Kerri McDonald — IADT On Show 2020

Institute of Art Design + Technology Dún Laoghaire
Ireland’s campus for the Creative Industries

On Show 2020

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Kerri McDonald

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For my graduate project, I made a stop motion wolf puppet and set. The story I wanted to portray was the unlikely friendship between Blue the blue jay, and Shiloh the wolf, told through the medium of stop motion. A story that could fit into a larger narrative for a children’s show, film, or graphic novel.

Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, changes were made to my project which involved the removal of the stop motion bird and a reduced set with short tester clips rather than an animation telling the story I intended.

The most important aspect of my project was style. I wanted my project to have the charm and tangibility of something hand made, as most large stop motion productions are so advanced they appear CGI. With this in mind, I designed the wolf and set and in the fabrication I used many different fabrics and materials which gave the scene texture and character, the exact style I was looking for.

The wolf puppet has a vast array of movements, thanks to the brass skeleton under the fur and the silicone head, articulate jaw and ears, eyes and eyelids.

Creating this project has been an incredibly rewarding experience regardless of the challenges I faced as a graduate of 2020. From starting the bones of my project on campus to completing it in its entirety at home in my kitchen during a nation-wide lockdown, I learned a lot about the processes involved in creating the puppets, sets and props for a stop motion feature and as a result my affinity for the medium of stop motion has grown immensely. I look forward to finding my place in the industry in the near future and continue my creative journey.

Please see my project booklet for full insight into the creation of this project. Thank you.

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