Rewind: Build Your Own Shoulder Puppet

Here is a tutorial  mentioned three years ago that I think deserves a second look.  It's one of the neatest puppet how-to's out there.

Make Magazine has a neat mini-article on building your own shoulder puppet similar to the ones sold by Woodbaby.  Go here for more details.

A Primer on Puppet Building

Project Puppet now has a excellent primer on the design and construction of foam puppets.  It's fantastic for anyone interested in entering the craft of puppetbuilding or for those just looking for a bit of inspiration.

Go here for the primer

(found via Puppetvision)

Weekend Links: 8-13-11

Here are a few links you may have missed here or on the Facebook page:

Take a look at how forced perspective has been used in films from the past to the present

Discover how Silicone Paste can be used to create some nasty scars and wounds

Learn how to revamp a cheap plastic Halloween cauldron and turn it into something far more unique

Be amazed by this Wheatley puppet inspired by the hit video game PORTAL 2

Have your mind blown by this dragon puppet by the upcoming HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON live show.

Inspiration: A Treasure Trove of Behind the Scenes Videos of Ghostbusters 2

Much like the Steve Johnson Ghostbusters video are three more vids making the rounds  This time around for the sequel..  The first video showcases some optical effects alongside miniatire work and a bit of bluescreen puppeteering.  Not to mentiom a peek at Vigo.
The second video showcases the puppeteering involved with a far different made Slimer puppet.

The third video showcases how the Vigo painting effect was pulled off along with the real voice of the actor who played the film's main villain.

Check it out:

Puppet Design Explained

Emily DeCola

From Eric Hart's Prop Agenda is this cool vid that I want to share with you on puppet design with Emily DeCola (The Puppet Kitchen) who you may have seen in a few other related tutorials that I have posted in the past.  Enjoy!

Video here.

Find out more at The Puppet Kitchen.

Behind-the-Scenes: Movie Magic

Update:  The links below are now dead.  Here is the new link:  http://www.joda-entertainment.nl/mm

Over at Slash Film is a super-cool collection of twelve episodes of the 1994 Discovery Channel show Movie Magic;

Snipped from IMDB:

Documentary series dealing with every aspect of special effects in movies, from low-budget make-up to multi-million-dollar computer-generated graphics. The clear presentation includes descriptions of the creation and technical problems of the effects, and interviews with effects technicians, directors, stars and other crew. Each episode deals with one topic, effect or technician (eg theme park rides, CGI, Stan Winston), concentrating on one or more current or recent films. Written by Cynan Rees


Each episode is still a treasure trove of useful information for anyone interested in visual or special effects, prop building, creature fx, and miniatures.

Go here to see the vids.

Flocking Made Cheap

A example of flocking on a puppet

Snipped from Wikipedia:




For all of you puppet builders, miniature landscape artists, and prop makers out there who are in need to flock your project, I have found a handful of fantastic vids for you.  The best part is that they do not require the sometimes expensive equipment needed.


Warning: Since some flocking tutorials involve soldering and electricity build these at your own risk.

Creature Puppet How-To: Build a Replica "Alien" Chestburster

Here is a ultra-cool way of building a latex replica of the Alien Chestburster puppet. 

What makes this tutorial far more special is that the same techniques used to make one can be applied to any other puppet of your own design.

Full details here.

Jim Henson's Red Book Now Online

Jim Henson, the creator of the Muppets et al, was obviously a prolific creator and he would often jot down notes and ideas into a notebook which was later nicknamed "The Red Book".  It was a book that he kept updating with ideas and whatnot up to his death.  

Now after all of these years, The Henson Company has been kind enough to start posting segments of The Red Book in a blog format for all of us to see, not to mention learn from.  The best part is that it's all for free! 

Go here to see The Red Book.

(hat tip to Puppetvision)

Build a Articulated Robotic Hand

This tutorial from Indy Mogul's BFX is the perfect thing for my Bioshock Big Daddy costume and for anyone needing a good giant robotic hand.  It can even be modified for a Hellboy cosplay hand.  Oh, the possibilities.

Let Jim Henson Teach You How to Make Puppets

Jim Henson with some of his creations

It's been awhile since I last discussed anything puppet related so here is a fantastic vid to change that.  It kinda makes me wish that the Jim Henson company would start a new series on puppets in terms of how they are made and animated.

Build a Man-Eating Plant

Indy Mogul BFX has one of the coolest tutorials I have ever seen anywhere.  It's a how-to video on building a man-eating plant that opens up it's petals for its fiendish attack.  It's one of the coolest creature puppet builds out there.  Check it out and stick around for the bonus severed finger green screen trick:

Paper Mache Dragon Marionette

Here is a neat vid, from Dan The Monster Man and his site Gourmet Paper Mache, on the creation of a cool paper mache dragon marionette.  Go here to see more of his wonderful works and a cool 360 degree panaoramic virtual tour of his art studio. (via Buzzfeed)

Movie Trailer: JACKBOOTS ON WHITE HALL

Here is something all of my puppeteer readers and friends might get a few chuckles from:


(via AICN.com)

Puppet Building: Supplies You Might Need

I found this fantastic vid on Youtube on puppet building and the supplies one might need to start on the right path. Hopefully we will see more of these vids since this one is labeled as episode one.

BERNIE THE BUNRAKU ZOMBIE

Here is a nifty tutorial on how someone built a bunraku zombie puppet. (via Haunt Forum)

COUNT SCHLOCKULA

Don't mean to interrupt the 31 Days of Halloween-related how-to's, but I wanted to show you readers the third monster puppet that I am working on for a project of mine: Count Schlockula.

BUILD YOUR OWN VENTRILOQUIST PUPPET

It's a bit difficult finding any good reference material or video tutorials on building a ventriloquist dummy out there on the intertubes. Fortunately, I found this website which has kindly written a complete how-to on building one on your own. The whole thing can be read online and it's free. Check it out.

I also wholeheartedly recommend Mr D's Daily Ventriloquist's Journal. It's a blog which is written by artist, ventriloquist performer, and often restorer all things related to the topic.

The cool thing about his blog is not only do you pick up a few tricks of the trade on puppetry and their occasional need for restoration, but you can honestly see how much the writer loves what he does. Well worth a visit.

ANOTHER SNEAK PEEK: THE MUMMY

Here is another sneak peek at the second puppet that I created for the music vid/short film that I'm working on:

The body itself is a paper towel tube which had a mouth piece cut out and another tube inserted inside for the teeth. It is able to move its mouth up and down by use of a string that I pull on and a rubber band inside pulls the mouth back upward to it's original position.

The bandages was a tea-dyed cloth that I cut into strips and the head itself is constructed mostly from paper clay which I am still not sold on using the material ever again yet.

Related:
Franken-Joe
Drawless Animation

FOOD PARTY

I'm quite late in discovering this weird gem but other blogs have done a better job at mentioning this unique and brilliant show. It's called FOOD PARTY and it's a food show meets puppets in a world similar to Pee Wee Herman's fun house but stranger and dare I say funner.

From Wikipedia:

Food Party is an American television series, which airs on the IFC in the United States.^[1]

The show is a pseudo-reality cooking show filmed on an elaborate, technicolored cardboard kitchen set. Each episode features multi-course, out-of-this-world gourmet meals cooked up by hostess Thu Tran and a cast of colorful puppets for arriving "celebrity" guests^[2].

The show was originally produced and filmed in Cleveland for two web series based episodes, and later relocated to Brooklyn for the final web series episodes and six IFC produced shows^[3].

Here is a sample of the show (warning sorta NSFW):