Puppet/ Model making reference sites.

A series of independent artists and model makers sharing their own work and processes that could come in handy for me later on in the project as references or inspiration.

https://www.behance.net/gallery/17451547/Puppet-Making-Portfolio

http://erinodo.com/puppets-and-masks/

https://laughingsquid.com/undone-a-stop-motion-animated-allegory-for-alzheimers-disease/

Between these there are collections of both movable maquettes and rigid models. I didn't consider rigid statues/ models a way to go and was quite preoccupied with figuring out moveable skeletons. Perhaps the idea of still models could work out better for me in this project, as it would focus more on the skills of sculpting and model making rather than the technical ability of metal work?

Tinfoil Experimentation: Model Making

After watching 'All I'm Saying' and discussing the video with a tutor, I was inspired to try my own tin foil experiments. I feel that using household objects and materials can add to a certain 'home made' aesthetic; reminiscent of styles such as Aardman Studios and the 'All I'm Saying' music video. I decided on my own character design of Prometheus, the fox spirit and a Greek God known especially for being a trickster.

1) The first image shows the tin foil skeleton. Having a semi-flexible core means that while the maquette is slightly movable, the tin foil is more for structure rather than mobility. This skeleton was creating simply by hand molding and layering up the tin foil.

2) I began to envelop the tin foil with chavant sculptors clay to begin building up the actual body of the model. Again. this was more for experimentation than anything; seeing how the two materials worked together, what kind of shapes and forms could be achieved etc.

3)  Once the body had been coated in its first layer of chavant, I worked on the shape of the head. Again, this was just balled up tin foil, worked into shape, then attached to the rest of the body through the neck.

4) Image four shows the character starting to take shape; at this point the ears and mask shape were in place and I'd decided on the poses of the limbs. I was free to experiment with different head shapes and the mobility of the model at this point by adding more or taking away chavant.

5 & 6) The last two images show the final model. This type of model can now be taken forward and put through a mould making and casting processes to make a 'hard copy'. A two part mould would probably be necessary though as it's quite a weird 3D shape.
Overall I'm pleased with this piece as a prototype and it's led me to consider what kind of model making processes I will go on to use and experiment with later.

All I'm Saying: Animated Music Video

James – All I'm Saying (official music video) from Péter Vácz on Vimeo.

Small article and explanation of the video:
http://sploid.gizmodo.com/stop-motion-video-shows-what-its-like-to-chase-somethin-1658675405

In comparison to 'The Maker', 'All I'm Saying' (directed and animated by Peter Vacz) could at first seem simple in contrast to the more intricate sets and methods used to create the award winning short. However, the simple but effective use of materials and aesthetic make 'All I'm Saying' extremely impressive visually. Fabricating the set and characters from materials as simple as tin foil, strips of paper or screwed up tissue, Vacz proves how a small budget and basic components can still be incredibly stimulating.

Part of the charm of 'All I'm Saying' is the fact you can see the imperfections and methods that were used to fabricate it, e.g. the maquette beneath the mask and minimal costume hasn't been fleshed out, or made to look like a real animal, but instead adds to the overall aesthetic and style of the piece. The small details are evident where it matters; the worn texture on the mask, the crumpled sky created from black, screwed up tissue paper, or the fire made through clever lighting and red wool.
I feel that if this story were to be told with the same budget and style as 'The Maker', it probably wouldn't be as effective as it is.

Symbolism and imagery are extremely important aspects of making this a successful piece, as well as making the most of the textures and simple materials available. Overall, this is definitely the kind of thing I can see myself making and experimenting with over the course of this project.

Cloud Cuckoo Land: Initial concept art

I created this piece of concept art last term as part of the minor assignment and build up to the final major project. I had a bit of trouble coming up with a concept that I was content with when I was first designing this, and went through several cycles of design processes before making this collage.
I stuck with the idea of the birds carrying the city, as this made logical sense to me in terms of the context of the story: A city run by birds, and its inhabitants wish it to fly; a rational thought to the bird characters of flight would be making it fly themselves, as opposed to creating advanced technology, propellers, etc.

The bottom of the city is created from shapes of amphitheaters, inspired by the original Greek roots of the play. It also creates quite a unique shape, and a base for the city to rest on.
The buildings I wanted to look stacked, built one upon another, mimicking trees and nests.
Overall, I'm happy with this as concept art but will probably look deeper into this aspect of design especially if I'm considering building a part of it; I'll need to know what the streets and details of the city look like.

The Maker: Behind the Scenes

Watching through the above video, I screenshotted processes and images I found to be useful or good examples of what I found impressive about the production of The Maker, and edited them together into appropriate sections.

