Info on a Puppet Video Short

[Blink]

Hi all,

Here is some information on a puppet video short that I was a part of this past summer. It was great fun and was done on a very cost effective budget.

http://www.web.net/~carmengillespie/GTHD/Carmen-Film-GTHD.html

Shot on digital video camera, the space was borrowed, the crew were all volunteers (including myself; they were a great group of people, and besides they bought the puppets from me), the music, and editing were all donated.

Aside from the cost of the puppets, the biggest expense was the Swiss Chalet chicken and fries that was ordered to feed eveyone.

It goes to show you that with planning, drive, and a whole bunch of volunteers (which are out there) you can accomplish a lot.

For those of you who dream of making a small puppet video, don't give up. Make your puppets. Borrow that digital camera from your friend. See if you can film in you friend's garage. Find out if anyone has editing software on their computer and is willing to donate their time and equipment.

You can get it done.

I don't know what the final cost of the production was, but I think that puppets aside they spent $150 on food.

- Blink

 

[fishbone]

yeah

yeah!!! that's cool,i did one @ the L.A. film school,w/ 4 more puppeteers .i heleper w/ the set &we had to alter the arm rods the puppets were built by barry g.(handimonium puppets).it was only a 10 day shoot,but it was the best ten days of my life.yeah it was kinda cool to get fed & paid to play with puppets & be asked for your creative input & be taken seriously.being on a set was really cool..when shooting & being in puppet mode,working w/ those other puppeteers,i caught the bug..that's all i really want to do....your puppets look pretty awsome to ,by the way

 

[Blink]

yeah!!! that's cool,i did one @ the L.A. film school,w/ 4 more puppeteers .i heleper w/ the set &we had to alter the arm rods the puppets were built by barry g.(handimonium puppets).it was only a 10 day shoot,but it was the best ten days of my life.yeah it was kinda cool to get fed & paid to play with puppets & be asked for your creative input & be taken seriously.being on a set was really cool..when shooting & being in puppet mode,working w/ those other puppeteers,i caught the bug..that's all i really want to do....your puppets look pretty awsome to ,by the way

That sounds like an awsome experience. I know Handenmonium Puppets, they are excellent. What was done with the film? What were the puppet characters?

Thanks for the compliment on the puppets.

Catching the bug is very easy. Have you had a chance to work on any puppet video/film productions since?

- Blink

 

[fishbone]

no i haven't got much work...i just email ppl that are doing films or shows...but nothingit's kinda slow in cali & i just got a response from new york saying theyr'e keeping it local.but i just wanna do any puppet stuff on film or t.v. hey how do you get your puppets to blink from the inside the sockets & not on top of the head?

 

[scarylarrywolf]

Is there a place online to download that film?

Also, I'm looking into buying a dv camera. What kind did you use, and would you recomend buying that model? Thanks!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Hey Larry - I posted this in another thread recently, but I picked up a Cannon ZR60 Mini-DV camera with some grant money I got last year for the film thing I'm doing. I got it because it was about the cheapest Cannon camcorder I could find (I like Cannon because the optics tend to be superior to most other cameras). It costs about $350 US but you might find it for less on ebay. Really nice, compact high quality camera. Unless you are shooting something for TV (or need timecode) it'll get you a lot of bang for your buck.

Of course if money is no object, consider checking out Canon's XL1S w/interchangable lens or the slightly cheaper GL-2.

 

[Blink]

no i haven't got much work...i just email ppl that are doing films or shows...but nothingit's kinda slow in cali & i just got a response from new york saying theyr'e keeping it local.but i just wanna do any puppet stuff on film or t.v. hey how do you get your puppets to blink from the inside the sockets & not on top of the head?

Actually I don't get them to blink from the inside, the mech I use is the same as one posted here on the forum some time back (I'm too lasy to find it right now). If you want an idea on how to make a blinking mech on the inside check out this here.

It is a pretty cool site with some great inside tips.

Enjoy.

- Blink

 

[Blink]

Is there a place online to download that film?

Also, I'm looking into buying a dv camera. What kind did you use, and would you recomend buying that model? Thanks!

Hi Larry,

Not yet. The film has just been submitted to a bunch of festivals and I haven't heard back yet. If it goes online I'll be sure to post the link.

The camera they used was just an early model Canon DV camera, but just last night I was speaking with someone who indeed enjoyed the quality of picture that was captured with the Canon XL1.

I wasn't really a part of the post production much (in fact I still haven't even seen the film myself yet), but I agree, I have heard good things about Canon products.

I hope that helps Larry.

- Blink

 

[fishbone]

holy shnykee!!!!!that is what i needed!!!!you fraggin rock!!!!!!