KENTUCKY
Puppet for the film Total eclipse
presented at the Montreal Planetarium from November 2023
How could we resist a puppet project
where a “steampunk” hen must visit the moon
to solve it’s insomnia problems?
Kentucky, the endearing poultry, was designed to be handled from the outside. To facilitate digital integration in the film, the puppeteer is dressed in green in front of a screen of the same color. This color will then be removed in post-production, leaving only the puppet visible. One hand under the floating vehicle (or replaced by a fixed base on casters to manage the weight) and another behind the chicken's head allowed maximum movement, especially with an extendable neck! His eyes were then animated in post-production.
One of the challenges was to create stylized feathers that would be light, strong and without transparency to facilitate digital green screen removal. The neck structure also needed to be developed to allow for stretch and movement while not adding too much weight to the puppet.
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EMILY
In total, four different lighting systems as well as a motorized propeller completed the final look of this insomniac bird.
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LAURENT
A production of the Montreal Planetarium, Space for life
A Macronauts film in collaboration with Après Minuit
Direction and screenwriting: François Guinaudeau and Sébastien Samyn
Executive production: Parafilms
Artistic direction: Sébastien Samyn