So....I am taking all this week off to concentrate on my Film. I hope to make a big PUSH forward which at present is going to very well. I have Finished 2 {Challenging}New Gerald Shots. This was an additional 18 seconds of character animation...and I am very pleased how they came out.
Before most shots on this film I have had a small preformance anxiety. I want really great shots and diveing into the total unknown of a NEW shot is somewhat terrifying! I know that once I start it always turns out fine ...The shot reveals itself as a mortal physical being....and I let my hands do the rest.
The First shot I finished is the {RichGUT Drop Shot} - This was a problem solver and a Classic case of {HOW COOL IS STOP MOTION}....I have a situation that requires my dogs belly to be released ploping to the floor....This means I have to somehow increase the girth of a puppet that has limited and set mobility. I didnt do anything fancey in the endI just sliced a line in the puppets side that was off camera and stuffed it with double AA batteries till it looked like it was falling.
and it worked!!!!I was happy and the next morning shel watched it and gave it the thumbs up!!YESSSSS! 11 seconds right there.
On to my Next finished shot....The {Hair fix and GutSuck Shot}
This wasnt as scary of a shot....but it didnt go great. The first problem was my puppet....The armature we created for this latest Dog had 3 thin wires instead of 1 thick.We figured this would make the puppet last longer.....but instead the thinner wire wasnt strong enough to hold the extreme poses needed.So After spending A super HOT day in the garage under the Hot lights....struggleing to maintain shape of my clay heads...it was a depressing fail.....almost acceptable....but not good enough.My son said {RESHOOT!}
So I reshoot......and I am so glad I did..It came out great!....you can also see another solution for making the dog thinner...A big ole Clamp sqeezing his gut making him look trim and thin...Ha!
on to the next one...{Toughguy DOG} This one is GONA BE FUN!}and of course scary!
jriggity
10 comments:
A couple things,
1. I see you have a soft-box now for your fill light! That's AWESOME.
2. You might want to try 1 thick wire, but with some sort of replaceable parts system.
Sarah Brown told me about a really cool replacement system with pins (Tennessee blogged about it awhile back), and it's easy enough to do. Basically, K&S tubing that slide nto eachother, and cotter pins that pass through holes in the K&S. I like that system a lot, and might start using it. Sarah is a genius!
The replacement heads look great, Justin. And the shot of you animating is so beautiful, very artistic in how the shadows are falling, all the better because it's of you actually animating.
Congrats on the push progress, you can do it!
You may be new to Stop Motion, but absorbing it lightening fast. I 'dig' your relationship with the 'puppets' as you are working with it on the stage. To pull off the shot, as needed, you do whatever is necessary; mangling, tearing it apart. Some newbies/beginners or even some that are experienced would go into seizure shock ripping & tearing their puppets during animation. To me, the puppets are a tool, a means to an end and primarily, will live their 'life' on film (or these days, in the digital realm).
You planned well & anticipated via duplicating puppets. I am assuming your discpline & acumen gained from past experiences from other work, endeavors, projects, & 'life'!
P.S. Hmmm ..... just thinking in my 'virginal' Stop Mo days, I was probably shy & delicate with the puppets. So I can see for those starting out who somewhat struggled in constructing the puppets, for them, it would perhaps be difficult to be aggressive with it. An attitude and confidence that later comes with having a few Stop Mo notches of experience on your belt, I suppose.
You may be new to stopmotion, but not to motion and physics.
I wonder how much of that stuff you absorbed by doing insane leaps around a padded room,
jumping on giant rubber balls, climbing up cushioned walls...
Friggin' awesome, dude.
I wish I had that sort of inspiration for movement and physical stamina. I think I would be pooped after just watching it all.
'nuff respect!
Ha! Thanks guys..
I totally understand the means to an end from everypiece of animation Ive done professionally.
Not about whats right or wrong....its about what works...and looks right!
as for my movement experiance....Im positive its helped me in my animation career. An understanding of weight , balance and motion is a HUGE advantage....transfering it to a 4 legged character is somthing I didnt know though....but it seems to be working.
jriggity
Justin!!!
How have you been man, been ages since the old Animation Mentor days.
Wow, I remember a few of your early tests back when you were in AM and was blown away but dang, the new stuff just blows it out of the water.
I have recently been bitten by the stop mo bug and seeing your work is HUGELY inspiring. Will be watching this space, anxious to see more jriggity magic!
Brian
Hey Justin, do you have a barrier to hide behind between exposures? I know the lights are hot, but you can get a little bit of flicker if you're not wearing black. If animating with your shirt off works for you, though, I might start doing it, haha. My shooting room doesn't even have windows, and it's been really hot outside.
*Looking at my whiter than white torso in the mirror* Okay, maybe I'll just buy a fan...
"...3 thin wires instead of 1 thick.We figured this would make the puppet last longer.....but instead the thinner wire wasnt strong enough to hold the extreme poses needed."
That's exactly the problem I'm facing right now with our coyote puppet on "Ponanza". I had to replace the legs, cause they couldn't hold the weight. After putting the clay back on I noticed during animating, that the spine is also too weak. :(
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