Pre-1975

In the early '70s, you knew the time, effort, talent and financial commitment required if your art was animation. 

LP records were the de facto audio standard, 8-track tapes were being replaced by audio cassettes, film was used for animation, and Betamax video had just arrived on the scene... 

In Laguna Beach, CA, an animator struck on the idea to create animation pencil tests using video technology, instead of film, which would avoid the headache of driving to Los Angeles to get his animation pencil tests shot.

1976

In 1976, Lyon Lamb debuted the Lyon Lamb Video Animation System (VAS), a single frame 1/2" reel-to-reel video recorder with the unique capability to play back at film speed (24 fps).

Before the VAS, the pencil test was an expensive and arduous affair that required several days to shoot, process and develop. The finished pencil test would then be returned to the artist, threaded up on a film projector and viewed.

With the Lyon Lamb VAS, viewing a pencil test was instantaneous, saving precious time, resources and ultimately improving the quality of animation.

The Nod

In 1980, after great reviews and industry buzz from the likes of Walt Disney Productions, Hanna Barbera, Ralph Bakshi and Industrial Light and Magic, to name a few, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences awarded Bruce Lyon and John Lamb an Academy Award in the Scientific and Technical Achievement category for the VAS technology.

2023 represents the 43rd anniversary of Lyon Lamb's greatest achievement, the Academy Award, which also signified a beginning in the industry to shift from analog to digital technology.