Fabrication 01!!

Things are hopping down at the Filmpool's Underground PuppetFilm Works! Scroll down to check out some of the cool stuff being done by the Paper and Shadows puppetfilm artists!

Kat has been working on a car for her opening shot. After a couple of iterations and tests for a really janky, rattle-y car, she is happy with her last prototype, and is off to the races! This is a cardboard mock-up; she is planning to build her hero car out of very thin sheet metal, sewn together with wire... Awesome to see you so often down at the 'Works, Kat!

Kat demonstrating that old model shop adage:
'Always use the right tool for the job.'

In this case, a sharpened screwdriver for poking holes in paper. Perfect! :]

Kat's Car prototype #2: now it's on to sheet metal

(because she's nutz)

Kat's first prototype looks janky and rattle-y -- SUCCESS!!
Ultimately of course the operator's hands will be replaced by rods,
but the movement is great!

Amber has been playing with ways of making characters using printouts of various images. Her first mockups are looking sweet and pretty funny...!

Amber's work area always looks great...

... she knows that the best way to make a puppet...

is to have a little bit of everything within arm's reach...

 

... et voila!

Angela Edmunds is back, with a rockin' script. She's been to the 'Works a few times this past week too -- she shot a few tests for her opening shot of a cold windy clear prairie night. She wanted wind, a moon and stars in the background, and twinkling stars. For her first test she tried a few things and finally rigged some small gold rings which were hit with flashlights and hung very close to the camera, out of focus. The final stars will probably be something more silvery like silver sequins, but this test gave lots of ideas!

twinkly stars and wind test - not perfect but a great test...

Kelly Reiss was away for the first month of Paper and Shadows, but has hit the ground running with a great story about T-Rex in East End. She is working on storyboards and will be in this week to start production and tests. Her film will likely be mostly in shadows. Can't wait to see more!

storyboarding... it's a serious business.

Jessica Reiss has been playing with some prototypes and testing with her characters -- I didn't get many good pictures but she was in on Saturday surrounded by hotglue, cardboard, and elastic working on, I think, a witch? See you Tuesday, Jessica!

Jessica is a natural - her drawings are lovely

and she dove right into experimenting. Can't wait to see more of this project.

Berny's been banished to the back seat

Berny has made some awesome progress on his perpetual motion machine -- it's gonna  be super cool! After a few tests he has started to narrow down the look of his film -- it's going to be 'dreamy.' Nice to see you at the 'Works this weekend... I'm pretty stoked about what you are coming up with.

Berny created some gorgeous concept drawings for his
'puppetual' motion machine... 

... followed by some hot glue and elastic action...

... and it's off to the Puppet Stage to shoot Berny's first quick test. Turning the puppet on its side (second half of video) makes the machine look much dreamier. This prototype gives a lot of ideas for ways to construct the final puppet and for the overall look of the film, which will be largely, if not entirely, shot in shadow. 

it moves perpetually -- as long as Berny can keep turning it.

"It's easy!" Berny demonstrates how to design, make, and test a puppet... in two minutes! You just have to use your imagination to picture what's going on behind that bag of coffee stirrers, though...

... thanks for this vid, Berny!

In other news...

Jessica Generoux is working on a truly lovely and tragic story based on a poem about the name of Fort Qu'Appelle. Shadow puppets and a scrolling multi-coloured tissue-paper sunset will bring this sad love story to life.

Dan is working at his home studio on a lyrical piece that I think is a bit of a secret at the moment...?

Janine has a great ghost story from La Ronge about a haunted school her mom and some other members of her family attended before it was torn down. Her plan is to work with shadows and 2D drawings of sets and some of the characters.

Tyler has got a couple of really cool concepts in the works about the early days of his family's homesteading experiences, including (possibly) a song written by his great grandfather...! Looking forward to seeing more of what you're getting into, Tyler!

Jodi is still concepting*, and I am really stoked to see what she brings to her project from her sculpting and design background.

And as for me... I am still hammering out the mechanics of my pig.

This one was compelling, but simply too athletic with his military-style leg snaps, 

and has already been added to the discard pile, along with three or four others.
Oh Pig, why are you being so coy?

Amy, Sarah and I did build a miniature of our already miniature set, though, and it was a great help in figuring out the scale of everything we need to build. Here's a quick clip of that adventure!

* "concepting" is not in the dictionary but it should be... it's certainly been a verb around the Underground PuppetFilm Works lately, as you can see!

More updates soon!

puppetz rule!