Starting a puppet workshop

[mupcollector1]

I'm working on starting a puppet workshop to make puppet films within my company though I need to price things like how much does the average professional hand and rod / live hand puppet cost to build? How much do puppeteers and puppet builders usually get when working for a puppet workshop? What's a good size building for a puppet workshop?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

It really depends on your budget and what you want to do.

The term "professional hand and rod puppet" is a misnomer, it doesn't really mean anything (I wrote a short rant about that several years ago). Prices for custom puppets usually start at $500 and go up as high as $5k-$10k. Generally speaking, you get what you pay for. Buying a puppet is a lot like buying a car or a musical instrument...they may all look more or less the same on the outside, but it's the insides that matter.

Rates for puppeteers vary quite a bit as well. Puppeteers for film and TV who are members of unions like SAG or AFTRA (which is the majority of talented, experienced on-camera puppeteers in the United States) are usually paid what's known as "scale" which is the minimum pay rate required for a certain type of project. What you're doing would probably be classified as an "Ultra Low Budget" film, so I think the pay rate is around $250 per day or $900 per week, although the rate is often much higher on TV series and feature films. The pay rate for non-union puppeteers varies, but $100 per day for web-based projects seems to be the norm, although I know of experienced, talented non-union puppeteers who charge the same rates that are paid to union performers.

Pay for builders is all over the map too, at the last place I worked pay varied according to experience and skills. Trainees and interns made around $14-15 per hour and artists and technicians with specialized skills made $30-40 per hour. About $20-25 was the average though. Some shops - especially in theatre - are unionized and rates are set by the union. A really good builder whose work is demand can usually set their own rates within reason if they freelance.

Workshop size is variables as well. The last workshop I worked in was about 600sq feet, which was a good size for a flexible shop where several people worked, although we also took advantage of adjacent 800sq ft sound stage when extra space was needed (the 600sq ft does not take in to account a kitchen, bathroom, or office...that was just dedicated shop space). We had a lot machinery and storage though, without that we could have gotten away with less space.

 

[mupcollector1]

Thank you very much for the information on that.

Also how do I go about learning how to build better quality hand and rod, live action puppets? Like you mentioned it depends on what I want to do. Yes I want to do television and film but I want to combine the TV/ film puppetry with motion capture technology. The puppets are going to be blank, basic outline like head, body, arms. waist up and probably some full body ones too if needed a full body shot in whatever film project I'm working on. It's an experiment that I feel really enthusiastic about. But back to building, I want to learn how to do the flat polyurethane foam pattern technic more. I remember people recommending this website where you can buy learning kits for puppet patterns but they are too simple. Simple round head, simple tall head, etc. And I have a feeling that the puppets might come out too small. From noticing, hand puppets are usually a lot bigger in scale them the actual human arm that's inside which was new to me in my reason observation.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

I'm sorry but I don't really know what your skills/level of experience is, but in general you have to build a lot of puppets to develop those skills. Realistically, it usually takes a few years. A lot of people learn by using the Project Puppet patterns. Another good resource to learn from is Dave Privett's puppet building DVD series "From Sketch to Show".

The important thing is, build a lot of puppets.

 

[mupcollector1]

I see what you mean, it's a skill that takes time and practice. In terms of experience I've done puppet films since high school in terms of filming my puppetry though I've learn how to perform since I was 10 and started building by own since then. It's kind of hard to describe building in words but I'll try. Well, I've used a glue gun mostly because I don't know how to sow the best nor have I had experience working a sowing machine. I've learn the pattern skill from footage shown on Muppets on Puppets. I would take two sheets of polyurathame foam and draw a side few outline of the puppet head and the mouth determining how wide it would be. Then I would take a glue gun and glue the sides slowly by the middle so they connect together to form the third denominational shape. It's been trickly with me because doing it without getting burned, I do it when the glue is decently warm. After words I would make a mouth plate out of flexable flat foam that can be bought at a craft store for about a dollar a piece and I would measure and cut to make sure the mouth plate is going to fit. Then it's a bit of a struggle with a glue gun but I hold down the mouth plate edge by edge and glue like crazy until it hardens a bit an keep doing it until the mouth is all set. Then I close up the back of the head just like how I put the two pieces together. The bodies I've struggled, basicly making tubes. Necks I haven't bothered with much if I wanted characters to change bodies but I managed afterwords to make them out of fleese for flexable head turning. But flease with a glue gun and not a sowing machine or needle and thread can look very sloopy. lol The hands were just one pattern cut with a rod wrapped around the wrists. The rods would be ones mostly used for fake flowers in the wedding section in craft stores and not so much strong metal rods which works best. Esspecially when you bend the bottom and create a handle with duck tape and spray paint it black. Though that's as far in puppet building as I went. I stopped for a few years because I didn't have much money for new materials.

Basicly I was self taught and looking back on it all, yes I do need lots of improvement and education. I usually learn best from visual guides and stuff. I don't know much people around me to help teach me so internet is the solution for now. Plus I get a bit picky with styles because I've always loved puppets that looked well made. I'm good at drawing and performing but like my music playing, my puppet building skills are a bit rusty and need improvement.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

One or more of the Project Puppet patterns is probably a great place to start. I think using them and following the instructions/tutorials might help you a lot.

 

[mupcollector1]

Okay then, thanks Buck-Beaver