12 Questions for puppeteers

[Buck-Beaver]

I recently posted this in my blog and wanted to add it here...12 helpful questions puppeteers should ask themselves before performing a puppet in a scene:

1. Is the puppet doing what the director wants?
2. Is the puppet doing only one thing at a time?
3. Is the puppet putting over the story point in the scene it's appearing in?
4. Is the puppet acting as if there is something going on in their mind?
5. Does the puppet appear to be doing something on their own?
6. Can the audience tell what the puppet is thinking?
7. How does what the puppet is doing effect what the audience is thinking?
8. Is the puppet appealing?
9. Is the puppet passionate? Is it expressing emotion in a real, genuine, not forced manner?
10. The K.I.S.S. principle. Whatever you're doing, are you doing it in the simplest way possible?
11. Has the scene been properly staged or choreographed? Has it been broken down in to emotional and story "beats"?
12. Would any one else besides your mother care about what you're doing? (be honest!)

I find there's often a lot of technical questions about puppetry (lip sync, eye focus, voices, etc.) and that's very important, but it's a little like someone trying to be an actor by learning to walk and talk. It's necessary, but not really enough. Staging, character and the "acting" components of puppetry are what really makes a great performance.

BTW, much as I'd like to take credit for the above, it's adapted from Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnson's Keys to Emotion in Animation, which is probably familiar reading for the animators on the forum.

 

[faze]

Andrew

after reading those 12 questions, it makes things alot clearer to the puppeteer what he wants the puppet to do, and give him a mind of his own eh?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Following up on the list above, here's six more things to think about:

1. What's your objective? Puppeteers must understand what their character is doing, or trying to do, in any given scene. They must also understand the through line that connects the beats in the story together and pushes their character forward in the narrative. If you don'’t understand what I'm talking about, go read up on the Stanislavski System and Method Acting.
   
2. Why? Good puppetry is about why something moves, not how. What is the story you're trying to tell? What is the character'’s motivation? What is their emotional state? Why are they moving? Answer those questions for yourself before you begin performing.
   
3. Create a thinking character. I touched on this with the 12 Questions above. John Lasseter (the director of Toy Story and this summer's upcoming Cars) has said that in animation every movement, every action must exist for a reason. The same is equally true for puppetry. Puppeteers give life to a puppet by connecting its actions with a thought process.
   
4. Stage in silhouette. A scene should be staged and performed so that if your puppet was frozen at any given point its pose and/or silhouette automatically conveys what the character is thinking, feeling and doing at that exact moment. As an exercise, tape yourself performing a puppet, then play it back and randomly freeze the video at various points to see if this is happening or not.
   
5. Make it musical. Great puppetry has a rhythm to it, but it's not repetitive or monotonous. Like Jazz music it has a melody, but also offbeats and departures.
   
6. Don't do anything half hearted. Whatever you'’re doing with a puppet in a scene, commit to it wholeheartedly. Make the audience believe in what you’re doing!

 

[intozlight]

Good advice!

I will be making a copy of this thread for my puppeteers

______________

Director Davies
RipplesMinistry.org

 

[ReneeLouvier]

I think the last one, really applies for me. Currently the only person who really cares at all what I'm doing (or trying to do) is my Mother. But at least everything else really does apply well for me.

Not trying to muffin the thread, but I will be printing it off to show to the other part-time puppeters in my church as well.

 

[ChinoXL]

I wish I would of seen all of those before finishing filming my first episode - VERY VERY helpful - I can take all that information to stride when doing the next one.

Thanks for the info

 

[fluffmuppet]

I practiced on home video and in the mirrors soo many times, and I finally performed 2 plays with my puppet (look at icon) with the pupept club I was currently in..and all my friends and fam told me that my puppet was the *most alive* LOL..I guess I portrayed emotion, and even when she wasn't talking, she was still alive, aka she didn't stop moving like she were a robot, just because another puppet was speaking.

It's definitely feeling in puppetry..you have to imagine you are that puppet you're performing..that should be the very first thing. You have to feel like a child, and not care what anyone thinks. I could not believe that I didn't have an ounce of nerves when I was performing for over 100 people, because I was focused on having fun

And it's amazing being in animation for college, lots of those tips apply to cartoons as well..that's so cool.

 

[puppetise]

I practiced on home video and in the mirrors soo many times, and I finally performed 2 plays with my puppet (look at icon) with the pupept club I was currently in..and all my friends and fam told me that my puppet was the *most alive* LOL..I guess I portrayed emotion, and even when she wasn't talking, she was still alive, aka she didn't stop moving like she were a robot, just because another puppet was speaking.

It's definitely feeling in puppetry..you have to imagine you are that puppet you're performing..that should be the very first thing. You have to feel like a child, and not care what anyone thinks. I could not believe that I didn't have an ounce of nerves when I was performing for over 100 people, because I was focused on having fun

And it's amazing being in animation for college, lots of those tips apply to cartoons as well..that's so cool.

Yes thats what i do its the best way topractice..