Preparation - Stop Motion: Passion, Process and Performance - page 165

Matt Sanders' set design for the forest in Hamilton Mattress .
A seedy alleyway was also built in false perspective, to make the most of the available studio space,
whilst the bustling city centre was represented by just four or fi ve shops, which were re-dressed and
rearranged to appear different in other shots. Since the city was populated by birds (and called Beak
City) the architecture refl ected the bird theme, with beaks, claws and feathers infl uencing the styling of
buildings, and indeed vehicles. A scene at a rubbish dump featured cranes with beak-shaped arms, and
lifting claws like birds' feet. Personally, one of my favourite challenges is to take a real item or established
design, and subtly pull it in other directions to produce something familiar but strangely different, so this
was an ideal project for me.
The world of the set designers and model-makers is a world in miniature but never small.