Fruit
Apples
Bananas
For the bananas, instead of molding each of them individually Elise first made one banana using super sculpey like the apples. Once it was baked, we used a silicone mold to take a copy of the banana which then enabled us to recreate multiples of the same banana.
Watermelons
Quite a few watermelons needed to be created as they were used in different shot and in different scales. However they were fairly basic to make so multiples were made of the smaller scale watermelons so they could be placed on the fruit stand and then bowled by Nigel.
Then larger scale ones were made for the close-up shots. The bigger challenge was the watermelon that got squashed. Elise looked at video below which showed a slow motion smash of a watermelon at 2.05 - 2.20.
Then larger scale ones were made for the close-up shots. The bigger challenge was the watermelon that got squashed. Elise looked at video below which showed a slow motion smash of a watermelon at 2.05 - 2.20.
So while this was a watermelon smash, you can see that the skin of the watermelon stays in large pieces and it's the inside that explode more. So Elise went about it by making a half watermelon our of super sculpey to fit within the hole in the set floor and then cut out pieces as if they were chunks that were flying out of the melon, as seen in the video. Then with a mixture of coloured unbaked super sculpey and plasticine Elise could animate the inside exploding out of the watermelon.
Fruit Stand
So to start Elise and Bec created a mock up of the fruit stand, working off initial sketches, to test the scale against the puppets and the size of the boxes of fruit.
So once we had got all the correct measurements we initially thought we would create the fruit stand out of foam board. However after seeing how effective the laser cutting was we decided that it would work well for this too. So Bec put all the measurements into the Adobe file and added texture to create the look of wood and we then had it laser cut. |
However once we had all the parts, we struggled with getting the roof on and then a lot of the details of the fruit were lost. So we made the decision to change the design and have a back panel to the fruit stand instead. This enabled us to see all the fruit and to display Nigel's name.
So all the elements were painted with ink and then glued to together to get our final result.
So all the elements were painted with ink and then glued to together to get our final result.
Drainpipe
As beginning point for the drainpipe, Elise and Bec made a mock set to show how the foot and drainpipe worked in size comparison to each other. We knew from the change in shots that two different scales would be needed, but that the larger drainpipe was going to be more important as it was interacted with in the animation.
So Bec began with making the larger scale. She created the drainpipe by using papier-mâché around straws to create the base shape. Then once it was dry she painted it using acrylic paint and then distressed it slightly by adding hints of green and brown. This technique was then replicated for the smaller scale drainpipe.
Bec experimented with a T shaped wire to attach the drainpipe to the wall so that it could be twisted in the animation. However this didn't hold the drainpipe on probably so the easiest solution was to clamp the drainpipe off screen for the animation.
Flowers
Elise began the flowers by creating a basic twisted wire structure and then used super sculpey to created a solid middle.
So Elise tried with super sculpey on the petals as well. However with the rounded petal shape the wire showed too much so mueller wrap covered with latex was wrapped around the wire. However this changed the texture of the petal and wasn't going to work once painted with acrylic.
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She also experimented with milliput for the petals and middle. However this was a more costly material and took longer to set.
So Elise altered the petal shape and created a more natural shape which covered more wire yet still allowed a slight amount of movement of the petals. Then once they were all baked then they were painted with acrylic paint.
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Can
For the can Bec had originally experimented with using super sculpey to create replacements. However we ran into problems with it as it was not attaching on the foot correctly and did not come across as successfully as we wanted on screen.
So Bec went back to the drawing board and experimented with foil as a simple alternative. Using this material enabled us to squash the can as we animated and still kept the look we wanted for the can. Also as it was a low cost material, multiples could be created for any re-dos of animation. |