From the collection of
Established in 2001, the National Library of Wales Screen and Sound Archive holds an unrivalled collection of films, TV and radio broadcasts, video tapes and sound recordings relating to Wales and the Welsh, from 1898 to the present day. The collection spans multiples formats and genres, both professional and amateur.
Every cloud has a silver lining but Rainbow Valley's is not just silver but technicolored, thanks to artistic Mr Eppynt and his dear cow Clara.
Sometimes dark clouds gather, as the mayor and inhabitants of the beautiful Rainbow Valley discover. But every cloud, as the proverb states, has a silver lining and it is provided here by the thoughtful and artistic Mr Eppynt, assisted by his favourite cow, Clara. Created by Frank Koller, of Cardiff's Caricature Theatre, this is the 2nd delightful episode in a series of 10 animated Mr Eppynts, all created using coloured shadow puppets. English subtitles available.
Caricature Theatre (1965-84), a Cardiff-based puppet theatre, was founded by Jane Phillips, and was the first professional theatre company to work full-time for children in Wales (in Welsh and English) and the UK. It benefited from the continuity, for 19 years, of a Welsh Arts Council annual grant, developing esteemed experimental and pioneering work for adults as well as children and including an animations unit from 1978. The characters and scenery for the Mr Eppynts were intricately cut from translucent plastic, coloured with pens, lit from behind and filmed in stop motion.
*To enable English subtitles for this film, once the video is playing select CC in the video playback bar (at the bottom of the screen) and then select Closed Captions = On.*
Amateur animation auteurs bring their homegrown creations to life
The requirements for making an animated film are pretty low. With a camera that shoots in single frames and an idea in your back pocket, you're well on your way. This collection showcases an assortment of dining table Disneys, who combine homebrewed talent with the all-important dedication and patience required to bring a story to life one frame at a time. Not that this was necessarily a solitary pursuit. From the 1950s onwards networks of amateur animators like The Grasshopper Group collaborated on filmmaking and distribution, and animated shorts were often a highlight of the amateur filmmaking scene.
