Shaun the Sheep - Forum - Series 2 - Q & A

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1. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 6th 2009

   Hello everybody,
   
   I thought I'd try to answer any of your questions in a separate thread.
   
   Here's a start, I'm sorry I haven't got around to answering them all yet...
   
   How many new episodes will there be?
   40.
   
   How big are the sets?
   There are 18 units (sets), the biggest four are about 10.5 x 9 metres (35x30 feet). They represent the four compass points around the farm, as view from the middle of the sheep’s field.
   
   Do we ever use Blue or Green screen?
   Yes, all the time.
   
   How many sets are operating at one time?
   All of them are in use, but on an average day about half will be recording animation. This will increase rapidly as the shoot progresses.
   
   Will there be a new opening sequence?
   We are shooting a new, high definition version of the title sequence.
   
   Will there be new characters?
   Yes! (But I’m not releasing any details yet!)
   
   Will there be another competition to design a character?
   Sadly, not this time I’m afraid.
   
   What is the grass made of?
   It’s a fabric we buy in huge rolls called, “Fun fur”. It’s manufactured for making soft toys. We paint it green to stiffen it up and glue it on to a perforated steel base. We can then use magnets to hold the characters up.
   
   What are the (dry stone) walls made of?
   For series 2, we made lengths of wall out of real stones. Then we made moulds from them so that we could cast as many sections as we needed from resin. Finally they are painted to look like stone again!
   
   How do we make the wallpaper?
   We create or own art work from patterns and colours we like, then scale it down on a computer. All we need to do then is print the paper out and paste it up on the walls of the set (The farmer’s lounge for example), just like real life!
   
   Will there be any more episodes with Timmy?
   Yes.
   
   Will the Naughty Pigs still be involved?
   Oh Yes.
   
   How long do the puppets take to make?
   It can vary between a couple of weeks for a “one off” puppet to a few months for a major cast member.
   
   What material are models made from?
   It very much depends on the puppet! But here are the basics...
   Most human characters will have a steel skeleton or “armature”. Over the top of that they will have some elements made of moulded silicon or foam latex; usually the bodies, arms and legs. The head and hands are usually plasticene although we are using silicon versions more regularly to save time. The sheep have a hard core, covered in fur/ fleece fabric. The arms and ears are moulded silicon, the heads are cast resin and the eyes are plastic beads. There are two types of sheep – standing on two legs and standing on four legs.
   
   How many shots are taken per episode?
   In series two, it will average between 90-120.
   
   What kind of cameras are used?
   Canon EOS1 Digital stills cameras, recording on to computers running "Stop Motion Pro" software.
   

2. By Gromits little bro Apr 6th 2009

   cool thanx for that (WOOOO first post) covered a lot of q&A there!!

3. By jordan Apr 6th 2009

   this is cool thanks for the updates, ive always wondered what the woodenbases the sets are ontop of anymore info on those? , please make a longer behind the scenes for the dvds of series 2 pleasse cheers

4. By jordan Apr 6th 2009

   will be get to see lots of behind the scenes pix and vids please, anyone ever acidently broke anything & how much are characters, props and sets cost to build?

5. By Windows Vista Apr 7th 2009

   I've got a question.
   Is this pic from Series 1 or Series 2?

   
   Click here to view the full image
6. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 7th 2009

   Let's see - That's Laurie animating the farmer's niece in series one. She's animating on the Timmy series at the moment.
   
   Jordan - Yes, we frequently break things! (Directors are notoriously accident prone and should never be aloud near delicate props).
   It's impossible to say how much everything is worth. Generally, the longer it takes to build, the more expensive it is to replace.
   Infamously, a certain crew member once dropped a very famous prop from "Curse of the Wererabbit", but I will say no more than that!...

7. By Henry Apr 7th 2009

   I've got a question...
   
   Are there any characters that are not going to be in the new series and how do you make the sheep balence on each other?

8. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 8th 2009

   Henry - All the major characters are returning.
   There are a very few minor characters that appeared in series one who are not in any of the new stories at the moment. However, there are lots of new characters to make up for that.
   
   We quite often support the characters with thin steel bars or wires - especially when they are doing things like balancing or jumping through the air (If you look at the picture that "Windows Vista" posted above, you can see the puppet being animated is attached to a metal bar on the end of a heavy metal block). This is called rigging - We have a special team who help the animators rig their puppets. If you look at the credits of any Aardman production you will see there is a rigging department listed.
   Of course we then remove the visible means of support at the post production stage of the shoot so that it looks like the character is running and jumping quite naturally.

9. By Dobbydoodle Apr 8th 2009

   how many pictures are there in 1 episode of Shaun The Sheep?

10. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 8th 2009

    What do you mean by "pictures" Dobby?

11. By kimpony Apr 8th 2009

    What's Shaun like in person? Does he act like a celebrity? You're so lucky to know him. Baaaaaaa.

