Project: #Harryhausen100 - Making sets!

I started making the miniature jungle/forest by making some trees using chicken wire to create the form. I then clad the wire with 'Modroc', a plaster bandage that sets when soaked in water. I made two of these, one more prehistoric in appearance. Details like vines/creepers were made with wire and hot glue (thanks to animator, Norman Yeend for the suggestion of hot glue). I also used the glue to texture the tree and glued miniature scenics/lichen to chicken wire frames to create the tree foliage. The trees themselves were painted with acrylics. At the base, I glued a plywood disc with a nut embedded in it, which would enable me to tie the tree down to the animation table. This means that I can reposition the trees if needed. The ground was made using Crystacal-R plaster mixed with model railway ballast, which was textured with my hand, and then painted.

Blocking everything out. The second tree wasn't used.

Tie-down tree (same principal as with an animation model).

I also made a miniature foreground, which was carved from urethane foam with a hot knife and then covered in Crystacal. Again, I used acrylic paint and dry brushed highlights on, as well as small details like moss, using model railway scenics.

Urethane foam/Crystacal rock foreground piece.

The 'jungle floor' made with Crystacal and model railway ballast.

Chicken wire frame with wire branches.

Cladding in plaster bandage (Modroc).

Painted and textured. More foliage is glued to the wire frames.

Another finished tree (the first one I made).

Painting the jungle floor with acrylics.

Idea of scale.

More miniature elements added. I decided later on, to remove some of these small 'shrubs' as they were too fragile.

With all of these elements, I could see a scene coming together, but something was still missing; a backdrop. I had two options, the first was to simply use a green screen and make a digital background using Photoshop and scanned drawings, however lighting the green screen as well as the set would mean a lot of lights. So I decided to try my hand at painting, something of which I hadn't done since Advanced Higher Art & Design in high school! My first attempt was on A3 sketchbook paper mounted on plywood, which turned out to be too small. This was good practice though, and gave me an idea of what to fix for next time (I also watched Bob Ross!)

Unused painted backdrop on A3 sketchbook paper.

The style of the background painting was very much inspired by "King Kong", as previously mentioned, but I also looked at Disney's work from the 30's and 40's (particularly "Bambi").

The new and improved painting, which was done directly on plywood (primed first).

Unbeknownst at the time of painting, the colours were quite reminiscent of the sets done for the unrealised Merian C. Cooper (of 'Kong' fame) epic, "War Eagles" from around 1939/40. This film was to have surpassed the 1933 film technically and visually, introducing lush Technicolor! It's a shame that there were no stop motion fantasy films in colour from around that time, sure 'Kong' was colourised later on (horribly!), but I feel that had "War Eagles" been made, it would have been a masterpiece.

Here are some very rare framegrabs from lost "War Eagles" test footage. The miniature setups are very similar to that of "Kong" (the same effects artists were on board) and the vibrant and lush colour palette is something I look for in my set.

Source: "War Eagles" by David Conover and Philip J Riley (highly recommended!)

I also added a wooden foreground frame (made from pine), which would hold the foreground rocks in place, as well as enable me to clamp lighting or add any foreground elements in to complete the shot.

 Wooden frame in place (special thanks to my dad for helping out there!)

The backdrop in place, a much better fit.

So with near enough all elements in place, I decided to try a few lighting tests...

Project: #Harryhausen100

This year, The Ray & Diana Harryhausen Foundation made some announcements on their social media pages about their upcoming plans for Ray's centenary in 2020. I first heard of this at a screening at the Glasgow Film Theatre, celebrating the 55th anniversary of "Jason & the Argonauts", as well as what would have been Ray's 98th birthday. Special guest, John Cairney, who played Hylas in the film was there to share his memories of filming (it was also his first time watching the film!). A great evening on a very warm Glasgow summer night. The big surprise was the announcement of the upcoming exhibition showcasing the entirety of the Foundation's archive, to be held in Edinburgh in 2020. 

Meeting two stars from 'Jason', along with Foundation collections manager, Connor Heaney.

