Over the last two weeks I was assigned, alongside Cynthia, to work for the final project of the 2nd year student Lee Ricks. Lee is a stop-motion animator and her film is called “Burnout” and is about a “wind-up” candlemaker who accepts a work order that it’s so big that he dies/malfunctions in the end. I was very happy to work on a puppet animation film, as I have been wondering if I want my final project to be with puppets. On top of that, when it comes to my own technical skills, I feel much more confident and comfortable building three-dimensional and hand-made objects than working with 2D softwares.

Lee is currently at a stage where she’s finishing building and adding detail to her set and her character. The story takes place only in one room, which is both the work and living space of the candlemaker. Lee had a list of objects and details that she still needed to make, and me and Cynthia were given the opportunity to pick what we feel the most comfortable doing As I’m a very good sewer and pattern cutter, I offered to make the character’s second outfit, the pajamas. To create it, I used the Costume Department and researched for different materials that would match Lee’s aesthetic for the outfit.

I used the measurements from the pattern of the character’s original outfit, and created new patterns for the trousers, collar and yoke, and slightly changed the shape and length of the back, front and sleeves. I pinned and cut the pattern on the selected fabric and sewed the outfit by machine. Because these are extremely tiny clothes, there are a few seams that are practically impossible to sew by machine and can only be done by hand, like the armhole and the collar. Because these are pajamas, I added an elastic waistband in the trousers, and a couple of pockets on the shirt.

During the “simulated work experience” I offered to make this outfit, so that I could be the most helpful to Lee, in the limited amount of available time that I had. I knew that I wouldn’t exactly learn anything particularly new, but I new I could do it and that she would appreciate it. However, as this is a learning experience, I hope I can be more helpful in the future, after this Unit’s deadline, and contribute in ways which I’m not as experienced. Lee uses air dry clay to build the candle holders and the vases, which I would love to use it to create more ceramics for the set. In addition, she builds the most polished and beautifully designed puppets, and I would love to aid however I can building them. Luckily, I was also able to learn from Cynthia and saw her recreate classical paintings in miniature canvas, and build tiny books from foam and paper.

It has been very eye opening to witness the amount of work it takes to build an entire set and character before start shooting, and I can see that Lee made many smart choices in her story to be able to limit that amount of work for herself. My current idea for my final project seems so complexed and in so many places, that I’m a little scared to do it with puppet animation. Regardless, when it comes to a farther future and my career prospects, I can truly envision myself working for stop-motion films. It’s the thing that I miss the most working as a pattern cutter, is being in a an atelier or a workshop surrounded by people building different things, using different materials and doing different jobs. Furthermore, I truly believe that there is an infinite amount of handcrafted technical knowledge that can be applied to stop-motion animation, which excites me as a professional, as well as an artist. Ever since I quitted fashion, I always wanted to be able to apply what I learned there in whatever I do in the future. After going through a burnout myself, it’s kind of heartwarming to know that I sewed an outfit for a film called “Burnout”.