As discussed in Tutorial 2, it is important that I understand how deer move and behave, to help inform the design, construction and performance of my stag puppets. Fortunately, there are a number of deer parks not too far from home, which should offer a chance to observe these somewhat elusive animals.
The closest deer park is at Lotherton Hall, a stately home on the outskirts of Leeds with plenty of park land, and home to a small herd of Red Deer (fortunately the right species for my puppet). Unfortunately the day I chose to visit was rather grim and murky, making it hard to see some of the herd, which were grouped far from the fence. Happily there were a few who strayed closer to the fence, allowing for some closer shots. Oddly, the herd seemed to be entirely female, despite it being autumn and around the time of the rut (when the stags and hinds of the herd usually intermingle). Even after walking all around the park, I could not see any evidence of stags.
While this was a slight disappointment, I could still study the behaviour and gait of the hinds, as anatomically there cannot be so much difference in the bone structure of male and female deer. My predominant observation was the extreme elegance of the animals, even when walking over uneven, muddy, potentially treacherous terrain, littered with fallen branches. They were extremely sure footed, walking with their heads held high rather than watching the placing of their feet. I also could not help but notice what alert creatures they were: at every beep and click of my camera, a number of hinds would raise or turn their heads to ensure there was no threat, and would continue to gaze intently for a considerable time. While their gaze was fixed upon me, I had a good chance to contemplate their facial expressions. As expected, it is the deer'e eye which draw the most attention, large and dark and enigmatic, fringed with long lashes (this is most certainly a feature which I would be interested in exaggerating in the design of my puppets). Yet as much expression is communicated through the ears, which makes me believe that I should enable my puppets' ears to be mobile.
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| Is that a pair of antlers hidden on the horizon? |
It was not until I viewed my photos at home that I noticed a suspiciously antler-like form hidden behind a grassy ridge. While it was no doubt frustrating to think that there might have been a stag there, I had walked the entire length of the trail and visited the viewing bunker without ever catching a glimpse of him. In short, I had done my best but to no avail, and watching the hinds was by no means a wasted experience. On the contrary, it was fascinating and deeply informative.
The next destination was Chatsworth House, a much larger estate within which the deer roam freely, meaning there was the possibility of getting closer to these majestic animals. However, there was the added challenge that they could be anywhere within acres and acres of open park land. Also, whereas Lotherton Hall exclusively kept Red deer, Chatsworth is home to Red, Fallow and Roe deer.
After a bracing walk, I came across a small group of stags. However they were Fallow deer, which are smaller than Red deer, and with distinctive palm shaped antlers. Yet again, studying their behaviour was an invaluable experience, and their smaller size also made it less intimidating to get up close to these beautiful creatures, enabling me to not only take photos, but also a short video showing their walk cycle and a few mannerisms. This will come in handy as reference not only for any puppetry or animation tests I may do, but also in the instance that I recruit actors or puppeteers to manipulate my puppet for me. In the documentary charting the development and making of War Horse, there is a segment demonstrating the in depth workshops in which the puppeteers learned equine behaviour and characteristics, through observing the real creatures, in much the same way I am attempting to observe the deer.
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