Making The Other Characters

Making The Other Characters

Armatures

The armatures I will be using are ones from a previous module that weren't used. They aren't as reliable as the one that I am using for my main character but these will be fine for the small movements these secondary characters will be doing.

Quilly Von Squint and Findus Spew are both within a box or create so I thought that it would be easier to animate them if I removed the legs from the armature and then secured them to the base of the scene they are in. For the scene where they are with the other characters, I can easily hide them behind the table within the scene.

For the third secondary character, Sneaky McSqueaky, I have left the legs on as he will be used in another scene standing up.

Heads

Quilly Von Squint

Using Sculpey to make the shape of the head and beak and then baking it, I will then be able to paint each part.

After each part is painted I am going to connect the two parts of the beak with a hinge, this way I can animate the beak moving.

After baking the Sculpey, I realised it would be easer to attach the beak and the hinge to the head if it was made out of silicone.

Making the head out of plasticine, I made a mould and cast the head in the silicone.

Pouring the two halves separately and then letting them set slightly before connecting the two together will reduce the risk of having any air bubbles form in the back of the cast. This is something that happened in the main character's head cast.

The finished cast had a very big air bubble in the centre which meant I couldn't attach it to the armature.
Because of this I have decided to make the head from Sculpey and have replacement mouths.
I set the eyes and magnet for the mouths into the Sculpey before baking.

Sneaky McSqueaky

Using the same method as I did for Quilly's head I made Sneaky's head from Sculpey, adding the eyes and magnets before baking.

Finus Spew

Clothing

Quilly Von Squint

Finus Spew

Sneaky McSqueaky

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books. 

Reflection Of The Module

Overall I think that this module went well even though I'm not as far through the pre-production as I thought I would be. I'm glad that I got a head start on the storyboarding and looking at my characters before I came back to university in September. This made sure that I really knew the story before I started to work on it. It also made it easier when I had to cut parts out of the full story to make it into a trailer or short story a couple of weeks into the module.

I think that I didn't finish my sets in time because I was struggling to find a way to make my island set and getting the funds to buy the materials for the sets, and this took up valuable time that I could have used to be making it. Also when doing my research for the careers choices in the professional practice module I've found that for a project of my size it would usually have 3 or more people working on it with a lot more time to do it. But this has been a great way to see how much detail and time that goes into the pre-production of a stop motion film.

This just shows that in the industry I won't be alone making a project as I am now and that I will be able delegate work to others.

That being said I have enjoyed all the aspects of the making of this project, it has helped me develop and work on the different parts of the pre-production that I wouldn't normally get to work on, such as the story boarding. Cinematography isn't my strongest skill and I was happy to be able to develop and practice this. It helped that I was working from a children's illustrated book to be able to gain inspiration from the images.

In the future I would like to work on further projects that have come from children's books because I like that the story can have no boundaries, it can go anywhere and help children learn in the process.

I find hidden meaning in stories very interesting and it always surprises me to look back at films and tv shows that I used to watch and find new hidden meaning that would have previously gone over my head or I wouldn't have realised I was learning as a child.

I will continue to keep updating this blog as and when I complete different parts of my pre-production before the production module starts.

Research Into Stop Motion Short Films

Stop Motion Short Films

There are many short stop motion films, this is mainly because making this type of film is a lengthly process and can often take many years to produce, so if an animator wants to get into the industry they can make short films or trailers for their idea, this can be put on their show reel and can give employers an idea of what animation capabilities they have.

These ideas can then be expanded on at a later date.

Although some of the short films can be expanded on, others are much better left as a short film because they deliver the message perfectly in a short amount of time.

One of these films is "The Maker" (2011)

This short film puts the message of passion, love and anxiety without using lip sync. The music and movement of the character put these messages across that can be seen by all cultures and countries.

In this case the character doesn't have any facial replacements, all the emotion is put across by the characters actions, his eyes and the accompanying music.

I haven't decided what music I will be using for my film yet, but I would like it to have a similar effect on my audience that this film does. I want the music to have an urgency and a fast paced movement to it.

Another short film that is similar in its use of music to produce emotion is "Zero" (2010)

Although the use of music helps shape the emotion of the film, I think that the use of the narrator really helps to get the message of race and culture across. Even though these words are not used it is clear in its use of metaphors that there is another meaning behind this film and I think that it is perfectly portrayed.

I think that this film could be shown for many years to come and it'll still be relevant because there is always something new that society is criticising or ruling as wrong.

This film shows what is wrong with culture today and the extent social compliance, once one person brands something as different other people will start to believe it. 

I hope that if other short films are made like this, that will make a significant difference on how these problems are dealt with.

Another film I found interesting was "Foxed" (2013)

I liked this film for its camera movement. The way it moved was almost a first person prospective. Its effective because it makes the viewer feel more involved and engrossed in the film and feel the emotions that the character is feeling.

Building The Sets

Captain's Cabin

I will make this part of the set by connecting 3 pieces of wood together with hinges. This way the outer pieces of wood can be opened slightly wider than a 90 degree angle to give the illusion of depth.

Now that the wood is cut I need to make the boards have the texture of wood.

I am going to do this by using a drimmel drill that will engrave the texture into the wood.

As I hadn't used this tool before I practiced with it on some scrap wood first, making sure the drimmel could give me the marks on the wood that I needed.

After practicing with the drimmel I then tried to recreate the pattern I needed on a larger piece of spare wood.

I like that it has a hand drawn look about it. This fits in with my treatment of having the ship come from out of the book.

Creating this pattern on a larger scale was easier as the drimmel works smoother.

So that this set could be transported I fixed the sides together with velcro so that they can be pulled apart and then put in the car.

Top Deck

Using hardwood I drew the design out and then cut it to shape.

Using the drimmel I carved the same pattern as the previous boards, but also adding the groove for the parts to be cut out for the banister. And then painting it.

The Island

To make the island I thought of many different ways to make the shape. I first thought about getting an outdoor fish pond or pool, but I couldn't one that was the right shape or shallow enough to work as my island.
I eventually decided that making it myself using paper mache would be the best option.

I started by covering an overturned bowl in clingfilm, and then layering the paper to get the shallow domed shape.

Once this had started to dry I opened out the clingfilm and pulled it out, then covering with more paper to bring out the shape of the island. I will keep repeating this until it begins to level out, giving my character a flat surface to walk on.

When placing my character next to the island I realised that the island looked far too small in comparison so I have decided to extend on it.

I mixed sand into the yellow paint to give it some texture for the closer camera angles.
I like that the paint has wrinkled the paper underneath because it gives the wave effect that can be seen at a beach.

 Palm Trees

The Birds Nest

For this set I had to make it to scale with my character and to be tall enough to animate from bellow.
I started by making the pole and a base to make it sturdy.

Then using a plastic and newspaper I made the inside high enough that only the shoulders of the character can be seen from above the edge.

Then attaching the nest to the pole and painting it.

Based on the book Here Be Monsters text © Jonathan Emmett 2013 and illustration © Poly Bernatene 2013, first published by Macmillan Children’s Books.