Building a Caterpillar: Part 1

Building a caterpillar to look directly into the camera lens is tricky business.

This is also the first stop-mo shot we’ll be producing and the forth to show up in the film.  What happens in this shot sets the tone for the rest of the film.

The following images will give you an idea of the steps involved, not just in fabricating the caterpillar, but in finding a look and a process that looks great on camera AND will animate.

I started by stringing some wooden beads on a wire to figure out the larger movement (yes that’s the finger to a rubber glove they are wrapped in).

Then I inserted and trimmed upholstery foam between the beads and added a cast head that swivels on a ball at the end of the wire.

Finally, after inserting wire feet into holes drilled in the beads, I dipped the whole thing in balloon rubber to hold it together.

Pretty much all that’s left is a paint job.  This was done with acrylic paints with a flexible pros-aide additive.

Tags | Bugs, Puppet Making, Scene Set-up