12. By jordan Apr 8th 2009

    thanks for replying, i hope there will be an exhibition or something i can see the sets

13. By Dobbydoodle Apr 9th 2009

    like how many frames do you take in 1 episode of shaun the sheep?

14. By Dobbydoodle Apr 9th 2009

    oh 90-120

15. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 9th 2009

    Morning Dobby.
    We'll be shooting around 90-120 shot per episode, yes.
    There are 6 minutes of animation in each episode, which is 360 seconds. There are 25 frames in a second, so we will record 9000 frames in each episode!
    

16. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 9th 2009

    Kimpony -
    He can be a bit naughty and keeps playing practical jokes on me.
    This morning I found a whoopee cushion on my chair, the little scamp...

17. By Dobbydoodle Apr 9th 2009

    morning csadler!

18. By legomatic Apr 10th 2009

    Hello Chris,
    
    thank you for the many answers and informations about STS. Great work you do every day! Never seen a so good series like STS.
    Well, i have anoter question about the farmers house. I have build my first modell in Lego bricks but i miss any Ideas and dimensions about the model. Do you have pictures from the right side of the house and from behind? Helpfully will be a picture from above. Or is there a plan with dimensions of each side? Look at my modell - is the size fits? I am not sure about. Remeber, i will build this house in a bigger scale (so near the original model) for bigger figures of STS. Model building was and is a big hobby of mine and i start up 25 years ago with building landscapes for my Maerklin Trains. Building with Lego is very nice (and sometimes not easy!) but ist not this feeling like real modelling. You know?
    
    Thanx for reply and ideas
    Chris from Germ
    
    

    
    Click here to view the full image
19. By Bitzer the Great Apr 10th 2009

    I have a question... When will the new series be completed, and when will it start airing?

20. By kimpony Apr 10th 2009

    Thanks for answering my question. I thought you must have a sense of humour.

21. By tj97 Apr 10th 2009

    cooooooooel

22. By mattgrom Apr 10th 2009

    That bottom lego modal is really good
    

23. By Minnie the Pooh Apr 10th 2009

    That was an excellent question, kimpony.
    
    I have one. Why is Shaun the only sheep who has "hair"? Actually, now that I think about it, Timmy's mother also has hair, in curlers. Are they members of some sort of special genetic line?

24. By sam ere chillin Apr 11th 2009

    When Does The Series Start?

25. By kimpony Apr 12th 2009

    I think Shaun has his topknot (hair) so we can tell him apart from the other sheep.

26. By tj97 Apr 13th 2009

    Is shaun married yet?

27. By bitzer_fan Apr 13th 2009

    Chris,
    
    Any idea if any idea if Season 2 will be picked up in the US? It's such a great series. I wish it had more American exposure.

28. By Minnie the Pooh Apr 13th 2009

    Hee hee kimpony, such a pragmatic answer.
    
    I have some more questions. Does Shaun keep in touch with Gromit?
    
    Also, how did Shaun end up living at that farm? Is the farmer a relative or friend of Wallace's?

29. By Windows Vista Apr 14th 2009

    Ha ha! Minnie the Pooh! The "Hair" is actually called a "TopKnot"

30. By Windows Vista Apr 14th 2009

    Response to Minnie the Pooh's question Is the farmer a relative or friend of Wallace's?
    
    Well, all I can say is, they very much look related. The thing that relates them is ugliness. It's a 50/50 chance that they are not the ugliest people on earth.(Plasticine earth)
    
    Chris, will Series 2 have any more "action"? I mean, well will Shaun and the Flock ever leave the farm? (Not like EastEnders where everyone sulks and falls out) I know the farm is the main destination for sheep to be but Shaun isn't an ordinary sheep, is he?

31. By Flumpie 4 Eva Apr 15th 2009

    Hi. I'm new here and I'm kind of confused! I've got a few questions for you:
    
    How do I no when Shaun and Timmy are on TV?
    
    Will there be any new characters in the new series?
    
    Will the old series still be showing?
    
    Please answer them!!! Thanks.

32. By Sammy the lamb Apr 15th 2009

    Flumpie 4 eva, Timmy time is currently airing on the cbeebies channel. If, like me, you don't have any of those new flangled digital channels, you can watch them BBC iplayer (Just search "Timmy Time"). This may be no help to people from outside the UK. I don't know when shaun will be on TV, probably sometime next year(We had to wait ages for a matter of loaf and Death).

33. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 15th 2009

    Hello all.
    Whoa! There's been a lot of questions since I last visited...
    
    Questions about when and where it's going to be on -
    
    I can't really give you accurate answers about air dates as that is down to the individual broadcasters around the world. However I can tell you that Aardman will be filming series 2 for most of the rest of this year.
    
    In the UK, "Shaun" is broadcast on CBBC and "Timmy" is on Cbeebies for younger viewers. Hopefully, both series will be shown for years to come, but that's down to the BBC.
    
