wolf & sheep

Reviews

2009-12-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

The film had it's first screening a little while ago and some critics came to watch. Here are the reviews:

Wrap ping

2009-09-16T00:13:00.000-07:00

The finishing touches are happening in different pockets of the world now. Sound, Music, Colour Grading and Edit tweaks. The set of the film is having a well earned break, not to mention the puppets who are now reclining comfortably in their sofas and armchairs.

In one pocket in London, Neel and co. were composing sound effects at a foley studio...

Lights at the end

2009-08-26T09:40:00.000-07:00

The past month has been solidly dedicated to animation. On my various visits to the studio vast amounts of progress were made, the characters shifting their positions across the set. Sometimes in their original forms, sometimes just a pair of arms rigged to a block of pine, "Mama" and "Clara have lived the story of Butter Mouth in slow fragmented shifts.

Disaster struck at the beginning of August when a brand new hard drive that was to back up overflowing laptop crashed good and proper and not even forensic technicians could salvage the 4 days of animation that were lost. Quite a serious blow to a project on the tightest of deadlines.
But it is the nature of technology to fight creation.
And despite the tragedy, Andrew and Andy recovered and re-shot the footage even more beautifully than before.

Now things are wrapping up. The last few shots will be complete this week and sound artists will begin their work on creating an appropriate atmosphere in the Butter Mouth house.

The storyboard, marked with crosses where shots are complete.

Disarray on set. There is only one immaculate viewpoint, and that it through the camera.

"Mama's" arms touching Clara without her body getting in the way.

triple hard drive operation. playing it safe.

attachment of eyelids

The modern way to get home fast

stop frame stop

2009-07-27T12:46:00.000-07:00

Ah! It's so rewarding to see this world we've made come to life. Animator Andy Biddle has joined us and he has nimble fingers and magical skills. Watching him animate puts smiles on our faces and I often find myself gawping in disbelief. He is working at an amazing rate of 12 seconds (average) per day, that being more or less 300 frames.
The photos below are a look at the set up before the scene is animated. The model is screwed in to the floor through her feet and socks and shoes. Most of the scenery is also attached to the floor as it would be disastrous for it to shift during the shoot. The house lights are on in these pictures, whereas during filming the main light source comes from the wall lamps in the set. Occasionally another light is used against a mirror or white sheet to highlight important features in the composition.

Trick wallpaper used for the reflection in the mirror on set. Meanwhile, the entire wall is removed so that the camera can be positioned for shooting.

Andy at work

A Gibbs marking the shot list

Z Gibbs on the GIBBS chair drawing storyboard frames

Animation in july

2009-07-17T14:14:00.000-07:00

In the dark room

2009-07-13T06:25:00.000-07:00

There's always a bit of quiet time and on this occasion it has much to do with how intense the animating has become. Due to regulating the light and working conditions in the new animating partition of the room, it's not been possible to photograph the animators at work... yet.
So far about 40 seconds of footage has been animated and the animators, Nadine and Andrew, have been so far working in sequence. Therefore they are currently concentrated in the hallway.
This is the narrowest section of the set and so it's fair to say that it's also the most difficult to work with. And with these delicate problems come interesting tricks of the camera. For example, where it seems a whole wall is reflected in the mirror, only a tiny section is used so that the camera can assume it's ideal position, where the wall would originally have stood.

Thanks to this hot summer and sealed windows at the studio, we've installed a couple of fans to keep the animators from passing out. It has, in fact, become extremely cosy at studio 9 with the dim lights and dark corners. It's somewhat like a mole's home.

More pictures will be added shortly.
Thanks for your patience.

Camera

2009-06-24T14:54:00.000-07:00

We're filming!

Setting up the shots is a time consuming business. Ramps are being built and the camera is squeezing in to tight corners to take great shots. Nadine has joined the team and is working with Andrew on set, while the rest of us have been sectioned off by a giant curtain where we sit like moles underground and piece together molds of the character heads. We are preparing many in advance because each one will experience a great deal of wear and tear throughout the filming process.

tracks

Pause

2009-06-14T06:50:00.000-07:00

Lack of postings lately due to the camera being in use for trial shots. Also tiny adjustments are being made here and there with changes too discreet to mention. The film will be on hold for a week while director Andrew Gibbs takes a little time out for an angiogram.
Wish him well.

And we'll be back soon.

