11. Failed Snail

To add to my penguin filming experience I have filmed a rather handsome, mottled brown and white rabbit and would you believe a snail.

The rabbit, after being coaxed from its cage was given the name Peter and then placed upon a table around which we crowded, cameras in hand. The rabbit was surprisingly clam about being encircled by a bunch of bumbling amateurs wielding cameras (the bumbling was probably just me), that is until someone switched on a spotlight, startling it and causing it to topple backward off the table...I’m hoping the RSPCA does not get wind of this.

Thankfully there was no real damaged done and after dusting it off, the rabbit was once again placed on the table this time right in the middle where it sat out the rest of the session seemly unperturbed by the throng of lights, tripods and wobbly camera work. Once again I think I only speak for myself there.

The snail filming exercise, on the other hand, reminded me distinctly of filming at Victory Beach.

The task was to bring to class items from which we could fashion a miniature set for a snail. Once again we were promised wildlife, only this time, in the form of our very own snail.

People brought whole sections of lawn, water sprayers to keep the snails moist under hot lights, Katie even went so far as to construct her snail a miniature house and swimming pool and Mark went for the parking lot look with a 'used' condom and chewing gum wrappers. I decided on a cottage garden setting and brought small flower pots, autumn leaves and had to scrounge around for aged logs and moss covered rocks.

After some serious landscaping on our part, Paul brought out his little bag of snails all hidden in their brown shells. On closer inspection we found that far from hiding, the shells were somewhat lacking. Lacking the snail. In its place we were given Plastercine for fashioning our very own.

The class’s disappointment at receiving a shell minus the snail was surprising short lived. Soon we were engrossed in rolling and shaping and moulding snails of all varieties and races. I thought it rather unfortunately that the choice of Plastercine colours were less than snail like, and so decided that with some extra mixing and mashing I might be able to produce a more life like snail colour. I was even hoping for the added touch of speckles. Sadly, after everyone else had finished creating and I was still trying to get just the right hue I was forced to give up. I did however, manage to give my snail all the correct anatomical appendages. Eyes and feelers!

Jinty was kind enough to take pics of our creations so if you click on the link you can view my rather failed attempt to create, from brightly coloured plastacine, a correctly coloured snail.