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Hat Sharpener
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I've seen some pretty terrible photos of the Kermit Replica out there - most on the MR site. I've also seen a ton of really great photos (mostly from people here). I did a lot of experimenting, and thought I would pass on advice to everyone else, and see if people had other ideas to help.
1. Lean him forward.
The best advice I found for making Kermit look real came from the three best experts themselves - Jim, Frank and Michael (Frith).
In this YouTube video (at about 3:50) they talk about how Muppets are almost always tilted far forward at the angle of the performer's forearm - almost 45 degrees.
It's night-and-day when you lean your Kermit Replica forward enough... it seems weird at first, and you really have to bend those hip joints far when he's sitting, but makes a huge difference, expecially in the shape of his face.
It's a major problem in the little News Items on the MR homepage where they have Kermit visiting different places. It also really makes me understand the lean of the Palisades Kermit figure a bit more.
2. Don't use a flash.
I've learned this from people on this board. Somehow the fleece they used is VERY reflective and photos with your camera's flash come out looking almost plastic and shiny.
3. Don't always have his mouth open.
Most of the time Kermit is watching the craziness around him. He rarely has his mouth open unless he's talking or smiling. He somehow looks more real to me with his mouth closed unelss he's mugging for a photo.
4. He looks best from an angle.
Head-on shots looking into the camera just don't come out quite right. I think that has something to do with what Jim, Frank and Michael talk about at the end of that clip - Kermit's expressions are made be whether he's looking up aove the camer, or down below it, or to the side. Somehow, looking straight at it doesn't really work. Even the slighted tilt helps a ton.
Any other pointers?
Here's Kermit reviewing my pointers before I post.
1. Lean him forward.
The best advice I found for making Kermit look real came from the three best experts themselves - Jim, Frank and Michael (Frith).
In this YouTube video (at about 3:50) they talk about how Muppets are almost always tilted far forward at the angle of the performer's forearm - almost 45 degrees.
It's night-and-day when you lean your Kermit Replica forward enough... it seems weird at first, and you really have to bend those hip joints far when he's sitting, but makes a huge difference, expecially in the shape of his face.
It's a major problem in the little News Items on the MR homepage where they have Kermit visiting different places. It also really makes me understand the lean of the Palisades Kermit figure a bit more.
2. Don't use a flash.
I've learned this from people on this board. Somehow the fleece they used is VERY reflective and photos with your camera's flash come out looking almost plastic and shiny.
3. Don't always have his mouth open.
Most of the time Kermit is watching the craziness around him. He rarely has his mouth open unless he's talking or smiling. He somehow looks more real to me with his mouth closed unelss he's mugging for a photo.
4. He looks best from an angle.
Head-on shots looking into the camera just don't come out quite right. I think that has something to do with what Jim, Frank and Michael talk about at the end of that clip - Kermit's expressions are made be whether he's looking up aove the camer, or down below it, or to the side. Somehow, looking straight at it doesn't really work. Even the slighted tilt helps a ton.
Any other pointers?
Here's Kermit reviewing my pointers before I post.
I goofed before.
It wasn't too bad though, interesting to read our early critiques & compare them to the final outcome.