Firebringer

        'The technique of stop motion is unavoidably part of the film, but it shouldn't be what the film is about. It has to be the tool that is the most appropriate way to tell a particular story, and that story must contain elements that could not be realised any other way.'

- Barry Purves

        Before beginning work on the design and construction of a puppet, I need to choose a story, not only so I can understand the character and personality of the puppet, but so I know what movement it ill be required to perform. From my research of theatrical puppetry, it seems that certain styles of puppet are better suited to certain tones and genres. For example, glove puppets are generally better suited to comedy than shadow puppets. However, given the right design and skilled performance, a puppet can adapt, and transcend the boundaries of genre, in much the same way that stop motion animation is associated with both off kilter and disturbing stories, and at the same time animations for very young children.

        To fit in with the aims of my essay (investigating the relationship between theatrical, stop motion and special effects puppetry) the story and character would also need to be well suited to each of the media. The solution to this seemed to be a story with a prominent animal character, such as War Horse or King Kong. Obviously, in a theatrical setting it would be impractical to use a live animal, and while cinema has made use of animal actors to varying degrees of success, a puppet (either practical or digital) provides more opportunity for a nuanced and expressive performance. Also, working with a four legged creature will provide a new challenge for me, as the armatures and puppets which I created last year were bipedal, and constructed to the specifications provided with the armature kit. To build an animal, I will have to use my own design and construction initiative.

        Although in my first tutorial I had discussed with my tutor the possibility of anthropomorphism, this would perhaps negate the idea of avoiding a humanoid character. I also enjoy watching how animators and performers manage to tease such emotive performances from animal characters without the benefit of the usual body language, picking up on the behavioural traits which are recognisable in spite of the species divide, and making use of the animals' anatomy in creative ways. Consequently, I was looking for a story where the animals behaved in a realistic fashion, but this is not to say they could not have a more human level of consciousness.

        While there are many fairy and folk tales which have animal characters (Firebird and Little Brother, Little Sister were among the first to spring to mind for me, for their wolf and stag characters respectively) the story I chose is Firebringer, a complex story which I previously contemplated for the Title Sequence project in first year. Set in the ancient Scottish highlands, with the cast of characters predominantly red deer, it could be viewed as an allegory for fascism and the rise and terror of the Nazi party. The animal characters, and fantasy elements, act as a device to make these complex themes more approachable to the reader (it is a children's story), and perhaps more acceptable. It is a strange quirk of animation and puppetry that it is at greater liberty to address difficult and sensitive subjects, separated as it is from the harshness of reality.

'Often a visual metaphor is simply stronger and more appealing than the cold hard truth; something Aesop, Hans Anderson and others knew all too well. Imagine how less interesting it would have been had Orwell not put his politics into the mouths of pigs in Animal Farm...These metaphors also remove much of the clutter associated with more realistic, complex human characters, while also giving storytellers the opportunity to make witty comparisons. Most fables and fairy tales have animals centre stage. In truth, most have little to do with animals but are using the animals to say something selective about the human condition.'

- Barry Purves