Character Building

This past week, we've continued work on our current long-term projects. We’ve been developing our characters, building environments for them to live in, and creating the overarching story of their world. We’ve really enjoyed imagining how our characters might interact, and we’re having a lot of fun with it. Since our characters are hip to the latest trends, they’re naturally all on facebook. Look them up if you’re interested-- Billy Circus, Sheeva Circus, Maestra Circus, Marty Circus, Emile Circus, and Baby Circus. Maybe you’ll even see them on twitter soon! Or maybe not…







In order to ensure that everyone got a chance to do some animating, we decided to take a break from our long-term projects and create a short together. After an intense morning of brainstorming, we came up with a project that has proven to be a real NIGHTMARE—literally! We spent the day animating, and all gathered in the attic at nightfall to film a terrifyingly bad dream. We’re still working on editing and sound production (including toy instrument arrangements!) and finding new ways to spook things up a bit.





Other than that, we’ve been enjoying each others company, cooking and eating some delicious meals, continuing our weekly community movie night, and loving the Iowa summer weather. The gardens are yielding a bountiful harvest, the ducks have really grown (and they’re just as adorable as ever), and our feet are sneaking in a dance party whenever they can.

Chugging Along

Day 11 of Circus, and we’re staying eager. We’ve tapped into a scenario that will encase the existing animations of Histories and have room for future Histories, too. You could call us a narrative-creating machine. We’re asking questions like: “How do portals work?” And, “How are they discovered?” As Tiny Circus builds the members of the Tiny Tiny Circus (we are actually creating a very small animatable circus), we’re wondering, “What is Firebreather’s greatest vulnerability?” “Does Baby Drummer have a favorite song?” “What will unhinge Strongman?” "Is Contortionist mint-chocolate chip green, or M&M green?" "What does Ringleader's laugh sound like?" "What makes her laugh?" Still much to unearth as we create complex characters and absorbing stories. The summer, it feels young.

Wait! There’s more. Last night we rounded a few corners to return to the Grinnell Railway Express, a railroad model club that has created a tiny scale model of Grinnell. A vibrant test animation with the small trains and cars and Jewel Box Bank set our imaginations in motion. What will unfold in this little world?

Being Productive and Having Fun at the Same Time!!

The summer session at the Circus is revving up. A few new members have popped in over the past couple of days, and we've started working on a show to tie all of the Tiny Circus' work together. This has involved brainstorming new ideas, getting familiar with different materials, and birthing new characters. We also went to check out the Grinnell Railway Express to see if they would be kind enough to lend their space for part of our show. They agreed to help us, so we will be able to bring the wonderful town of Grinnell into the personality of our show!

We've made sure to balance work with play over the past couple days as well, which involved a lot of playing with baby ducks. Some of us also worked on putting together a Tiny Puzzle!

Tomorrow is our Community Movie Night, which will be very much enjoyed after a long day of working on the Circus house. Come on over if you want to watch a movie and enjoy some good food and good people!!