Initial Research
I'm going to start researching a bit more in-depth this week, really trying to think of the routes I can go with the stop-motion articulation of the face, hair and fur. For the face I'm thinking of following theses three primary methods:
Replacement Animation
Claymation
Skull Armatures
I will try different versions of each of these, experimenting with mould-making and which materials to use. I've considered that I could use the makers space 3D printers for the replacement animation, but I would have to be able to make a head shape that I was happy with in a 3D modelling program like Blender, which I don't have any experience with, at least if I make some moulds I'm relying on some sculpting skills I sort of have. For claymation I can manipulate the unbaked modelling clay to animate the face, and I can also have a half baked face (top half with eyes and nose etc), but leave the mouth cut out so I can blend-in different unbaked clay wedges of mouths. I also researched a fourth method that's far too high budget and skill based for me to do, but is super cool! In Corpse Bride they made clockwork/mechanical heads for the puppets so that the expressions were altered with levers by the puppeteers. It must have given a lot more control for the under the camera animators that replacement animation, where another animator has chosen your puppet's expressions for you already.
For the hair I have found these methods:
Wired
Claymation
Putting product into the hair fibres
I'd like to give all of these methods, especially interested in putting product into hair fibres, as I enjoy making little woollen wigs for my characters. This method is also the one I have the least knowledge on, as I'm struggling to find any information online, and there aren't many books that cover it. I know that LAIKA use real hair dipped in resin, but resin is expensive as well as toxic, so I'd like to find potential other alternatives before diving into that sort of thing. Some model makers use pomade, and Isle of Dogs used hairspray and gel, but I don't know if pomade allows for it to be constantly altered, and Isle of Dogs really wanted their dogs to look mucky and greasy, which I won't want for every puppet.
For the fur there are these methods:
Felted
Fabric
Silicone and Urethane
Flocking and Hair
Paper
I think the ones I'm most drawn to out of these options are the felted method and the fur and flocking method, as I like the texture of them. I think that using fabric could work in a stylised way, but could end up looking too much like toys. As well as this, flat fabric doesn't have the same ability to add movement as the others. I like the paper choice too, as it has a layered texture that I enjoy. I won't go into the silicone and urethane technique as I don't have the skills or budget to do that, but it is really interesting to see how they made Mr. Link in Missing Link. I think I'll look into felting, paper, and flocking/hair. I need to do more research on the use of hair fibre, as, similar to the hair method before, it's quite hard to find how it's done. I also know it will be incredibly tedious, but I would like to make an attempt at it, even if it's just to prove I don't have the patience.
Testing
To assess the success of the tests I will be considering:
Does it look good to me/does it fit my style?
Ease
Amount of expression/movement available
Is it readable to others?
To assess them fairly I'll need a constant throughout the tests, which will be the same piece of audio to lip sync to. These are some I'm thinking of using at the moment:
"It's a big bloody stupid hat with a big
bloody stupid curse on it!" (0:16) from What We Do In The Shadows.
"You didn't...see anything weird this morning did you Mr. Brotzman?" "Yes...no...uh, I don't know, maybe" "Are you aware you just gave every possible response to that question?"(9:30) from Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. I would be animating Todd's lines.
"Quite often, young lady, it seems like we're not getting anywhere, when in fact-"
"We are!"
"We are." (1:12) from Labyrinth. I would animate the lines of the Wiseman.
"Didn't you have a flaming sword?"
"...Uh" // "You did! It was flaming like anything what happened to it?" //
"..." // "Lost it already have you?" "...Gave it away" // "You what?"
"I gave it away!" (2:43) from Good Omens. I would animate the lines of Aziraphale.
I chose these potential clips because they have a lot of character and potential for fun facial expressions. The clip from What We Do In The Shadows is pretty fast, and it doesn't have the same reaction opportunities as the other clips, so that is less likely to be the one I go with. The others, on the other hand, have a lot of fun potential expressions that could be in response to the other speaking character.
Once I chose which audio to use I'll make some basic 2D animation to work out the lip movements and what facial expressions I want to then translate into physical elements. It will also give me time to gather materials without making no progress.
I've been reading through the puppet building chapter of The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation by Ken A. Priebe to do some research on the options available, and there is a lot to think about when purchasing the right materials. There are several types of silicone that I could potentially use to make a face cast or mould, some are better for flexibility than others, so could be used for the skull armature method, whereas it would probably be better to use a silicone mould for a plastic head for replacement animation, so the cast can be easily pried out of the mould. Silicone is also often not great with paint as well, so I would have to think about mixing an acrylic tint or oil-based foundation into the base whilst mixing it. I have a lot more research to do on the actual armatures underneath, and thinking about how I can translate studio-quality work into my own budget and ability.
I'm going to continue researching into methods and materials to try to get to grips with everything I'm setting myself better. If I continue to struggle with finding details on hair and fur then I may try to contact small independent stop-motion companies to see if they have any advice they are willing to give.
Research list for this post:
The Advanced Art of Stop-Motion Animation by Ken A. Priebe.
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