Sketch models

Papier Mache over a cap

My brief for this project was confirmed towards the end of the Summer holidays. This enabled me to start experimenting with how best to construct the model. My client is looking for a Crocodile head to complete a costume for a Pantomime production of Peter Pan, to be shown at the Lighthouse Theatre in Poole. Ken Powell provided a design for me to reference of a cartoon crocodile head in context to the costume. From this image I can see that the mouth should be open while the proportions of the head in relation to the performer are suggested. Aside from this, it was up to me to start collating imagery and to research how the head would fit over a human's. One simple solution I produced was this paper mache hat. This is a highly cartooned version of a crocodile, similar to Disney's vision with large, round eyes sitting on top of the head. The snout extends out from a baseball hat brim. While this idea was cheap to make and lightweight, it only provides a top jaw for the Crocodile without solving how to disguise the wearer's face underneath. The hat is much more representative of a character without giving the full illusion of a crocodile's head.

Alongside the hat idea, I have looked at puppetry and anamatronic crocodiles used in Theme Parks and Films. One crocodile costume was made for a crocodile observer to wear, incorporating real crocodile skin across his back so that he could crawl amoungst the animals and observe them undetected. The head was made from fibreglass with a Polyeurothane foam skin. These methods give a realistic looking finish, rather than a stylised version for the stage. As the wearer of my crocodile head will be performing a dance as part of the character, my considerations for the head will emphasise wear ability and lightness over realism. By working with the costume student who will be making the crocodile's body, I should ensure that the head will fit alongside the style of her outcome.