Gamla Model Makers have developed these great little articulated puppet heads for an upcoming Australian stop motion animation movie (I wonder which one?). They are only 40mm tall, but have quite a range of possible expressions. On the page they look like emoticons, don’t they?
Mr Weekend is a giant (4.5 metre tall) robotic sock puppet made by Michael Simi. He is fashioned over a large mechanical hand from a defunct Michigan car factory and is having some difficulty adjusting to his change of job into the art world…
(via @JudexJones)
Check out these fabulous magpie geese puppets! They were made by Erth, for the production Goose Lagoon, a new contemporary dance work by Gary Lang NT Dance Company which premiered recently at the Darwin Festival. Here are the pick of the links I could find:
Puppetrynews and then PuppetVision picked up on this advertisement for the Mayflower moving company which borrows very directly from Royal de Luxe’s little giantess street theatre spectacle. It is by no means the first to do so, as we had the Allen’s big doll commercial in Brisbane last year and there have been others that I have been tracking for some years (several pages of posts), which show Royal de Luxe has been highly influential. But the way Audrey settles in her big chair and takes a nap is particularly close to the giantess resting in her deckchair. In my opinion she doesn’t evoke the beauty and mystic that the little giantess does, but she’s not alone in that either! The makers, The Character Shop, have detailed photos of the making process.
This is the trailer for the short animated film adaptation of Shaun Tan’s The Lost Thing which is now released and reeling in awards! It looks great, doesn’t it? I also like the design of the official website, and Shaun’s account of the process.
Screen Hub reports that producer Sophie Byrne has also ‘optioned the rights to The Arrival and The Rabbits via Passion Pictures Australia, and Tales from Outer Suburbia is a co-development with the UK. They are currently in discussions with US production companies for The Arrival and Tales from Outer Suburbia to be adapted into feature films, whereas The Rabbits is likely to be made as a short here in Australia with Shaun directing.’
I also hear on the grapevine that Spare Parts Puppet Theatre is working on an adaptation of Tales from Outer Suburbia!
Previously:
This is a preview of The Grimstones – Mortimer Revealed , the second show in Asphyxia’s magical gothic fairytale about the Grimstone family, following on from The Grimstones – Hatched. I love the look of these marionettes, and hope to catch a performance sometime when they tour up this way. Their touring itinerary is here.
Earlier this year I made the set and props for Flotsam and Jetsam, a production for children which tells stories about living on Australian lighthouse islands in the past. The script was written by Greg Lissaman, from recollections gathered by Chrissie Shaw, the actor. Catherine Roach is the director.
The set is an island, panels painted in a pointalist style, which can concertina into different shapes and be dismantle for touring. The lighthouse is modelled on the historic lighthouse at Cape Otway in Victoria, and Tasman Island in Tasmania was among other sources of stories and images, such as the flying fox access to the island. There were numerous props – seaweed, wooden chests, a porcelain doll, an albatross, and a sea buoy. There are more photos of these in my Flotsam and Jetsam photoset.
Touring dates and booking details for Flotsam and Jetsam are listed at Chrissie’s site. On 19 – 21 August it has a short season at the Maritime Museum in Sydney, and then it will tour coastal community venues in NSW. Chrissie also performs The Keeper, an adult play also based on lighthouse stories.
A new feature in PhotoShop called Puppet Warp will enable manipulation of an object, or parts of an image, by using an overlayed mesh and control pins.
When I mentioned the cartoon British TV show Peppa Pig a few years ago the pigs were putting on a puppet show for their parents. Now an adaptation, a live theatre show Peppa Pig’s Party, has become a roaring success for pre-schoolers.
The puppets have lovely simple lines and are very cute! Built by Paul Jomain, (known for his Virgin One mascot, Red, and the PG Tips monkey), they are ‘operated by actors who remain on stage with them, perform alongside them, and provide the voices’ in the style of the Avenue Q puppets, an aspect discussed in an interview with the puppetry consultant, Nigel Plaskitt. He also talks about the decision not to use body suit puppets; they exist, but are gross in comparison!
My thanks to Naomi at Puppets in Melbourne for her kind post about my blog and work.