Rigging

2009-06-08T09:33:00.000-07:00

Now we are setting up camera's and beginning the operation of shooting. Andrew is mounting a tripod to the ceiling in order to start the first shot of the film which looks straight down into the passageway.
The floors and ceilings at our studios are apparently abnormally thick as they used to carry extremely heavy machinery while the building still served as a factory. So while Andrew was drilling away smokey hole through the cement he suddenly hit metal and melted the drill bit!

Rain on

2009-06-02T14:54:00.000-07:00

The crew worked with wax today, creating puddles and cascading rain water on the walls. Dirty dish water too.

Props

2009-06-01T15:10:00.000-07:00

Did you notice the wallpaper last time? It's hard to miss of course, a very bold design, and it is flock too which is precisely what we were after. We're very pleased with it. As part of finishing touches we'll see if a skirting board works well to separate wall and carpet.

The models are in the hands of John and Camille, and we will reveal them in the next few days.
For the time being the armatures are strange looking aliens with flags for heads.

Dave and Jade were at the studio today to make plates and trolley tables. Andrew has been positioning the props about the room and installing the roots. I attached black and white tiles to the kitchen walls and then wistfully destroyed them one by one.

Views of our locality.

Outside the studio

Experiments with lighting

Suspension piece for hanging roots and lights

And you're back in the room

2009-05-28T22:44:00.000-07:00

It has been such a busy week that we've barely had a moment to update.
So, apologies for this late entry, but just look at all the progress that has been made:
To begin with, the armatures arrived by post and Andrew and John assembled them. It's quite an operation. You have to cut the limbs to shape and file them smooth and attach them to their joints with a glue that dries over 24 hours. Then, there's no going back. You have to get it right first time. They did.

Creeping

2009-05-21T11:43:00.000-07:00

Roots

2009-05-19T12:15:00.000-07:00

Gosh what a lot of work we did today!
The kitchen looks brilliant, and now that it's ready in full colour, the roots are starting to creep in through the ceiling. Roots are in fact the theme of the day, as Amy and I spent the afternoon painting the walls of the corridor in preparation for a mural of creeping vines and roots. There was a mock up of the vine style and then a little deliberation over the perfect background and now we are underway with the decoration. Dave, Emma and Andrew were the kitchen construction team, and some rather heavy duty sawing was involved. We discovered that the man at Keyline prefers blondes to brunettes and now everyone is hooked on the Toasties from Sweet Love cafe, who have offered to deliver the sandwiches to us so they can glance at the set.

Monday, Monday

2009-05-18T14:26:00.000-07:00

Monday, Monday
A nice full studio again and lots of enthusiasm and high tempo directing from Mr Gibbs.
At the end of the day Dave, Emma and Zoe installed a completely wrecked kitchen floor and walls. It's rather funny building broken things, speeding up time and erosion. But also very enjoyable, it balances out the creativity and destruction in us all. Also the front door has been coloured in!

Zoe with a pile of books

GIANT brick layer

Inspiring wall outside the studio

Tumbling walls

2009-05-17T03:26:00.000-07:00

Model makers have taken to construction work, building bricks with which we will both stack and tumble the kitchen walls. As for the walls still standing, they have been adorned with leaks and mildew- the nature of which is black and toxic, but that you couldn't see if, say, your eyes weren't too sharp...
In the week to come we have our interns back and will be marching on and completing the set ready for shooting in a weeks time (fingers crossed). After a fascinating visit to Kristin Baybar's Doll's House shop in Gospel Oak on Friday we've obtained a specialised lighting system for the house, so one of us will be dealing with the wiring and electrics this week. We also found a painting and some kitchen utensils, however the majority of minuscule objects at the Doll's House Shop are made to 1/12th scale which is far to small for our set.

Easter Egg fuel

2009-05-13T13:31:00.001-07:00

The small team this week increased by one, and Jade joined me to attach tiny leaves to the tiny plants. I made a slight change to the red sofa- can you tell? The mattress was completed, though I'm considering adding a third row of buttons along the center- thoughts are welcome.
And the door is shaping up- it requires some stained glass for the circular window.
Thank you Jade for bringing the chocolate button Easter Egg, for prop making motivation.
Tomorrow a new intern joins us. Plus we miss you Dan, Dave and Emma! Come back soon!

