In Unit 1, the most memorable experience for me was the puppet exercise conducted in the stop motion pathway. During this exercise, I independently created the puppet and completed the filming.
Design Work:
Before making the puppet, I conceptualized the character’s image. The week before production, I attended evening prayer at St. Paul’s Cathedral and was deeply inspired by the choir’s costumes. Thus, I decided to combine the evil octopus with the divine choir.

Production Process:
1.Sketched the rough image on paper

Constructed the character’s skeleton using wire

Carved the character’s head and torso from wood and assembled them with the skeleton

Created the character’s clothing and decorations using materials such as yarn and fabric

Modeled the tentacles using plasticine

Test 1 (with partner):
Storyboard:
During the first attempt at creating a storyboard, I lacked experience in stop motion filming. I set up many scene transitions and encountered various difficulties during filming.

Project:

Test 2:
Storyboard:
Drawing from the experience of the first shoot, I opted for fixed shots and aimed to showcase the character’s features as much as possible.

Project:

Experience:
Through this puppet creation process, I gained a comprehensive understanding of the stop motion animation production process for the first time. The aspect that resonated with me the most was timing. When making 2D animations, I often struggled with timing, with the overall speed being too fast. However, in stop motion animation, the relationship between frames and speed is much more intuitive. Additionally, I discovered that events in animations are best presented one by one; otherwise, simultaneous occurrences can appear chaotic and be difficult to understand. I applied these experiences to my subsequent animation creations and made progress.