Using Plasticine

When filming ZAP's dance, we were finding it extremely hard to get him to stand up by himself. We wanted him to complete moves which weren't able to be done. During our last filming lesson, I had a stroke of genius, PLASTICINE! We found some black plasticine and although one might think it looks obvious, but as the plastisine is black, it easily blends into the background when placed right, similar to the black glove effect which has been used by many. This technique has allowed us to make ZAP do some things which look amazing, but could not have been done without the support of the plasticine. The two main problems are the placement of the plasticine and the smoothness of the plasticine, which both result in it being visible to one watching the piece. If it is plaed off to the side or is suddenly moved, it becomes very obvious that the plasticine has been used. Another problem is that if the plasticine is lumpy or seperated, the joining areas are visible. We have solved these problems by smoothing down the plasticine continuously and ensuring that the plasticine can not be seen with the camera man checking these things.