Pigs

        I had been planning to paint over the foam pigs, similarly to the character heads, with a mix of acrylic and latex. However, when the plasticine pigs (which were white) were shown to the class during a critique, it was suggested than perhaps they should be left unpainted. White is not the natural colour for pigs, and for them to be this colour would give them an ethereal, eerie aesthetic, suitable for tone of our film. After all, we don't want the pigs to look appeatising...if anything them looking sickly and unhealthy can only help our cause (discouraging the purchase of meat from large scale, unethical slaughterhouses). Especially against a dark background, they would almost glow. My only concern with leaving the pigs pale was that any detail on them would be lost, as I had trouble photographing the unpainted heads, even against a dark background. However, with clever use of lighting, this should not be a problem.

        I did not want to leave the half carcasses unpainted. As the interview is very graphic in its descriptions of the slaughterhouse environment, it is only appropriate that our sets and models reflect that. We want to shock our viewers, as shock can help a message stick. 

        Again using a mix of acrylic paint and latex, I built up the colour of the mean in layers, beginning with a pale pink, almost whit base and gradually adding darker and darker reds, using a photograph as reference. As a finishing touch, I dropped red nail varnish into the body cavity and allowed it to run down over the ribs. The nail varnish made a good faux blood, as unlike the paint it maintains a glossy shine once dry, meaning that the pigs look fresh and glistening.

I used sewing pins with round heads as the eyes.
The meat hooks were simple pieces of wire,
bent into shape.

        Morbid as it may seem, the entire process of making the pigs, from modelling, to mold making, casting and painting has been thoroughly enjoyable. I was expecting to encounter problems relating to the delicacy of my models, but the silicone was surprisingly successful, while the foam, for all its flexibility, proved to be uncannily strong, allowing me to extract the delicate  ears and tails from the molds without tearing. I have learned a number of new techniques that will be integral to me in the future as I pursue prop, puppet and model making further. As I have kept the molds, I hope to experiment with casting in different materials, such as resin, wax or plastic.