This one was another fun project. I got the skeleton from Toys R'Us because it had ball joints which allow freer movements. My initial idea was to do a dance scene but I just so happened to have 4.5 pounds of red clay sitting on my desk waiting to be beaten into submission. It was just too irresistible to do a clip that combines the two elements.
Once I got the idea of the skeleton coming out of the grave, the next problem was to figure out the setup. I wanted it to be dark with just enough light on the grave to make the character and objects visible. Since I don't have a dark room, I used a box to block off the light and set the camera to take dark photos. To get the spotlight I cut a big hole on the top of the box, then covered it with a piece of cardboard with a small hole. This allowed me to move the placement of the light around. Since the skeleton needs to emerge from below, I put another box beneath this box and cut a hole on it which is then covered by the red clay (grave).
The Setup
I did the film in one shot about an hour before class (made me half an hour late). I can do it over - the part where the skeleton climbs out of the grave can be so much better...but again time to move on to the next idea. There are just too many to explore.
Sorry, I've got a bunch of questions here:
ReplyDeleteHow'd you take the shots? Was it a video camera or a digital still camera on a tripod? Also, how did you press the button without giggling the camera too much?
I use a digital still camera set on full manual on a tripod. It's impossible to do this without a tripod since even a teeny bit of movement will show up in the film. I press the button very carefully. :-)
ReplyDeleteLove it! Looks like Bob is holding up his grave in the set-up photo. The film is awesome! The darkness make it great. If you didn't use a tripod, you could call it Clumsy Bob didn't survive another earthquake after death! hehehehee
ReplyDeleteThanks Serena! If I didn't use a tripod we'd all get motion sickness!
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