Isabel
Waller
Rigging Artist
Thesis Film
Poached is the story of a cheerful magpie whose only desire is to become a mother. What she lacks in experience, she makes up for in gumption as she attempts to "raise" her adopted child.
Poached
The concept for the film is inspired by a trip my father and uncle took together years ago. They flew to Latvia in search of viking relics, which they planned to locate in the forest using metal detectors. There were no viking relics to be found, although they did not leave empty-handed. Instead they found tons of random supplies left behind from WWI and WWII. Guns, canteens, helmets, and even bombs. When I learned that live ammunition exists in the forest, I was determined to turn it into a story.
The overall look and feel of the film is cartoony and lighthearted, which contrasts the dark nature of the story. The shading and texturing is stylized to look as though everything was made from clay, a look which is inspired by classic Aardman films.
Character turnaround with final shading/texturing
Original model sheet for magpie character