The Workshop took just under a year to produce. Pre-Production and early script writing began in the summer of '05, set and doll design and construction began in early January '06 and animation began shortly after, lasting just over two months. The post-production and editing took place over April and in May the film was finally finished.
We filmed using Digital SLR, and used both traditional stop-motion and pixilation. All of our camera moves are animated. You can see our first draft storyboard on the earlier page, and our animatic is available for viewing below.
Our major filmic influence was the Bolex production 'The Secret Adventures of Tom Thumb'. Dave Borthwick was kind enough to pop into our studio during early filming and give us a few pixilation tips!
Concept design for the distillery, a background prop to show the science behind the doll makers actions.
Concept design of the dollmaker's back garden. Set in a dystopian world, possibly post-war, (Eraserhead meets Tom Thumb) weeds and overgrowth prevail, glass windows have to be boarded up, and traps are set outside the back door to catch the unsuspecting creatures.
Possibly a result of Genetic modification gone wrong, pollution in the water supply, or some kind of A.I. experiment on 21st century toys, these creatures are doll like in their appearance, yet organic in their make-up.
Animatic
Timed out storyboard with temporary music by Dave Hoax
