My Notion By The Ocean

Yet a third Mermaid tail, a Stunt Tail, was made specifically for use in the actual ocean. It was made with packaging foam and made to dunk and submerge into seawater without damaging the large, more detailed puppet.

The rig was built on a large carbon rod covered in black plastic netting. One, or better two, puppet operators can handle the ring, stand to the sides, and maneuver the whole tail into the surf as if it's diving under the waves. I also want a shot of it floating horizontally, slightly under the surface, to edit into the live-action montage.

The idea was to load up the big Kyra puppet and this stunt tail and all the gear to position, repair as needed, and film the sequences I want at a local beach in Southern California. It's still Summer, and the puppets are complete and ready to shoot. I have a $50 buck 4K action camera with waterproof housing ready to get the wet shots. I've got it all except...

I don't leave the house anymore.

I haven't gone anywhere since lockdown. And I have no desire or plans to.

I'm scrambling to think if I could instead create the beach shots digitally. The answer is yes and no. Yes, technically, I could. All tutorials available on YouTube would walk me through about anything I may want to see. The available editing tools are that incredible. But I don't think I should go digital on this. Editing it later, yes; rig removal, yes!

But there's so much that will happen in the moment of being in an actual open space at the seaside. I will need a big rock to attach her to, need to work with the light, and potentially shoot around crowds so they won't ruin my ideal picture of coming upon the character in a vast empty space on the sand and shore. It needs to be like the viewer is shipwrecked and comes across her. And then she dives into the surf and under the water. Gotta arrive just before dawn at a less popular spot. A dreadful notion to me in my current frame of mind.

It'll be live-action vs. strict stop-motion, although I'm hoping for an outdoor stop-motion montage effect, despite the sunlight shifts. I plan to work with whatever I get with so many variables in play.

But my biggest obstacle will be getting there.

PS: UPDATE:: I Googled "Beaches with rocks near me" and found three options. One, perhaps the most ideal, was a full hour and a half drive, and that feels too far for me. I don't like to travel further from home than I could walk back from, which means further than I could go on foot.

But one candidate was only about half an hour away or so, a very small " Pocket Park" but could work!

Here are public photos of it and they show a lot about it that's ideal:

It's got a sufficient amount of sand, a good open view of the horizon, and big rocks for her to sit on (will have to figure out a method of securing her with weights to not to leave any trace on the rocks when done), the way people are standing in the water, I would feel safe enough to stand where they are to work the rigging. Sharks could be there, so I am afraid to go past my knees.

I'll need a partner or two to hold the rig with me and guard the camera/gear. I may hire Kyelynn for the day and ask Paul for the favor to act as my support husband.

I looked up whether a filming permit would be required for this Santa Monica Mountain Conservancy area and found this in the regulations: "Plants, Animals, Archaeological and Geologic Features: These are all fully protected by the law. Enjoy them, photograph them, but please leave them undisturbed in the park." So, I'm going to raw dog it and hope things will be ok. I'll keep things as decreet as I can.