Hayns: YOU KNOW, THE PUPPET DEPARTMENT IS LIKE A FAMILY.
IT TAKES AROUND ABOUT 30 PEOPLE TO MAKE ONE PUPPET.
WE'RE A SPECIAL BREED,
AND WE'RE LIKE A LITTLE SORT OF ROVING BAND OF GYPSIES
THAT TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NOT MANY OF US.
WE LIVE, SLEEP, EAT, AND BREATHE PUPPETS AND PUPPET MAKING.
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT STOP-MOTION ANIMATION WAS
WHEN I WAS A KID.
I JUST KNEW THAT I WAS HOPELESS AT SCHOOL, AT ACADEMIA.
THE DOODLES IN MY TEXTBOOKS WERE WAY BETTER
THAN WHAT I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE GETTING FROM MATH AND ENGLISH.
SO I WENT TO ART SCHOOL, AND THEN AT THE SAME TIME,
I STARTED TO COLLECT OLD VICTORIAN SCARY DOLLS.
THEN I REALIZED THAT ALL OF THE KIDS' TV
I'D GROWN UP WITH IN ENGLAND WAS ALL STOP-MOTION.
IT ALL SORT OF MADE SENSE TO ME THEN.
AND, YOU KNOW, MAKING A PUPPET IS VERY MUCH LIKE MAKING A DOLL,
BUT IT'S A DOLL THAT YOU CAN THEN BRING TO LIFE,
SO IT'S PERFECT.
I STARTED OFF AS A GENERALIST,
SO I DID A BIT OF EVERYTHING.
YOU HAVE TO SAVE THE DAY WHEN A PUPPET'S HEAD FALLS OFF,
OR SUDDENLY YOU'RE RE-SCULPTING SOMETHING,
YOU'RE PAINTING IT, YOU'RE DOING EVERYTHING.
OVER THE YEARS, YOU GROW WITH IT.
YOU LEARN ALL THE MISTAKES,
AND YOU TRY AND ACT ON THOSE MISTAKES.
I GOT A PHONE CALL, AND IT WAS LAIKA,
AND THEY WERE, "WE NEED SOMEBODY WHO'S A GOOD PUPPET MAKER
TO COME AND SET UP THE PUPPET DEPARTMENT
FOR 'CORALINE.'"
AND I WENT, "OKAY! I'LL DO IT!"
THERE ARE 65 ARTISTS AND CRAFTSPEOPLE
THAT WORK IN MY DEPARTMENT.
WE HAVE A SCULPT DEPARTMENT.
THE SCULPTS GENERALLY THEN GO TO THE MOLD-MAKING DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU DON'T JUST MOLD A WHOLE BODY.
YOU HAVE TO SEPARATE IT INTO MANY DIFFERENT MOLDS
SO THAT IF A HAND BREAKS, YOU'VE GOT A SEPARATE HAND,
AND IF THEY HAVE A CHANGE OF FOOTWEAR,
YOU HAVE TO HAVE A SEPARATE FOOT MOLD.
THE MOLD MAKERS THEN HAND THEIR FINISHED MOLDS
TO THE ARMATURE DEPARTMENT.
THE ARMATURE BUILDERS ARE THE PEOPLE THAT BUILD THE SKELETONS.
THEY WILL THEN HAND THEIR ARMATURES AND MOLDS
TO THE CASTING DEPARTMENT.
AND THEN YOU HAVE TO DECIDE HOW YOU'RE GONNA ANIMATE THE FACE.
AT LAIKA, WE PERFECTED REPLACEMENT ANIMATION.
EACH MOUTH SHAPE IS A NEW FACE
THAT GOES ON WITH EACH FRAME OF FILM.
AND THEN WE HAVE ALL OF SORT OF THE LOOK OF PUPPETS,
SO THE PAINT, THE HAIR, AND THE COSTUME.
HOPEFULLY YOUR END PUPPET
WILL BE A FULLY ANIMATABLE, POSABLE PUPPET WITH A COSTUME,
WITH A COMPLETELY PAINTED SORT OF FACE, HAIR, COSTUME, HANDS,
AND WITH A LOVELY WIG. [ LAUGHS ]
AND THEN I'M THE CENTRAL PERSON
WHO SORT OF IS IN THE MIDDLE OF ALL OF THESE PEOPLE,
MAKING SURE EVERYBODY IS REMEMBERING TO COMMUNICATE
AND EVERYBODY KNOWS WHEN THEIR THEY'RE GETTING THE MOLD
AND WHEN THE MOLD IS GOING TO THE NEXT DEPARTMENT.
IF YOU FORGET TO TELL THEM ONE LITTLE THING,
THEY COULD BUILD SOMETHING AND HAVE WASTED MONTHS.
GENERALLY, I'M DOING THE UP-FRONT PART OF THE PROCESS,
SO ALL THE INITIAL PROBLEM-SOLVING,
SETTING UP THE TEAMS, SETTING UP THE PROCESS.