As a cloud

2009-05-12T14:39:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the set: Red velvet sofa.
And in progress; the discarded mattress (photographed) and the front door (not photographed yet)
I worked alone today, listening to 'This American Life' podcasts, and ate a superior toastie sandwich from Love Sweet sandwich bar. Nice.
There is now Chamomile tea available at Studio 9.
It was lucky I got in this morning, having locked all my keys inside the studio last night, but the men at Daro (who run the studios) are so magnificent, they sorted the issue straight away.

Laying down some bricks, tiles and CARPET

2009-05-11T14:53:00.000-07:00

Two days have passed unphotographed, so here is the evidence that we have been working hard despite the absence of the camera.
Last Friday Louisa T and Badzia C came over to deal with some intricacies. Louisa, who is training to be a Saville Row tailor, cut the pattern for the lead armchair (previously blue) and applied the old green fabric with some shiny pins. It looks terribly comfortable but its just too small to try out.
Meanwhile Badzia began attaching leaves to the house plants, and flicked some sickly brown paint at the kitchen wall which Andrew and Dan designed as a fragile brickwork.
Dave has been tiling the hallway floor with some bottle green cardboard squares.
Andrew found the perfect carpet in somebody's front garden. It's an amazing find, solving many a problem and it looks just right in scale too! Yes yes yes.
Also, another sofa is in the making; a plush red fancy thing that will be looming out from the shadows during the shoot.
Today we had lunch at Mr Bagel, pretty tasty, although I had to buy my own pot of marmite. And I believe listening to Miles Davis was a good way to get through the day... 9.00-20.00 seemed like five minutes. It's really great fun making this tiny world in a blackout room.

Louisa + fabric = armchair

Sawing down the wall of polystyrene to make a tiny ramp for the hallway tiles

Sponsored by.... free Monster Ripper drinks. We hate it but we love it.

Zosia ignites the wall with some zunshine

Dave and Andrew... pfff

Kitchen cabinets, with special "hand" attachments

The new carpet

Books. Irony.

2009-05-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

This is Dave

chips VS apples

Andrew & Emma breathe colour into the set

focused armchair sanding

All the small things

2009-05-06T00:50:00.000-07:00

The week began with a Bank Holiday Monday, but no rest for wicked Andrew and Dan who continued plotting and carving and gluing.
Currently the corridor is our point of focus as this is where the story begins. Dan has been re-creating a piece of furniture that belongs to my aunt and uncle; a wooden dresser with a large swinging mirror above it. It's looking fantastic so far!
Yesterday Jade and Emma pursued the detailed objects such as tiny books and envelopes and pot plants, whilst Dan cut his finger off and had to go to hospital for some stitching. He returned with a huge white bandage around his thumb and continued working like a hero.

Dan's favourite new passtime

Upholstery

2009-05-02T15:24:00.000-07:00

Found this fabric today, it's for the central armchair.

Injury!

2009-05-02T15:19:00.000-07:00

Dan falls out with the scalpel

Building

2009-05-02T13:13:00.000-07:00

A week since the studio was painted, and it's starting to assume some character. It's warmer too. The sun has such a fine way of setting across the walls of the studio in the afternoons.

Work is carried out under strip lighting, we may need to install some personal lamps at the tables.
This week, we're bringing in a new work surface. And I hope to be able to thank the scrap heap attendants for this, though I hear they can be a little grouchy.

Emma, Dave, Jade and Dan have been assembling props and texturing the set interior. Some amazing objects have been created! I've been trying to turn a solid block of Styrofoam into a worn out sofa. You can see from the pictures that it's still in slightly cartoonish proportions, but this evening has seen quite a transformation and by the next photoshoot it should blend into the set room perfectly!

panels to form the curve of the corridor. Lethal.

Dan through the corridor

the intricate cabinet

jade at work on the cardboard boxes

The walls

2009-04-30T11:14:00.000-07:00

Things are progressing fast at Studio 9!
The walls of the set have been hoisted, they are building up some shape and texture with papier mache and beginning to warp and bulge and take life.
Furniture has been designed, scaled and sculpted, and we are searching for fabrics to do a little upholstery.

Welcome

2009-04-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

We have moved into Studio 9 at a great space in Hackney Wick. And henceforth we begin work on "Butter Mouth" a short film by Andrew Gibbs!
With the help of some good good people, the studio - which already had that toxic fresh paint smell - turned black. Though we left a little white behind in the props section, for the lifting of spirits. The truth is, we chose this studio for its lack of light, and so prop makers have a good stretch of wall before their eyes and no sunshine. This will probably be favorable on rainy days.

Next; construction workers raise the walls...