After a week or two of lapsing into relaxing for a little while (it being the Easter holidays and all) I finally snapped back into some sense of productivity.
Tuesday (2nd April) brought an eventful meeting with my sound designer, Paul Freeman, who I have worked with frequently in the past.
He shows great enthusiasm for the project and this enthusiasm inspired great enthusiasm in myself also, which is always greatly appreciated as director.
We discussed several exciting ideas that will eventually be worked into the film and hopefully add the tense and murky atmosphere I want for the piece.
Last week I met with Katie Single, the First Year Animation student assigned to assist in the production of the film, she has been "divided" if "divided" is the correct word, between myself and Katie Sommers, the other and only other stop motion director on the course.
Katie seems a promising production aide and I look forward to working with her.
She will assist in making elements of costume and set dressings, she will also offer an external view on the film.
When you've been working on something for so long you can become blind to it.
Whenever you can access a fresh pair of eyes, you should take them with both hands...
Today I spent my time building one of the larger props for the film (save for the sets themselves), the wardrobe that Violet has in her bedroom.
It is simple in construction and made of light wood.
Already I have realised I haven't enough to complete it....completely, so another trip to Hobby Craft shall be in order quite soon.
Violet surveys the wood choices.
The basic elements laid out ready for final assembly. Messy floor optional.
The elements assembled slightly more 3-Dimensionally.
Side Struts.
The base of the wardrobe.
The back panel and door.
Scratches in the wood.
(Below: sculpted tests for a "carved" face to go on the door of the wardrobe)
Regarding which one I will use, I'm beginning to err more towards the first, its ambiguous, semi-Human look is intriguing and less suggestive. The second "carving" is too obvious, too corpse-like as it were. The idea is for the wardrobe to have a subtle hint, an ambiguous menace, the first carving offers a subtle hint of a person, if indeed it is a person. Waking or sleeping.
And so things keep moving, more progress pictures to come.
