PUPPET FOR STOP MOTION
Stop motion is an animation technique that starts with a series of photographs and, through subsequent editing, transforms these static images into moving pictures.
When the animator moves puppets, the technique is called Puppet animation. These inanimate actors are constructed using a variety of techniques so that the variety of characters that are created is extremely diverse. We decided to handle the whole cycle of the process, thus not stopping just at the shooting phase.
Under the guidance of experienced masters, Sara Irace and Roberto Grasso, a few months ago we transformed our studio workshop into one very similar to Dr. Frankensetin’s, acquiring a lot of working tools that we never even thought existed, animated by the modest aspiration to bring inanimate objects to life.
Starting with the character design, we identified our characters by dissecting them into their main components consisting of metal tubes and squares, woven aluminium wire for bones and joints, and identified the right material for the pelvis, torso and head. We then covered the head, hands and feet with plasticine, modelling it to our liking. So far so good… … then it was time for the plaster cast and then the silicone casting. A real mess with a myriad of out-of-control variables. If by chance one finally arrives at the final result without too many hiccups, the character’s body is covered with foam rubber then shaped to render the character’s musculature. Finally the clothes, hair and make-up. And then the props. Small props built to scale with various materials and lots of imagination!