Animation for "More or Less" Video

See this stuff move, Animated Gifs...

Below are three frame grabs from the claymation piece. It has been used for the next Jungle Fungus video for the single "More or Less". It was shot on Super8 film, over a month in early 1996. It is a short silent animation, about 1m30s in length. The models were made out of wireframe and modeling clay, by Sam Wheeler. The sets are all made from cardboard, painted with water-based guash. The road paint uses sand and shells from a Herne Bay beach. Lightbulbs are built into the backdrop. The camera was a Sankyo MacroFocus MF-606. A semi-fisheye adapter was placed over the built-in lens of the camera, which makes everthing seem bigger, and more eccentric. The models are fairly small, barbie doll height, but fatter. The lighting was a single 500w halogen (which we often cooked ourselves on from time to time) plus about five other low-power lamps. This was only just enough to get the light meter to come close to a proper exposure with 40 ASA film.

The plot goes something likes this: Nicko walks down the street; he goes into Blasé Café, to pick up his secret package. On the way out he is followed by two heavy looking thugs; who then proceed to obtain the package from our hero Nicko by way of force (see the JPEG images down the page a bit). However, when they open the package the are very, VERY, surprised by what they find. (Sorry can't tell you what it is, it would spoil the suspense.)

I have recently (Feb 19) updated the picture quality of the first two images here. The last (and biggest - 768 x 576) one is taken directly from the digital edit suite where the video was edited, and is thus much more delicous ;~)