My interests lie in stop motion puppetry due to the varied range of processes involved; sculpting, moulding, casting, sewing and high quality soft finishes and paint. All of these are set to a film industry framework which has been a personal lifelong ambition. Modern techniques for stop motion that companies like Laika use (specialised replacement piece 3D printing) combine my interests in both physical modelmaking and digital work so in the future I would like to seek out positions that allow me to explore these skills. Before I aim for that kind of prestigious level of making in my career I want to gain more experience in traditional stop motion and animation. In the UK there is a strong stop motion animation presence and specifically in the Bristol area. As this is the area I am interested in moving to, the companies I have earmarked are based in that location:
Aardman - https://www.aardman.com/ (Bristol) A Productions - https://aproductions.co.uk/about/ (Bristol) I am particularly interested in Aardman due to the size and variation in the company and its projects. However, I am keen on visiting other stop motion companies in the UK such as
Within the stop motion industry there is huge amounts of variation in jobs and roles that intertwine: from very organic claymation to very VFZ heavy work. All of these are of interest to me and I am happy to turn my hand at any job put my way which means I can develop the skills to be an asset to any department or company I am a part of. This flexibility should be something that gets better the more time I spend in the industry gaining experience and knowledge from more experienced makers. The early stages of traditional puppet making really interest me as they involve translating 2D concept drawings into three dimensional sculptures which are moulded and cast. As I have a background in both 2D fine art and modelmaking I find this translation an engaging challenge and very rewarding. I experienced it in both my foundation year when I translated a graphic novel character into puppet form and in the first year of my degree working with the animation course to create a maquette reference for their 2D digital animation project. My skills include:
To get into my chosen field I need to practice moulding and casting smaller and multiple part moulds to translate into the puppet mould making. I also want to work on fabricating soft finishes using different flocking techniques that are often used in stop motion characters. To succeed at getting a position I will need to prove I understand the essential parts that make a working stop motion figure: understanding rigging points, finishes that animates can practically work with. Also, evidence of consideration for puppets weakness such as smaller wire joints breaking during filming and providing replacements for these in advance. To show I have achieved these benchmarks with a model in an interview will prove I understand what is required of a puppet maker.
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Third Year
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