The Cicada Princess

It's been a long time since I have mentioned any puppet related items here and this is too good not to share.  For years I have been kicking around the idea of meshing puppeteering with stop motion so I am glad to have discovered THE CICADA PRINCESS which does all of that and more.

Watch the vid:

Cicada Princess from Mauricio Baiocchi on Vimeo.

Go to the official site for more details in this amazing project and even help out by donating to it.

(h/t to Puppetvision)

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.

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)

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:

Inspirational Video: The Grimstones

Find the Grimstones website over here.

MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: BEHIND-THE-SCENES

Here is a collection of some neat behind-the-scenes vids on from the cult show Msytery Science Theater 3000.  What makes these videos so great is that we finally get to see a bit about how the puppets were made and worked alongside a look inside the props room.

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.

HENSON ALTERNATIVE PRESENTS S.U.D.S.

The Henson Alternative label has created a new upcoming show called Simian Undercover Detective Squad or S.U.D.S. The teaser can be found below with the actual series being released in the Fall if 2009 at Film.com.

This is how the series is being described:

"S.U.D.S." follows the inept undercover adventures of a grizzled orangutan detective and his rook ie simian partner in a human world.

For more details head over here and The Henson Youtube page for more coolness.

THE MAKING OF THE PRIUS "HARMONY" COMMERCIAL

See also:
Bunraku vids
Ninja Puppet Theater

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):

INSIDE CHIODO BROS. STUDIO

(via Scars Magazine)

SPOOK HOUSE DAVE

What do you get when you mix up a stew of old soap operas, puppets, and classic monsters? You get SPOOK HOUSE DAVE. (more details here)

Spook House Dave's Bleeding Heart
by Spookhousedave

(via SECRET FUN BLOG)

AMERICAN ROBOTS IN AMERISPACE -TEASER

Here is a teaser for the upcoming Drawless Animated flick AMERICAN ROBOTS IN AMERISPACE.

Production video journals can be found here and the the AK5000 Commercial can be seen here. Also for more Drawless Animation grooviness check out these past posts on the topic.

WARNING: THE TRAILER DOES CONTAIN SOME LANGUAGE THAT MAY BE CONSIDERED Not Safe For Squares or NSFS or NSFW.



P.S. I swear I'm not trying to turn this into a all Youtube blog. I'm in the middle of tons of project related stuff and I promise to get some real DIY articles back online soon. Stay weird!

MARK HAMILL TALKS YODA

A clip from the upcoming documentary, LEGENDS OF FILM AND FANTASY. Details found here. (via Monster Island News)

WANNA SEE SOMETHING REAL SCARY?

Here is a bit of a clue as to what I've been working on:

YET ANOTHER PUPPET MAKING TUTORIAL IN DRAWLESS ANIMATION STYLE

This is a fantastic and humorous, puppet making tutorial, and although it's not stated as Drawless Animation, I still feel that it shares the same ideas in the sense that bits of cheap junk can be made into something all kinds of awesome.

Below is a behind-the-scenes vid from a puppet podcast called JIGSAW. The full scoop can be found over at Puppetvision where I found this vid. Check it out: