Norman McLaren Building in Saint-Laurent, Montreal, Quebec, former NFB headquarters from 1956 until 2019.
