The Final Stretch

Just putting all the pieces together now... just set dressing and additional scenics to go. Yay finals!

Carousel Zoetrope Horses. Take 5.

Lightbulbs or Hot Air Balloons?

Cutting lightbulbs with string and fire to make the foundation for hot air balloons:

Horses. Take Three.

These horses are nearly finished… finally.

Nearly finished painting the horses

Lights and Encaustics

I've been working on lighting for the carousel. The challenge is the number of lights and the fact that they need to be spinning with the zoetrope (so the power source needs to be isolated). 

Right now I am giving fiber optic lights a try. The pictures below show me modifying a fiber optic strands by dipping them in tinted damar crystals to give them a tungsten quality. 

There are still a lot more strands to go, but the overall effect is on track. 

Carousel Poles

      Casting the poles for the carousel horses has turned out to be one of the more challenging casts. I've been trying to avoid a two part mold in order to avoid seams, but my one part molds yield pretty inconsistent results. I do have the option of altering the casts after the fact by sanding and adding clay, but kind of time is not in my production schedule. So I was stumped for about a day... but.... tada! I found straws that are perfect for what I need! I ran wooden dowels through the straws and cut them down to size. They will work perfectly and they are pattern is consistent enough that I can actually make the poles spin on the zoetrope. Blessing in disguise.

Ferris Wheel Design

The basis of this ferris wheel is derived from lace and umbrella imagery with the intent to be cut with a laser cutter and exist as a silhouette in the set. Just an idea for now, by I really like the aesthetic. 

Early Ideation

Visual Research! For more check out my Pinterest: 

Color studies and foliage. Structures and assets. The why behind the set.

"This environment is a peak into a moment in time—both nostalgic and fantastic. This space exists warped in the veil of memory—imagination merged with fact to create the magic within."

Visual elements. Shape studies. What can I make a zoetrope out of? Maybe a Dumbo ride, the Mad Hatter Teacups, or a ferris wheel. What if the ferris wheel wasn't a zoetrope, but something really eclectic/eccentric—if all of the seats were different (like a bird cage, an umbrella, a park bench, a flower, or a fish bowl)?  

Early studies. Rough layout. Foliage. Lighting. The little details (ideas for cast parts)