HORNET WORKSHOP - Work: Bunraku / Movie Titles

Work: Bunraku / Movie Titles

Bunraku
Movie Titles

When director Guy Moshe came across Guilherme Marcondes' short film Tyger and saw Gui's ability to combine puppeteering with animation, Moshe knew he had found the right person to direct the title sequence for his feature film Bunraku. With a storyline already in place, Gui was given the creative autonomy to direct a title sequence that he felt would most appropriately match the script.

Process Credits

The opening sequence, beginning with the paper sculpture crustacean puppets and ending with the fall of the dinosaurs, was the result of meticulous choreography, rehearsal, and multiple takes. Embracing a traditional theatrical technique by having the puppeteers dress all in black, they executed a careful dance, beginning with the simpler smaller aquatic characters and then quickly mounting the more elaborate dinosaur puppets. These performances were coordinated with the lighting design so that this section of the piece could be shot in one seamless take.

The crustaceans were paper sculptures and while the prehistoric fish were slightly more complicated, they were still paper based. These characters were constructed with a hollow interior to allow the puppeteer access to operate the hinged jaws.

The dinosaurs were obviously quite a bit larger and equipped with functional under structures that gave the puppeteers full control over the head/neck, jaws, arms, and legs of the character. The exterior of the puppet was layered with a malleable vinyl coated foam that resulted in a layered stylized version of the dinosaurs armor-like hide.

The set for this section of the piece consisted of several custom designed 2D layers that were placed at various distances from the camera to give the illusion of graphic depth. The backdrop piece was printed on a duratrans material and lit from behind with a several lights that could be controlled remotely in both color and intensity.

Other elements such as the automatas and the paper soldiers being cut from their dangling strings were built and shot. These pieces were similarly timed and choreographed to work as fluent sections in the greater whole. Actually building these pieces as physical entities allowed for a more whimsical and complex atmosphere both in way of lighting design and performance.

The automatas were designed and built so that the exposed and seemingly simple series of rods, wheels, and levers trap the paper based characters in repetitious action. The soldiers were 2D cut outs that were hung from strings and filmed as the puppeteers cut from each end in unison.

Opening animation for
Guy Moshe's film 'Bunraku'

Director: Guilherme Marcondes

Hornet Inc.
Executive Producer: Michael Feder
Producer: Hana Shimizu
Producer: Jan Wohrle

Animation
Lead Compositor: John Harrison
Compositors: Yussef Cole, Julien Koetsch, Arthur Hur
Storyboard Artists: Tom Lintern, Carlos Ancalmo
Character Design: Rafael Grampá,
Mike Luzzi
Background Design: Morgan Schweitzer
Character Animation: Mike Luzzi
Additional Animation: Frank Summers,
Keng-Ming Liu
Editor: Joseph Suslak

Live Action
Producer: Joel Kretschman

Assistant Director: Jeff Lazar

Director of Photography: Toshiaki Ozawa
1st Assistant Camera: Scott Maguire
Gaffer: Michael Yetter
Key Grip: Joe Mandeville

Best Boy: Rich Ulivella
Art Director: Ryan Heck
Asst. Art Director: Andy Byers
Set Design: Andrezza Valentin
Puppet Fabrication: K&Z Studio Inc., Adam Parker Smith & Carolyn Salas
Puppeteers: Adam Pagdon, Ulysses Jones, Megan McNerney, Celli Clemmons
Production Assistants: Matthew Churchill, Rick Matera, Connie Li Chan