Monkey testing

As my original idea for the monkey was for him to be the barker and introduce the acts changed as my project developed I've been trying to work out what he can do instead. I know I wanted him to do a repetitive act, stuck on a loop or a circus trick. 

Playing around with him, I realised he's got quite an inquisitive face so interaction with the camera would be a good start. I like the idea of him being curious and I was performing him to interact with objects to get a feel of what he can do.

The concept behind my film is developing more as I go along and now I feel more definite that it is like an early children's TV programme, spooky little characters that are only on screen for a short while doing something that captures the child's attention. These sorts of programmes are quite repetitive in their nature so I want to take advantage of that and show the darker side of these characters being stuck in an endless cycle.

I thought about an object 'appearing' in his space and him lifting it up to find another object underneath, he looks at the camera, places the bigger object over the smaller and lift it back up to find the smaller object has magically changing into a different one. This action of the monkey revealing different objects would be repeated a few times.

  

                                 

                                

But then I realised that I wasn't sure exactly how to do this in the time I have left. I don't have time to make more stuff as I only have a week left in the booth and still have to animate Pip and film the monkey. I thought I could use photographs of found objects (having a rather large collection of antique toys I'd have plenty to choose from) and I could either pixelate the 2D upright photos or composite them digitally in After Effects. But that's when I had to drop that idea, as my knowledge of After Effects was quite minimal and I didn't want to waste time doing something that I may not be able to get right. 

Another thing I noticed was that he took to hats quite well. I played about with bottle caps and things to act as hats and thought that he could try hats on using the camera as a mirror, so interacting with the audience that way. 

Here's one of the little video tests I did...

Monkey Business and more Paint Tests

Finishing off the arms- this time I'm using a simpler method of chord and rolled newspaper, wadding then retrofitting the suede. I need to think about how to save time.

Been doing some more paint tests. I brought some 'crackle glaze meduim' from th emodel shop but it is shit, to be blunt... I wanted old cracked paint but got splodgey crap instead. If I wanted a rust effect this would be 'bein monsuier' but I don't so it's crap. I'm going to just paint the body of the box a flat colour and varnish and sand it back to age it that way.

'Crap'ple glaze

Left Acrylic on Acrylic and Right Emulsion on Acrylic base
Crackle gaze goes underneath

Emulsion paints: Turquois, Teal and Deep Red

Teal on Magnolia base

And just for fun... The Cat in A Ruff

I found this beautiful bit of lace at the Sunday flea market

Set Fabrication in Wood and Paint Tests

I braved it and went to wood work to do my set box. The technician cut the sides as they had to be cut on an angle for the hexagon shape to fit together. I measured and cut out the openings for the doors and then on separate pieces of ply I cut out the double doors. I used a fret saw to cut the openings and a ban saw to cut the doors.

The 45 degree angle for the joints

Measuring out the doorways

Cleaning up my terrible cutting

The double doors cut out

I've sanded the doors and rounded the hinge edges so they don't rub and opens smoothly. 

I've been doing some paint tests on the veneer scraps that I'll be using to put on the doors and on the ply wood for the main body of the box.

Wood Veneer 

Animation Tests

Here is a show reel of animation tests for the set, and prototype puppets of the bird twins and the mermaid.... I only had 1 hour to animate as the testing booths were heavily sought after so the tests are not as good as I'd like them to be. But it gives an idea of what they move like...

After showing the tests and story board in my presentation, people said I should cut the hand opening the door.