Moulding & casting research

After working with plasticine on several projects, Katie wanted to work with silicone puppets like they do in the industry. Jen had some knowledge of the materials to use and after researching a bit deeper, found some useful tutorials and blogs online by other modelmakers and animators.





( the above two videos are by http://www.picturetrail.com/hilligossnic )



Ben Whitehouse http://benwportfolio.blogspot.co.uk/


And also we stumbled across two brothers called Joshua and Nathan Flynn (or as we call them 'The Flynn Twins') who both studied animation at the University of Glamorgan. They have documented the making process of their current project 'Opening Night'.


University of Glamorgan is also where animator Tim Allen studied! Theres a really good interview with him on The 11 Second Club blog here http://blog.11secondclub.com/2011/11/tim-allen-interview.html

The Red Shoes (ballet) 1948

http://youtu.be/BksDeYMlbMo

An American In Paris & Toulouse Lautrec

There is a scene in An American In Paris, where Gene Kelly brings Toulouse Lautrec's drawing of 'Chocolat dancing in the Irish American bar' to life. The sets begin as 2D cardboard cutouts before introducing people as still lifes, posing in the background, who then become involved with the dancing.

An American In Paris - Toulouse Lautrec inspired dance scene

Research: Shop Interiors

Katie and Kendra collected photos of boutique shoe shops to analyse their layout and design. 

50s set design

These were collected from the book 'Cartoon Modern' written by Amid Amidi. We like the wonky angles - they're so wrong that it's right! - and the printed block colours which don't stay inside the lines. 

Moodboards for shop interior (set dressing)

These moodboards are ideas for the interior of the shop - pastel walls, heavily patterned furnishings and checkerboard flooring. Images taken from magazines, Cath Kidston shops and Crown & Crumpet in San Fransisco.

Confessions Of A Shopaholic

4mins 30seconds into the film, the lead character, Rebecca Bloomwood, walks into a shop and sees a green scarf on a mannequin. It is in this scene that the mannequin comes to life, draping the scarf around Rebecca and persuading her to buy it.

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=npFBRp716Qw 

The Parent Trap

The original Disney 'The Parent Trap' has the most wonderful title sequence using stop motion puppets on glass. It is charming and the design is very simple.

Andy Warhol

In the 1950s Andy Warhol earned a living as an illustrator for fashion magazines, drawing and designing whimsical shoes for adverts.

Mary Suzuki tells Andy Warhol to draw shoes

http://www.odeany.com/artist-collection/kayser-bondor.html

The High Street by Alice Melvin

The High Street is a childrens' book, written and illustrated by Alice Melvin. It's not quite in the 50s style we are after, but I love the traditional designs and details put into the facades of the buildings and the nifty way the pages fold out to show the interiors of the shops.  http://www.alicemelvin.com/ 

50s Style Illustration

50s Style Character Designs

Gene Kelly

Paddington Bear Singing In The Rain

One of the initial inspirations for the set designs are the flat, illustrated-style backgrounds used in Paddington Bear. After a little bit of searching on Youtube, it turns out that Paddington Bear is also a fan of Gene Kelly.
http://youtu.be/Cmr2-lwXNLw?t=3m9s

Gene Kelly - Singing In The Rain

An American in Paris

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QKcD-e05HJ8

This dance sequence in An American in Paris, starring Gene Kelly, uses different coloured backgrounds to show the different parts of the character's personality. In each dance the background is full of real props and furniture and everything is painted in shades of one colour. This makes the space look almost flat and unreal, like a stage set. I would like a similar look for our animation, referencing the very flat 50s design.