Just Hanging Around

Made new memory journals for the large mouse puppet, and got him rigged up inside a reinforced cloak pocket, all shot with a new experimental addition to my favorite lens. It's a 13mm extension tube (that mounts in between the camera body and the lens), allowing to essentially convert the lens, any lens attached, into a "macro" lens to get closer-close up. (See next post for comparison shots and my conclusions about them.)

Had to make the cloak animatable to hold its shape as the mouse moves. I attached a fine metal mesh to the area around the pocket on the inside, added a leftover scrap of the red fabric, and stitched it to the plum welting. 

After marking the pocket's position on a length of pipe standing in a steel flange, I wrapped the large mouse puppet in a thick steel wire, like a heavy and stiff belt at his waist. Made a loop in one end and shoved that down inside the pipe. Tightened the other end around the outside of the pipe and secured it with gaffer tape. It makes me laugh how he's just sort of hanging helplessly there (on right).

Covered the tape behind him with a scrap of the plum fabric, in case the camera picks up what's behind him once he is inside the pocket. Attached the flange to a thin hardwood plank and made a quick hardwood floor effect in case the camera angle for the scene shows the floor. It's not running in the correct direction to match the cottage floor it'll be on when the wall is added into place, but if I need to shoot the sequence away from the main set, it'll give me a downward texture. I must remember that something far away from the puppet, like the floor, will only appear like a blurry, hardwood floor-colored smear with my AstrHori Plane Tilt Lens, so no need to fuss. #marathonsprint

Bottom right shows the finished window seat wall set featuring the hanging cloak with the mouse's rigging already hidden underneath it.