Character face construction: Real teeth would've been cast in silicone after been placed to create the desired 'set' shape. They could've then been cast in a resin, and placed onto the head shapes. The lip shape and eyes are added later, seemingly after initial colourations. The lip shape is the main factor in creating expression in the character; above it can be seen that nothing other than the mouth shape changes, creating entirely separate emotions in the face. This tells me that I don't necessarily have to create entirely new faces/ half faces for every expression; something as subtle as the mouth curve can change the whole emotion. 

These are a collection of illustrations designed for use within the animation; small details like this really fascinate me, and I love how every intricate feature has been thought out, even down to the language used throughout the story. It can be seen in the book, on the furniture, on labels etc. 

This mood board consists of construction elements that went into creating the environment for 'The Maker'. Again, it's the tiny details like bottles and their labels, the rabbit figures either side of the hourglass stand, the realistic bricks of the fireplace that make the whole area seem believable, and like a completed world. 

Animation and finished set examples: The animators created homemade dollies out of household objects to create the shots they wanted to achieve. This looks like it was shot with a DSLR as well, as opposed to an entire filming rig, so achieving similar footage wouldn't be overly ambitious as I have access to these kind of cameras at university. 

The Maker; Animation Inspiration.

THE MAKER: CHRISTOPHER KEZELOS (DIR.)

"A strange creature races against time to make the most important and beautiful creation of his life." 

'The Maker' is the multi-award winning brainchild of Christopher Kezelos, Paul Halley and Amanda Louise Spayd.
After realising that friend and composer, Paul Halley was struggling to reach audiences online, Kezelos decided to team up with Amanda Spayd to bring attention to the music he was creating. Between them, they formed the world of The Maker; a short story that takes place within one enclosed, yet cosy looking room. The film begins with a rabbit-like creature's eyes snapping open. The expression looks shocked or perhaps even horrified, and the environment seems unknown to them. As the workshop is introduced to the rabbit, the audience too become acquainted with the surroundings that appear homely and colourful. However, as the story continues, we realise that the character has a purpose, and is being directed by the props and signs throughout the room.

He begins constructing, sewing, baking clay, and the viewers begin to realise he's making a second rabbit. The initial presumptions could be that he's creating a companion for himself, as the book he seems to be reading instructs how to create a creature similar to him, and how to bring it to life through the medium of music. This itself could be a nod towards the animators and composers themselves, perhaps saying how music brings their image to life?
We see the processes he goes through to create his smaller companion, but the mood goes from cute and artsy to gradually more stressed. This vibe is definitely assisted by the upbeat tempo of the music evident from the very start; as much as the setting is beautiful and the main character feels home made, and creepy but equally adorable, the use of unnerving music and symbolism of a timer that is constantly running out creates a vibe of uncertainty and nervousness.

The twist in the tale happens when the timer runs out just as this father figure is giving his own creation the manual on how he made her; As the last grains of sand fall through the hourglass, he disappears in a flurry of dust that resets the messy room as it scatters. The room is tidied and exactly back to the way it was when the original character first opened his eyes. The daughters expression mirrors that of her own maker in the first seconds of the film, and the audience realise as the hourglass flips and the urgent violin music starts up again, that the entire story is an ongoing cycle of makers and their creations.

Overall, 'The Maker' is definitely an animation that made me sit back and think about it once it was finished. Watching it a second time also helped me to realise a lot of the messages that were being conveyed, and themes made a lot more sense and clicked into place the second time watching it through.  The aesthetic is gorgeous in both the character and the set, and I love the way the character moves in the scenery. It's definitely a complete world that fits together beautifully, and I aim to use this example as a signpost to come back to, to inspire my own work.

Statement of Intent: Final Major Project.

Leading on from the foundation of ‘The Birds’ used in my previous minor assignment, my final major project will continue from the narrative that I formulated through that term. During the minor project, I concentrated on a mixture of mediums between stop motion modelling and mask making, as I wanted to avoid pigeon holing myself into a singular category. This term I’m really focused on the narrative that I created throughout the minor project and would like to take that story forwards, either through means of stop motion animation or a series of photo shoots.

Going down the stop motion route will encompass more experimentation with a variety of materials, as well as honing the budget and aesthetic that goes with this medium; These attributes will tie in together as create an overall style for the piece. Down this route, I will also be able to undertake processes that I wanted to do last time but didn’t quite fit into that project.

My inspirations for the potential animation route include Zealous Creatives, ‘The Maker’; a stop motion animation with soft puppetry and intricate sets.

My goals for this project include experimenting further with materials and creating some sort of animation whether that be stop motion with photos, creating a mechanism that makes a model move or a series of sculpted models. Ideally, I’d like to experiment with all these methods! 

Below I’ve included a mood board I put together showing a variety of materials that puppets can be made from, ranging from stuffed tights, to professionally 3D powder printed faces. I also included some starting points for innovative sets, demonstrating scale and method of movement