Animation: Subject-Object Prosthesis

During Tue 04-04 and Wed. 04-05, I performed animation. On my media request form, I only put down 8 hours per week, not quite realizing just how little time this was. Running full-force into the brunt of time-shortage, I adopted the following strategy: work at night. I reserved two 4 hour blocks of time from 10p-2a on each day, and then worked for 7-9 hours. The later morning hours are not often spent conscious these days. Just yesterday, I got the very kind Stephanie Zorn to increase my time to 16 hours for the first two weeks, which will result in slightly less horrendous pressure.

The process of animation is going well, and with experience, I get better at making good lighting, and better at making good motion (at least it seems like I’m getting better). In approximately 24 hours of solid animating, I have shot ~1725 frames, not including the tests done in my home lab (which I may still use for some things), which comes out to about 2 minutes and 24 seconds. There is a long way to go, but at least progress is being made.

Following are some production stills, for your consideration. The purpose of these photos is for you all to get a visual sense for what is going on, as well as some of the problems I have faced, and solutions I have eximated. Therefore, apologies for the briefness of the text.

“Lumbar Laura” construction:
This is the nickname I have given the newest armature-puppet I have been constructing. She is quite advanced compared to the previous model. Thanks to the wonderful technology of the drill, she has limbs which bend in all directions, connected and reinforced with twisted wire. The drill was for making holes in the limbs to shove wire into and then glue. This is the best way I have found to make a strong and sturdy bond between two limb-components.

Her previously useless floppy unsupportive feet are now gone, replaced with a newer better metal model! This allows for much better support while standing, and a good flat wide structure to hot-glue to things.

Surgury was performed on her spinal column, to allow friction against free movement, in order that she might pose in any position!

This was made possible through the magic of corn syrup! (unfortunatly, the only corn syrup I had was in the form of stage blood…)

The older model’s hip-joints were also reinforced This unfortunately meant that she had to suffer through an assuredly uncomfortable experience with hot melted pine resin being melted onto the connexions between her joints.

The pine resin tends to dry and form a locked connection between the joints. Corn syrup remains at least somewhat viscous over a period of time. When combined, these two sticky things look pretty good!

This inhibition of the leg-hip joints allowed the puppet to walk in 12 poses per second!

The ability to walk was made possible through industrious use of the magical substance Hot Glue!

This shot was very difficult. I had never animated a puppet walking before. The ground was covered in leaves, which had a malicious tendency to move a great deal whenever I approached with the glue-gun or screwdriver..

For the first few steps, I put a litlte bit too much hot-glue on her feet, and had difficulty moving them for each step.

Pleasantly, carressing of a fern was had.

Here, you can see the green-screen in action. This required careful lighting, but will hopefully result in flexibility on, with the composited addition of… sky, and the various exciting expressive possibilities innate in that idea.

Ken’s feet were also reinforced with injections of wire into joints.

Ken is now a manly Man. Just look at his junk… wow.

Tomorrow is the user group meeting for various glorious equipment, and I am ripe with fear that I will not be able to express myself well (having done a great deal more animating than talking in the last few days), and will be despised and denied access to said glorious equipment.

After that ordeal is over, I will proceed to schedule more time in the 3d animation lab for this weekend, and work on my soundtrack, which is in need of attention… focused and dedicated attention. That is all for now.

::placeholder for all animation footage shot so far, edited in a narrative linear fashion::