After our woodwork induction a few weeks ago, which was rather interesting and gave me the confidence I didn't have in high school to create models and working pieces out of MDF board, I was heavily inspired to create a set for an upcoming module. Well, this is going to be that module! After much consideration and thought about the methods I would use for my animation, I chose stop motion as it is one area I haven't fully explored yet. I have only merely dipped my toe in the deep pond that is stop motion and I wish to get to know it better.
As I blogged about this earlier, the idea I had was to create a song and dance type animation to promote healthy eating and the many benefits that fruit and vegetables have in comparison to processed and fast foods. In order to reach my target audience of young teens/young adults I will use a band of fruits and veggies to sing along and promote this cause. Not only would it be entertaining, but it would speak to my audience on a more personal level as by using a notorious song (of which will be discussed later) and a band to play this out, teenagers will be more familiar with it. It won't just be some "lame" video that the science teacher drags up on screen one morning. It will hopefully stick and be remembered!
So, I know clearly what my aims are and how I will go about this. What I needed to research was set design and lighting in order to give my band a stage to stand and perform on. I want this to look believable and put a lot of effort into it. To do this I had to look at examples and methods of creating sets. Whilst browsing the web, I found a model of the top of a castle tower. I was really drawn to the open and inviting shape of it as the sides were stuck together at a 45 degree (roughly) angle. If I went down to the woodwork department and asked for some scrap MDF, it would be possible to recreate this design but as a stage and not a castle. The image below is the example I found of which I would like to base the shape of my set around.
The company/group who created this is called Big Picture Creations and focus solely on set and theatre design. Their blog is incredibly handy for looking up tips on how to build wonderful yet simple sets, different types of knots for hanging objects from scenery ropes above the set, and various other things to make your stop motion project easier. Big Picture Creations
There are four things we need to consider when making a set. These are all vital in determining whether or not certain aspects will work when shooting the footage/frames:
1) Dimension - Will the set have dimension and space?
2) Light - How will the light cast on the set, how will it reflect and work with the shape? (This is another reason I thought a more open set would be more appropriate - it would look dingy if the sides were at a 90 degree angle in comparison to 45 where the light has more room fill)
3) Movement - Can your models move effectively through the space given?
4) Authenticity - How authentic can you make it look? Is it easy to tell what it is?
With all this mind, I will draw up a few examples of the set I have in mind. I will consider all of the four pointers above and make sure it is believable to an audience. I will ask peers what they think of the set and when I have the all clear I will begin testing its creation.
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