The TrackMaster sets feel like the most epic rides at the craziest amusement park a kid could imagine. We'll play off of the bright colors of these sets and bring the camera in at low angles so that the tracks can feel like they're towering above the trains. Part of the fun of this animation will be treating the stop-motion camera like a GoPro in an extreme sports video. We'll keep the compositions and camera moves dynamic, but always stay focused on the trains to clearly understand the action.
Several of the videos I've previously directed for Tongal feature stop motion using toys with limited articulation. Through camera setup, lighting, angle of the puppet, and moves that imply more than they actually show, all of a sudden a boxy train with no arms or legs can be something the audience relates to. For me, this type of animation is incredibly fun and characters with limits to what they can do are like little puzzles to figure out. Propping up a train at an angle could turn them from neutral to sad to cocky depending on subtle positioning.
For this project, I'd be partnering with Digital Twigs, a soup-to-nuts animation and production company in DTLA. Their top-notch art department can build out the colorful world of Trackmasters and their cutting edge visual effects team can push old school animation into unconventional places while maintaining a tactile charm. Check out their work at www.digitaltwigs.com.