All this exciting news got me thinking. As a big admirer of Ray and his career, as well as a passionate creative artist, I thought of ways I could maybe contribute to the celebrations. In the past, I have had numerous ideas for short films, using stop motion animation as the medium, however most of these projects have rarely advanced past short tests and drawings. This is entirely my fault, due to lack of motivation and procrastination (an honest blogger!), as it was a solo endeavour.

I had recently re-read Ray's first book, 'An Animated Life' and it made me realise that Ray started off in a similar fashion - using his dad's hobby house as a studio to work on his projects. 'Evolution of the World' was to be his first epic, chronicling the progression of life on Earth. Having seen the photos and test footage the 18-20 year old Ray animated for his ambitious and sadly unfinished 'magnum opus' of the time, I realised that I could make something independently and without assistance.

A young Harryhausen working on the unfinished "Evolution of the World" project.
Source: 'Popular Mechanics' Magazine - April, 1942

Now shortly prior to this, I had actually made my first fully finished stop motion model, a classic style T-Rex/Allosaurus (can't decide what it is). What I mean by 'classic style', is the posture of the creature, which many scientists believed stood upright, with the tail dragging behind. Basically the opposite of what "Jurassic Park" did with their T-Rex. I used a traditional 'build-up' method, similar to what Marcel Delgado used on "King Kong"; an aluminium wire armature, with built up foam anatomy clad with latex rubber skin (cast from a mould).

Back garden photoshoot.

I must admit, I am very proud of the results, although I may have to tinker with the armature a bit to avoid loose joints. Of course a fully machined ball and socket skeleton would be a dream and hopefully later down the line I can maybe get one custom made to my requirements. So I used this model to practice my animation technique (though a human figure would be far better suited for walk cycles and character animation), and the results were satisfactory. I even went one step further and did a slightly modernised 'Dynamation' test with me fighting off the creature in my back garden (the neighbours must have thought I'd lost it!). I also built a little stop motion version of myself to enable the dinosaur to pick me up in it's jaws.

Watch me fight a T-Rex in my back garden.

The short 10 second clip received lots of positive comments, which was a big confidence booster. The only downside was that animating in my bedroom was not going to be suitable for serious stop motion. I had accommodated a small space in my parents garage to do my work, even a small green screen setup, however the space was absolutely tiny. So this summer, my dad and I decided to clear the whole garage and I soon bought a 7ft long workbench that would occupy my various workshop tools. The workbench is a godsend and I find myself going up there near enough everyday to work or tidy up (spamming my Instagram and Facebook followers with constant updates!)

So after the Summer was over, apart from my job, I was working on a limited series of George Formby resin busts, which I would sell to the Society in Blackpool. I'll cover this in more detail in a later post. After a lull in sales, I decided to turn one of my old homemade practice animation tables into a miniature set. I knew I wanted some sort of environment where dinosaurs/creatures could wander through, so I went with a fantasy forest/jungle. I must admit, I started making it with no plans or concept drawings. Inspiration wise, I found myself looking at the jungles featured in "King Kong" and "The Son of Kong", both using miniature/matte painting setups. I understand that the animation setups in those films were made up using a layer effect which when viewed from the front (foreground to background), created an illusion of depth. I learned this from the fantastic documentary "RKO Production 601: The Making of 'Kong the Eighth Wonder of the World'". These setups could reach about 20 feet in length, consisting of a background painting, miniature mid-ground with animation space and a miniature or glass painted foreground. The following photo illustrates the process, with added info on miniature rear projection for incorporating live action footage.

Source: https://deneroff.com/blog/willis-obrien-iwerks-multiplane-camera-and-fleischers-stereoptical-process/

An example of the wonderful 'Skull Island' jungles as seen in "King Kong" (1933).

I always admire how animator/effects technician managed to pull this off back in 1933 along with the talents of Marcel Delgado, Byron Crabbe, Mario Larrinaga, Buzz Gibson, Max Steiner and Murray Spivak. These guys were the unsung heroes I aspired to follow, and still do. Ok the film technically, is inferior to what we see nowadays (although I still prefer practical methods over computer assisted effects), but when you think about it, nothing like it had ever been seen before and there wasn't a computer in sight! These artists were literally paving the way for what we have today, and thats what I admire most. So if it could be done with no digital assistance back then, and produce fantastic results, then surely I would be able to do the same...