Initial Sketch Skeleton

This isn't how I see the final skeleton made at all but it is an all right substitute for now.. I am preparing for a small 15 second short to begin experimenting with stop motion and learn a few things before I jump into the final. I will do this with the working puppets as they are made as well.

Komaneko Film

My friend Yuka showed me this film after I told her about my project. There are a series of these videos on YouTube, which are about this Cat, and I think Komaneko means "animation cat". In this one the cat makes a stopmotion film, and it is extremely adorable. Quite opposite of how my film is going to come out. Komaneko is a stopmotion film about making a stopmotion film.. WATCH IT!!!

Stop-motion

Stop motion (also known as stop action) is an animation technique to make a physically manipulated object appear to move on its own. The object is moved in small increments between individually photographed frames, creating the illusion of movement when the series of frames is played as a continuous sequence. Dolls with movable joints or clay figures are often used in stop motion for their ease of repositioning. Here are a List of Stop-motion films. 

This is an example of a puppet's armature structure. Wires bend for the joints and removable hands and feet interchange. My plan is to design a different structure with ball and socket joints so that they move with as little disturbance to the pose as possible. The hands may be interchangeable, although I could do a wire armature inside silicone... can't decide yet, and I don't necessarily have to.

YouTUBE findings

PES

The best of the best, PES is a genius. I learned about him in 4D during freshman year at Pratt and have never forgot about him. Watch this film and then go to his website, he has so many films and is so creative with his props. 

His site is here: onward to the HOME OF THE TWISTED FILMS OF PES

The Quay Brothers: Phantom Museums (2007)

Scary, scary, scary, creepy stuff... another Netflix gem.. I couldn't sit through more than 4 minutes of it, but I turned the volume off and got some screen shots.. I love the face of the man.

Peter and the Wolf (2006)

The best kind of research: Watch movies. Looking for stopmotion films and shorts to get ideas for the physical aspects of this project. First movie I found is Suzie Templeton's "Peter and the Wolf". It is amazing to say the least, I can only dream to achieve this much.. 

see it on Netflix!

 

These sets are GIGANTIC.. and I don't have 4 years... but I do have all nighters and a lot of coffee to consume. This is going to be a fun semester...