    We certainly hope "Shaun the Sheep" will be broadcast in the USA again, although the episodes may have to be re-editted (shorter than the UK versions)as they were in series 1.
    
    Other questions -
    
    Chris from Germany, that's an excellent model and the proportions look pretty accurate. As you may have already noticed, we never show the other side of the house so I'm afraid I can't supply you with a picture.
    
    Series 2 will be mostly based around the farm again but Shaun will still get away occasionally. (And if there is to be any sulking and falling out then I'll make sure it's funny.)
    
    Shaun is not married, he's far too young for that!
    
    The farmer is not related to Wallace as far as I know but I can tell you that they are exactly the same height!
    
    And as for Shaun's topknot, staying in touch with Gromit and how he got to the farm?... I really don't know, you'd have to ask Nick Park about that.
    I can say that Shaun is supposed to be a bit older in his own series than he was in "A Close Shave".
    
    I think that's more than enough for now,
    
    see ya

34. By Gromits little bro Apr 16th 2009

    I have a question!!
    Can shaun's jumper return for an episode sometime?? Please!!

35. By kimpony Apr 16th 2009

    That would be so cute/fun, Gromit's little bro! Great request!!

36. By Idril Apr 16th 2009

    Hello Chris.
    Thanks for answering so many questions I have had and thanks to all of you for asking those questions. I do have one more question. I live in a rural area here in the USA and don't have cable tv. So far the only way I can get my Shaun fix is buying the DVDs. I have the first two that have be released. Do you have release dates set yet for the rest of series one? I am eagerly awaiting more Shaun and Timmy as well as the rest of the gang.

37. By michiganfrog Apr 16th 2009

    I have almost the same question as Idril but I only have the off the baa dvd set. can I get any others in Canada? any ideas where cause I've looked at futureshop bestbuy and such and haven't seen any others.

38. By Minnie the Pooh Apr 16th 2009

    Windows Vista, but if Wallace is ugly, why would so many ladies fall in love with him? Clearly he must be considered quite handsome in the plasticine world....
    
    Chris, thank you for addressing my questions, even if some of them (well, all of them) were a bit silly. I'm surprised that there isn't a series "bible" that contains all of Shaun's backstories.
    
    I'm also in support of Shaun's jumper returning, although I suspect that Shaun has outgrown it. I bet it's the perfect size for Timmy though....

39. By Minnie the Pooh Apr 20th 2009

    I have another question, but it's not about STS. And it's a plea, really....
    
    Chris, could you ask Nick Park to consider making a film or a series about Gromit as a puppy? I am obsessed with baby Gromit....
    

    
    Click here to view the full image
40. By ratrp Apr 21st 2009

    brill

41. By kimpony Apr 21st 2009

    Minnie, baby Gromit sure is cute!

42. By Minnie the Pooh Apr 21st 2009

    Isn't he though? Wouldn't everyone totally love seeing him in a series of his own?

43. By mitzie Apr 22nd 2009

    can u make a leader board for wolly jumper
    thanks
    mitzie
    

44. By Fizzi pop Apr 23rd 2009

    Hi! i dont think weve spoken before. i was just wondering...
    
    will the new shaun the sheep series have each episode as 6 minutes long?
    Are there any new characters?
    are there any extra features we can look forward to?
    thanks much, xFizziPopx

45. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 24th 2009

    Idril - It does appear that only 2 DVDs have been released in the US so far, although I'm not certain of that.
    I'll ask around and get back to you!...

46. By Sammy the lamb Apr 24th 2009

    I have 2 questions... What changes have you made to poor old Bitzer? He was fine the way he was but you had to go and change him... He can't even look at his own reflection without being shocked anymore... Ok, so granted Wallace and Gromit changed too...
    I'm just a bit upset because I like Bizter the way he is.
    
    My second one is Does Bitzer have any reliatives?

47. By Sammy the lamb Apr 24th 2009

    I'm also very angry about the ending of "Bitzer puts his foot in it". I hope the farmer gets run over by a 4X4!
    
    If any of the other stories are like that one I shall NOT be watching.

48. By csadler Aardman Staff Apr 24th 2009

    Oh dear.
    
    ...I was going to write more but "oh dear" seems to say it all, lol!

49. By ratrp Apr 24th 2009

    chris
    how long will series 2 take to animate. is there an estimate

50. By TopDaddy Apr 24th 2009

    I am an absolute fan. My 2 year old is also a total fan. Anytime she is upset , I just put on Shaun, and she calms right down.
    
    What I am curious about, is there any other history of Shaun we don't know about that might be covered in this new series? I would like to see an episode where he meets him Mum. Unless, his Mum is already a flock member...?
    
    By the way, Sammy, if you don't want to watch the show because of the ending of one episode, then you might rather not even watch the new series.

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