Can Anybody Be Puppeteer?

[Pork]

What you guys are saying is true I think. Just wondering...is it possible to be a puppeteer...without being able to do voices. Like, being a backround puppeteer or something. Because I really love using my puppets, but, um, yeah. They are all mute it seems. I do practice voices...when I'm home alone...and nobody else but me will hear my lame attempts. Anywho...just wondering. (and sorry if this is off topic)

 

[CBPuppets]

Frank Oz once said that it takes 10 to 15 years to be an expert and some people just can't do it.

 

[Teenager's]

What you guys are saying is true I think. Just wondering...is it possible to be a puppeteer...without being able to do voices. Like, being a backround puppeteer or something. Because I really love using my puppets, but, um, yeah. They are all mute it seems. I do practice voices...when I'm home alone...and nobody else but me will hear my lame attempts. Anywho...just wondering. (and sorry if this is off topic)

Yea!.....But there are of course other styles of Puppetry that don't need voices---like table-top, shadow, rod etc......

But I think you can work toward those voices---just don't think as "cartoony" think naturalistic.....just change your pitch if you want and try moderate accents..

A lot of times though the puppet brings the voice and talks when it wants to......so spend some time with it on your arm, in front of a mirror, sitting in a chair etc....and wait....it'll speak when it wants to.......don't try to force a voice through the puppet.

It's sort of like mask work.....performers stare at the mask (sometimes for days) until a character comes out from the mask & it tells the performer.

 

[D'Snowth]

What you guys are saying is true I think. Just wondering...is it possible to be a puppeteer...without being able to do voices. Like, being a backround puppeteer or something. Because I really love using my puppets, but, um, yeah. They are all mute it seems. I do practice voices...when I'm home alone...and nobody else but me will hear my lame attempts. Anywho...just wondering. (and sorry if this is off topic)

I think so; some people are best at the puppetry, but not necessarily the voices, meanwhile, some can do great voices, but can't really work puppets well (ala Marilyn Sokol). That's how dubbing works.

Frank Oz once said that it takes 10 to 15 years to be an expert and some people just can't do it.

That's what I said six posts ago.

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

I am pretty much with everyone else that puppetry cannot be taught easily. As much as people don’t want to comprehend that, it’s something that cannot be learned overnight. Seeing bad puppetry is something that probably makes all of us groan. Like someone opening their whole hand and not just their thumb and not moving any other part of the puppet’s body not only looks bad but doesn’t show any real skill. Like D’Snowth said, it takes many years to become a master puppeteer; I will admit there are struggles I can’t even get past yet as a puppeteer. There is no harder performing art.

 

[DannyRWW]

hmmm... on thought is also that there are different formats for puppetry as well. I have really tried to do more video work, but I find sometimes I freeze up or do it all wrong (lip synch, movements, etc because I am worried about watching myself on a monitor (I'm not very proud of much of what I have done on you tube). I do fine when I use puppets behind the stage, but I can always see room for improvement. Of course it is interesting watching early muppet work and you can see this as well. Myfavorite style of opperating my puppet is similar to what they do on avenue Q with the puppeteer in the open. Much more comforting and great for working with toddlers. Being a teacher I have a lot of opportunity for this. It seems when I perform this way everything goes smoothly (lip synch, movements, etc.

I agree with the comments about not discouraging people who are new to this. I work with children and I would take a passionate (and humble) puppeteer over a skilled puppeteer any day. I have worked with children who have a gift but no heart. I much more prefer the ones who try to learn but love puppeteering. I've seen a few who I can see in years may be great puppeteers. Passion can lead to skill if someone is willing to work at it. I think I've wanderd off here a bit but I think passion and commitment are the keys.

 

[Pork]

Yea!.....But there are of course other styles of Puppetry that don't need voices---like table-top, shadow, rod etc......

But I think you can work toward those voices---just don't think as "cartoony" think naturalistic.....just change your pitch if you want and try moderate accents..

A lot of times though the puppet brings the voice and talks when it wants to......so spend some time with it on your arm, in front of a mirror, sitting in a chair etc....and wait....it'll speak when it wants to.......don't try to force a voice through the puppet.

It's sort of like mask work.....performers stare at the mask (sometimes for days) until a character comes out from the mask & it tells the performer.

Cool, that's good to know. Thanks for the tips about voices too, I will keep my puppet with me more often.

I think so; some people are best at the puppetry, but not necessarily the voices, meanwhile, some can do great voices, but can't really work puppets well (ala Marilyn Sokol). That's how dubbing works.

That's good to know, thanks.

 

[BobThePizzaBoy]

Reminds me of the movie Ratatouille where Chez Gusteauv's motto is "Anyone can cook".

Actually, another quote from Gusteau from that movie fits perfectly with this thread, too. (Modified for obvious reasons)

"You must be imaginative, strong-hearted. You must try things that may not work, and you must not let anyone define your limits because of where you come from. Your only limit is your soul. What I say is true - anyone can be a puppeteer...but only the dedicated can be great."

Doesn't that define us so truely?

 

[Frogpuppeteer]

I believe that Puppetry can really only be learned by the individual...and Not taught...

i find this true, you cant teach it cause some people just wont pick it up, puppetry is a thing were you have to learn yourself

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I believe that Puppetry can really only be learned by the individual...and Not taught...
it takes too long to learn for it to be taught by an institution

I kind of clung to this opinion for a long time (you could probably dig up years-old threads on here where I advocated it), but I just don't think it's so. The problem - as I see it anyway - is that the vast majority of puppeteers who try to teach puppetry are largely self-taught and aren't formally trained so they don't really know how to teach it themselves.

If you study math, you learn via a system your teacher learned how to teach. There may be more than one method (some are better than others) and the methods may be updated and changed over the years, but they are part of a centuries-old tradition of teaching math. That's equally true of dance, acting, illustration and most other artforms.

Puppetry doesn't have the same teaching tradition unfortunately. Until about 100 years ago, most puppeteers were highly secretive and the only way to learn puppetry was to apprentice with a puppeteer for years or try to copy on your own.

BTW, I am not suggesting you can't be self-taught and be a good puppeteer, just that ineffective puppetry training is usually the fault of the teacher/instructor.

There is just not enough good puppetry training available.