Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
11
On the Set
On set of the winter sports episode of
The Wind in the Willows.
Securing a puppet
Before beginning to think of performing a puppet you have to make sure you have control of it.
When new animators come to hold a puppet for the i rst time it often comes as a surprise that
the puppets have to be secured to a l oor of the set. I'm not sure whether they had assumed it
was like drawings or CG where those lucky guys have managed to cheat gravity. In spite of all
our tricks, we still need to balance a puppet when a character is walking or running. Gravity is
very much part of our work. In a run a puppet is of the ground for part of the cycle, and even in
walking the character is unbalanced as it moves forward. Its forward momentum stops it from
falling over in real life. Walking is basically unbalancing forwards, but throwing a foot forward
to catch yourself, then unbalancing again. Apart from securing a foot while the other foot is
moved through a walk position, it's always good to secure the puppet tightly to a set so you
have the right leverage to move the rest of the body. As you are manipulating the torso and
arms, the last thing you need is for the lower body to be sliding around.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search