This is my portfolio about my work as stop-motion puppet fabricator, sculptor and character designer, visit my page for more information.

1. PORTFOLIO
Matteo Burani
Character Designer & Stop-motion Puppet Fabricator

2. Matteo Burani (Class of 1991, specialistic high school diploma in the
Arts, Painting diploma at the Bologna Fine Arts Academy).
I am cofounder in 2010 of Studio Croma, with Guglielmo
Trautvetter and Giacomo Giuriato. Studio Croma is an
independent stop-motion studio based in Bologna, Italy, where
I still work as character designer and puppet fabricator. With
Studio Croma we regularly produce and films commercials, music
videos and short features that have allowed me to explore several
different formats, from the more adult to children’s animation.
Starting in 2016 I have also started to teach character design and
puppetmaking in professional training courses.
facebook.com/matteo.burani.artist matteonicolo.burani@gmail.com (+39) 339 331 3503

3. from LA VALIGIA
An old man is sitting on the edge of a
bed in a bare room, deeply wrinkled
face and stubble, gnarled hands, hunched
shoulders: he is alone and thoughtful. The
only opening is a small barred window. In
front of him, he has a battered suitcase.
Opening it he finds the photographs and
personal belongings of a lifetime. Thus
begins a sequence of memories and
visions, as his brains synapses come
to life and invade the room in a journey
through memories and time.
Cortodorico 10+1
Premio giuria
Cortodorico 10+1
Premio giuria giovani
Cortodorico 10+1
Premio CGS-ACEC
SannioCinema&Rock’n’rollFestival
Premiodelpubblico
Bornshorts Film Festival
Best Animation Film 2014
DC Independent Film Festival
Official Selection 2015 C
David di Donatello
Cinquina finalista 2015
Nastri d’Argento
Cinquina finalista 2015

4. as a young boy
VIKTOR at age forty.
VI K TOR

5. Throughout the story, we see Viktor at different
times of his life: as an old, sick man; as a
twenty-year-old, as a teenager with his brother
and as a young boy. Starting from the character
of an old man and imagining his younger versions
was a very interesting experience.
VIKTORas a very old man.

6. An afternoon helping Grandpa at his work in the theater gets out
of hand as they change in and out of costumes, laughing.
Music video for the song “Per un Però”
2016 RAI Zecchino d’Oro.
from PER UN PERO’

7. the GRANDSON
For this video we used puppet facial replacement for
the very first time. It felt like a true achievement for me
because I managed to build a functional system without
the aid of 3D modeling or printing equipment.

9. the GRANDPA

10. SKINNY, PUDGY and the ZOMBIE
from TWEET the MONSTER
In a smoky basement, three
shady individuals compete in a
Russian Roulette... a grotesque and
unexpected plot twist is lurking.
2013 Future Film Festival Teaser Trailer

11. from LO ZOMBIE
VEGETARIANO
The poor Vegetarian Zombie roams town searching for food. All
he finds is scared, unfriendly people who have no idea that the
only ones that need to be truly terrified are the Veggies! The Boy,
who soon realizes what is happening, will be his first friend.
Music video for the song “Zombie Vegetariano”
written by Frankie hi-nrg mc. 2015 RAI Zecchino d’Oro.

12. the ZOMBIE
For these puppets facial movements I used magnetized
mouths, eyes and eyebrows. This enabled us to obtain an
infinite amount of expressions by simply changing these
small elements, frame by frame.

13. the BOY

14. the VEGGIES The Pepper’s scenes are for the most
part of drawn-out screams. To avoid
a still-frame effect with an unmoving
wide-open mouth, I studied a set of
mouthes where the ugola is visible,
moving back and forth.

15. the GRANNY & the NEWS-AGENT

16. 2014 Future Film Festival Official Trailer
THE FLYING MAN
An unlikely superhero zooms about a
futuristic city, when suddently the Delorian
from “Back to the Future” appears...
from FUTUROPOLIS

17. from LA LEGGENDA
DELLA TORRE
The ancient town of Bologna holds a
secret to it’s famous Towers.
A young pheasant falls in love with a
beautiful Princess, and a battle between
a simpleton in love and Death ensues.
2015 a Studio Croma, Articolture and Emilia
Romagna Film Commission Production.

18. ASINELLIas a young Boy.
All these puppets use plasticine
for their facial expressions. On
a resin structure, the animator
can change the expression
area around eyes and mouths
sculpting them frame by frame.

19. ASINELLIas a Nobleman and a worried father.

20. DEATHas the deceitful helper.

21. ...and many more!
The inflexible aristocrat, Garisenda, and
his beautiful daughter, for whose love
Asinelli made a deal with Death.
The preacher who married Asinelli
and Garisenda, and their beloved
daughter with whom this story ends.

22. CHARACTER DESIGN

24. I take care of most of the character design and puppetmaking, and collaborate for costumes with
one of my colleague’s grandma, who puts together my drawings and textile selections, never
disappointing and always surprising us with her brilliant solutions to the tiny clothes!

25. MAQUETTES and SCULPTURES

26. This little guy helped me work
on facial substitution.
After months of failed attempts
and prototypes, I realized the
puppets you see in 2016’s “Per
un Però” music video.

27. Continuing series of wooden sculptures I
regularly work on to refine my techniques and
expressiveness. This unforgiving material makes
deleting mistakes impossible: a great teacher!

28. PELVIS RIG: 3.97 mm
Here the brass tubes create a cross section, to
allow the animator to attach the rig both from
the front and the back of the puppet.
ARM ATTACHMENT: 4.76 mm
We use two standard sized, square tubes for
these armatures, that can be inserted one into
the other. For the arm-to-hand attachment,
the larger, 4,76 tube inserts into the 3,97 one
that is attached to the structure of the hand
and wrist of each puppet.
This is a cheaper, quicker method that we use
for projects like this one, where the time we
have is extremely short.
With every project I have tackled in stop-motion, I have tried to introduce optimal solutions for each
puppet’s facial and body range of movement and expressions. What all of my puppets do have in common
is the same basic metal structure inside their body. Except for very simple characters, I have always used
a ball-and-socket structure, that guarantees resistance and precision in movement.
ARMATURES

30. THANK YOU!
For more information, please feel free and get in touch with me.
facebook.com/matteo.burani.artist matteonicolo.burani@gmail.com (+39) 339 331 3503
Cheers!
MATTEO