EVERYTHING THAT I'M DOING IN A BLUE,
THAT WILL BE EVENTUALLY MOLDED IN SILICONE
AND CAST AS A HARD PART.
AND THEN EVERYTHING THAT I HIGHLIGHT IN YELLOW
WILL BE A SEPARATE SCULPT,
WHICH WILL THEN SIT OVER THE JOINTS,
AND THAT WILL BE A SOFT PART.
I ALSO WORK VERY CLOSELY WITH THE DIRECTOR
AND THE HEAD OF ANIMATION
TO MAKE SURE THEIR VISION IS REALIZED
IN THE PERFORMANCE THAT THE PUPPETS CAN GIVE
AND THEN TO REMIND MY TEAM
THAT THEY HAVE TO COMMUNICATE WITH EACH OTHER.
Man: IT TOOK ABOUT A WEEK.
THE DUPES, WE CAN RUN IN THREE DAYS OR LESS.
-Hayns: OH, THAT'S GREAT. -Man #2: I'M JUST GETTING READY
TO CAST UP THESE GRANDFATHER HANDS.
Hayns: WE'RE ON TRACK WITH THOSE?
-Man #2: WE'RE ON TRACK, YEAH. -Hayns: OH, YEAH.
Woman: WE WILL BE ABLE TO GET A LITTLE ADDITIONAL MOVEMENT.
Hayns: YEAH, I THINK THAT WOULD BE GOOD,
AND I THINK THAT'S WHAT THE ANIMATOR IS HOPING TO GET.
MOST ARTISTS ARE -- THEY'RE SORT OF THE QUIET, DETERMINED TYPES
THAT GO INTO THEIR OWN LITTLE CREATIVE BUBBLES
AND THEY JUST DO THEIR THING.
CONSTANTLY HAVE TO REMIND ARTISTS, "NO, NO, NO.
YOU NEED TO TALK TO THE PERSON NEXT TO YOU."
IT'LL TAKE FROM THREE TO SIX MONTHS
TO MAKE THE FIRST ONE-OFF OF THE PUPPET.
SO, THAT'S ALL THE PROBLEM-SOLVING,
GETTING EVERYTHING SORT OF SET UP FOR MASS PRODUCTION.
WHEN YOU'RE DOING A SCHEDULE FOR A MOVIE,
IT'S USUALLY CALLED A ONE-LINE SCHEDULE,
BECAUSE EVERYTHING'S VERY LINEAR.
YOU KNOW, WITH A PUPPET, IT STARTS OFF AS ONE LINE,
'CAUSE IT STARTS OFF AS A SCULPT,
AND THEN IT EXPLODES INTO ABOUT 500 LINES,
AND THEN IT COMES BACK INTO A FINAL PUPPET.
IT'S INTERESTING WITH PUPPETS BECAUSE THEY ACTUALLY HAVE
TO DO MORE THAN A REAL, SORT OF, LIVE PERSON.
SO EVERYTHING'S EXAGGERATED.
IT'S CARTOONS, SO, YOU KNOW, YOU HAVE TO MAKE THE ARMS, THE LEGS,
JUST DO A LITTLE BIT -- WE CALL IT OVEREXTENSION.
TO DO THAT, WE'RE ALWAYS HAVING TO THINK ABOUT, INITIALLY,
WHAT THE SKELETON CAN DO,
BUT THEN, HOW THE MATERIAL OVER THE TOP OF THE SKELETON
MIGHT HINDER THE MOVEMENT.
IT'S ALWAYS A CHALLENGE OF MAKING THEM LOOK GORGEOUS
AND GET ALL OF THE PERFORMANCE.
AND I ALWAYS SAY WE NEVER FINISH A PUPPET
UNTIL THE LAST DAY OF FILMING,
BECAUSE WE ARE CONSTANTLY CHANGING IT PER SHOT.
YOU THINK, "OH, WE'VE MADE EVERYTHING THERE IS
TO MAKE AT THIS POINT.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S NO PROBLEMS LEFT TO BE SOLVED."
BUT, OF COURSE, EVERY SINGLE STORY
BRINGS A NEW CHALLENGE AND A NEW PROBLEM.
AND EACH TIME WE START ONE, WE'RE LIKE [GASPS]
"HOW ARE WE GONNA MAKE THAT?"
AND SUDDENLY IT FEELS LIKE YOU'VE JUST BLINKED,
AND IT'S DONE,
AND THESE CHARACTERS HAVE ACHIEVED EVERYTHING
THE ANIMATORS HAVE WANTED.
AND THE BEST THING IS, WE CREATE THESE, LIKE,
ENGINEERING LITTLE SORT OF MASTERPIECES,
AND THE DAY THAT WE PASS IT TO ANIMATION
AND SEE THEM BROUGHT TO LIFE IS INCREDIBLE.
AND THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT.
WE'RE ENTERTAINING, YOU KNOW, THE AUDIENCE
WITH WHAT WE MAKE EVERY DAY.
AND WE'RE ALSO, YOU KNOW,
HAVING A GOOD TIME WHILE WE DO IT, AS WELL.