Gladys and the Moon is a short animated film based on the true story of Vermont telescope maker Gladys Piper.
Real Life Inspiration
In 1920 Gladys Piper, elementary school teacher and draftsman, signed up for a telescope making class in Springfield, Vermont. She was the only woman in the group, which consisted of male machinists, tool makers, and pattern makers from a local machine company.
Group photo of the first telescope making class (October 1920). Photo courtesy of The Springfield Telescope Makers, Inc.
Over the next several months Gladys attended the telescope making classes and completed her own telescope in 1921. She was a true pioneering woman.
Learn more about Gladys and the first telescope making class from The Springfield Telescope Makers.
Animation Technique
Gladys and the Moon will utilize a digital “paint on glass” technique. Traditional paint on glass animation is created by manipulating slow-drying oil paints on sheets of glass fame-by-frame. The technology-enhanced version of this involves using digital painting tools where each frame of animation is created by “painting” over the last frame.