The Elephant's Lullaby

(drawing by Liz Mclelland and Wright Rickman.)

As I said in my last post, I'm going to be filming Green Screen stuff for The Elephant's Lullaby video. The main point of the intro is to teach the motions for the chorus.

Little elephants need to get their rest
To grow up big and strong
To make their ears so big and floppy
To make their trunks so long

I've got motions for "rest" "growing up" "strong" "floppy ears" and "trunks so long." I decided today, after performing the song for 6 years, that it would be good to have a motion for "elephant." Since I'm filming today, I'd better figure it out!

I asked my neighbor, who knows sign language, if she knew the sign for "elephant." She did!

You start at your nose and make a graceful swoop down like an elephant's trunk.

So today I plan to film the new motions for posterity!

The animators won't like this because that will mean more animation!

- Tom

Welcome to my blog!

OK. Here I go. I've been thinking about starting a blog, and now I'm finally doing it. So much is going on in my life and career right now, and I'd like to document it. I think other people will be interested in it too.

Today I'm meeting with my producer Meg Doherty and costume designer Lauren Cowdery to begin work on the Garbage Monster costume for the upcoming video. Meg has suggested I bring a bunch of recyclable stuff to work with. I plan to raid the Ecovillage recycling shed as a start. The meeting is at 1 PM.

The contest for creating a garbage monster design just ended a few days ago. I got a lot of great entries. One by David Murk really stood out as a viable costume design. There were a lot of other great ideas that I want to incorporate into the design too.

At 4 PM, Meg and I are going to Moving Box Studios (aka MBS) to film the intro to my video of The Elephant's Lullaby. I will be introducing the motions to the song in front of a green screen. Chris Davidson, Wright Rickman, and Liz Mclelland from MBS will then animate it and put me on a jungle background. Meg Doherty will stand in for the monkey Marika. I'll bring my camera and get a couple photos.

- Tom