The Brief for this module was to create a twisted fairy tale and develop and animate tests in stop motion based on this idea. We were to build appropriate sets, puppets, characters, design lighting, and determine how these elements would come together help tell our story.
I looked into various fairy tales, in particular ones that use stop motion, and this helped me to not only create ideas on story, but also the visual aesthetic form my work.
I explored various ideas, including Alice in Wonderland, Beauty and the Beast and Sleeping Beauty, but decided to opt for my own twist on the Cinderella story. I wanted my work to create an olde world feel, and give a sinsiter account of my version of Cinderella. I want the set to look old, delapidated and run down, and for the lighting to imitate the action that is happening on stage. I also want my work to have a manic, pantomime look, so it is important to get the lighting right, and also to build a theatre set that would give this impression. Using the story of Cinderella, I want to explore what would have happened in a slightly more realistic world, where allthough magic exists, the townsfolk react how they would have down in the 1600's. I also want to turn the idealistic vision of the Fairy Godmother into a mad, once perhaps even sexy, rather deranged character, so her facial expression (s) are important as is her costume and figure. I plan to use a variety of different stop motion techniques with this animation,
I decided that I would use 2 'and a half' D stop motion, using a 3D set with animated lighting and 2D paper characters and fire. The way I would work would be to animate the various elements of my animation, and test each way to see which worked best, and then develop that particular idea. I wanted to explore as many different aspects of stop motion as possible, so I used claymation, under the camera cut outs, and a motion tracking camera for the set. I also wanted to use a variety of different materials, from paper, card and cellophane to foam board, paint and sugar.
I also wanted to work with compositing my various elements together, and I found this gave me a lot more freedom when animating. For example, I did not have enough space to fit on the whole cut out of the wood and bridge on the multi-plane, but by filming it in different sections I was able to later on composite this together to make it one long shot. I then animated the Centaur and the carriage and composited these together also. For this I cut out each movable segment of the character, and animated them as if they were hinged joints. I did this also with the peasants and the Fairy Godmother
Below I have included some of the various experiments I conducted with different materials, before developing each one.
Having conducted these experiments, I felt that I had begun to work out what worked well and what worked less well. For example, for the pumpkin, I found the process very messy with the paint, so I re animated it using asotate underneath so I could wipe clean after each photograph. For the carriage, I opted to go for sillouette to enhance the shadow effect, and for the fire I decided that cellophane would give a shinier feel.
I re animate these elements, and also made cut outs of the peasants, and the Fairy Godmother. I added still of a bonfire stack and pole in post, and added vines to my pumpkin that I would composite also in post.
Below is a video of my animated stop motion tests, including characters, lighting, the set, camera movement and shadow puppets.
Below, is a test to see how all the elements of my stop motion so far work together. I have added a soundtrack and used masks and fades to key out the studio background, and am pleased with the overall look of this first attempt at compositing stop motion.
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