I introduce the structure of the puppet used for stop motion animation. The composition of the puppet is as shown below and it is composed of three elements, armature, core and outline.
armature
There are using wire such as lead wire, thread fuse · aluminum wire and ball joint made by processing metal.
core
It is made for maintain the proportions of puppets. and make it easy to hold when animate it. Create it with wood or plastic etc.
outside
It shape the outside of the puppet. Sometimes you put on a sponge and put on clothes, or form with a form rubber or clay.
point of making puppet
You have to animate the puppet after making it. Unlike displayed dolls, it is difficult to be demanded practicality. Here are some important points for making puppet of stop motion animation.
make durable puppet
Shooting of stop motion animation is very hard for the puppet. Rattling puppet or finally becoming independent will not withstand shooting. make it firmly and sturdy.
make light puppet
Just making it sturdy is not difficult, but it is a difficult part of making a puppet that needs to be light. Especially when the head is heavy and the center of gravity is high, it is difficult to balance it and it will be hard to animate. If you want to make the character have a large head, you should make the hollow head or use light material such as balsa.
make in consideration of the movable range
Sometimes, after finished to make the puppet, the movable range become smaller than you thought. It makes no sense if you can not animate it even if you can make a nice puppet. You should design the shape of the core with the considering the movable range. And don’t forget check the movable range sometimes when making a puppet. It is good to make while checking the movable range even when making the outside of puppet.
think about how to fix the puppet first
After making a puppet without thinking about shooting, it will be troubled “how to fix” and “how to fix in the air” when you shoot. Perhaps it will decompose the puppet again. First you should think about how to fix? where do you attach the rod for fixing the puppet? What kind of structure should the puppet have? Think properly, when you design a puppet, and incorporate the mechanism.
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