Set Designs

        Once Fiona had figured out the rough layout of our proposed setting, I took charge of the sketches and added some of the props and details one would expect to find in an abattoir, before Fiona added texture and colour. While we did look at photos and videos of actual slaughterhouses as reference, many of them were vast and sprawling, with separate areas for stunning, slaughtering and then gutting and skinning the animals, all of these connected by lengthy chutes, corrals and rails. Indeed, the interview on which I based my rough storyboard describes a 'hundred-foot ramp'. With the time, money, and resources available to us, Fiona and I have had to be more economical with our ambitions.

        We have attempted to keep the set as small as possible, with certain areas closer to one another than they probably would be in reality. However, with careful use of framing we could create the illusion of space. Or, we could take advantage of the cramped, cluttered environment to make the abattoir seem dingy, dilapidated and unpleasant.

        The scale of our set will largely be dictated by the size of the puppets. As we are using an armature kit, rather than building our own from scratch, there are some core elements (the shoulder and hip sections) which are a set size and cannot be changed, which will inform how big we build the arms, legs and other components. My puppet should be the tallest, hopefully no more than 25 cm or so. The set walls need to be tall enough to accommodate this height.

        Fiona and I have also discussed green-screening any elements which appear beyond our physical set, such as anything seen through the open double doors, or behind the curtains where the animals enter the slaughterhouse. This will save us from having to build any additional elements, as we can efficiently insert a digital or hand drawn backdrop. 

If we were to follow my narrative concept, we would not
necessarily even need to build the locker room, which would
save us a considerable amount of time.

        

                It is quickly becoming apparent just how many props and models we will need to consider. With some, we are hoping to use readily available materials (gardening chains and fishing hooks would make good substitute hoists and meat hooks, for example), but others will need building from scratch. Hopefully we will be able to use lightweight material with clever paintwork for some items, but others will need to be substantial. This particularly applies to the hanging rails, which will need to take the weight of the model carcasses and animals.

        The upcoming moulding and casting workshop should provide a useful insight into how we might go about creating the carcasses. We could sculpt one from clay or plasticine, but then cast them in a lighter weight material (latex foam?), which would put less of a strain on our set. The process of casting might also prove to be more efficient than sculpting several near identical objects (as I know that I would be a perfectionist about getting each one 'just right'). There is also the possibility to green screen a single animal/carcass, and duplicate them digitally, although I think Fiona and I are keen on shooting as much in camera as possible.

Pastel visions of various meats.