The most exciting part of developing an idea or a communication concept is witnessing new people and organisations interpret and develop new expressions. XYZ Studio, the animation production company that developed Melbourne Fringe Festival’s 2007 television commercial has kindly provided a collection of images that document the production.

After the story boards were approved by Fringe there was four to five days of prop, character and component preparation. An additional eight hours was spent shooting the sequence. The colour grading, editing, client approvals took approximately another two weeks.

The materials featured in the sequence are not far removed the home art kit — coloured card, cellophane, photocopies, sticky tape, foam and tissue paper. The shooting took place in Studio XYZ‘s store room.

Tim from XYZ explained that they shot three versions of the complete animation using a digital still camera. The lighting is intentionally loose. The shadows are cast from flanking diffused tunsten flood lights purchased at Bunnings (an Australian mega store hardware chain).

Tim was excited about the process of making and shooting a stop motion animation sequence. He said it was an opportunity for the studio to get out from behind the computer and actually make something with pencils, rules and cutters. Stop motion offers a style animation that is a little crude and rich in quirks, a welcome change from seamless digital rendering.

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