The fight cload was difficult in so much i wasnt sure how to create it, in the end I just used a huge ball of wadding (or bear stuffing) and then used cut out cload shapes on wire to create drifting dust cload comign off the rotating fightign mass. I shot everythign on sepret plates, the brother going in for the punch, the cload and the dust cloads and those sterotypical pullet out arms, legs and heads as they fall out of the cload, I will have to edit the shot to see it in all its glory. The eye smear shot was probaly the one I was worried about most as I new id have to rig each indevidual partspretly to allow me to then move them out of shot to creat a poping action. I also created variou levels of eye smears-although there only on shot for a frame I was really pleased at how this shot came together. My only regret is that I did'nt use this technque earlyer in more shots, but on the postive side it really adds impact when you get to that shot.
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Just before I began shooting I was introduced to this creat new Nickolodian show called Pig, Goat, Banana, Cricket created by Dave Cooper and Johnny Ryan. This show really incaptulates the enery and style I have been trying to bring into my own work with Boris-Noris. I think it can be best discribed a cartoon americana, this goofy, boizare, wide eyed, rubber hose, acid coloured type of animtion which can also be found in earlyer shows like SpongeBob, Ahhhg! Real monsters, Uncle Grandpa and many otehr both in the 90's and now really tap into a child hood facination with animtion, there soemthign exciting and comforting about working in this style. Even beofre I 've started workign I know this is a style I wnat to revist, in a smaller scale, agian. I also wonder about the potential for beign hired for this style of work as many practiners I have mention in my Case Studys here have been involved with adapting shows like this into a stop-motion episdode, however they do have the added advatge of being based in america where most of these shows are made.
so here is a mock up of the final looks and style for boris and Noris, this has all been put together cheaply and quickly but he's basically correct. the legs and arm will now be casted and moulded to create multiples, a slightly cleaner version of the torso will be created both in this form and in the reverse colours, taller boots will be developed and a smaller head will be reproduced using rhino and 3D printing.
I will be testing him next week though to test weather he need longer versions of the legs for exsaduration in runs, as well as if the new solid body is ok, originally I had planned to have a armatured body but it would make life a lot simpler without. Id also like to set the legs slightly further apart. Kirsten Lepore is another animator that uses tubular limbs to create a loose, soft often comical sense of movement in her work. This perhaps why she was selected to create the stop-motion special for 'Adventure Time'. Adventure Time as a series is largely based on a fast paced, rapid movement style that uses the characteristic of rubber hose style. As you can see in the character sheet below there are rile sin the world with famously 'no rules'. Importantly is creating the emphasis for movement such as a bent limb, but remaining fluid, how to create a sense of power with out sharp corners. I used some of these principles to develop movement in my own puppets as well as that of very traditional 'cartoony' styled animation such as Loony toons and the work of tex avery. From a model making point of view Another aspect I looked at on this project was the creation of the set, that can be seen in the making of video below. 'Dr.Breakfast' is a film I saw many years ago, I was captured by its truly bizarre narrative and often site it when people bring up odd cartoon from 90's cartoon network. Nerds work really taps into the hyper work of that time. American retro/cartoon modern animation is massively appealing. As is this upbeat energy of this film. So as a Case study this is more a look into the mood and energy I will try to translate in to my film, rather than style or type of aniamtion. The energy in his sketches translate into his animation, that impactful rough and ready/raw look to his work adds to its appeal. The mixture of equity of less and more important visuals is reminiscent of the use of blue silhouette crowds or background in cartoon modern films, but also translates in to style guides, like within the work of Tex Avery and John Kricfalusi.
modern style, something I would really love to do more of in my own work, although I try as often as I can. Max Winston also use to work for the company, which accounts for the similarity in there style. This company isn't afraid to use anything to create the right look or texture, they often use flocking and glitter in there work to achieve the retro look. They also let the materials speak for them selves, for example in the stop-frame special they created for sponge bob, they made him out actual sponge rather than creating a mould and casting in coma latex like some studio might. There use of thin tubular limbs and hose pipe lips are something I will be utilising in my own film. They often use 3D printing to create hollow bodys for there large character as well as more detailed shapes for replication such as the hats ears and faces ( as seen in the image below). From what I can see they also use foam and wire to create the majority of the puppets. this combination of texture and materials is something I hope to bring into my own work rather than worrying with moulds and fussy ball jointed armatures as it is simply unnecessary.
Max Winstone is an american animator who's work has a very distinct style i became aware of his work years ago with his short film 'I Live in the Woods!' , a psychedelic romp of a purple haired man through the country and heavens. His style of work is very freeing and seems to be largely based on the hose pipe style I am attempting in my film. I really enjoy the fast phase, no holds barred attitude to animating. I also enjoy his low tech solutions for vfx in camera, such as paper for explosions and overlaying film. The work is extremely elegant, with only the minimum to get across poses and shapes. His puppet are slick and glorious! It is also great to look at his movement. It's useful to look at how few frames are necessary to allow the puppet to read but also to create a bold popping movement. The film is a good reference for action analysis as the movement and style of animation has a lot o similarities with this Film.
Visual research form around Dorset, this was during the winter so its really moody, it was also for the first version of the film which was meant to be more stormy.
When I first presented my idea I was quickly directed to the work of George Pal, as my film is far more about design and style of animation. My main aim is to create a stop-motion film in a hose pipe animation style, a primary 2D 1920's style of animation. George Pal is one of the pioneers of stop-frame animation, orgianting in holland, he moved to Hollywood in the USA and created the Puppet toon studio, which created, films, commercials and trained some of the biggest names in animation including Ray Harryhousen. An incredibly hard working man, he is reported to have done pretty much every design himself, he would leave incredibly lengthy notes to makers and animators on how to exactly create a puppet or shot. Pal is known mostly for the style of his puppets and his use ofmultpile replacement animation, meaning rather than altering the limbs of a puppet every shot, Pal would replace whole limbs, sections or even puppet between shots. As you can see from the image below, this meant, receiving puppets normal form wood, with tiny changes, the result of which was a bold cubic style and a playful bouncy movement to the animation. However he was also able to create incredibly subtle and satisfying movement like that of the feet on the large native in 'Hoola Boola' (the film at the top of this post). Replacement is time consuming, but incredibly effective for movement that involve puts core shape or limbs extending a lot.
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DescriptionThis is a space for development work of my grad film BORIS-NORIS. A slap stick stop-motion film about NOT sharing. Archives
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