Cat puppets for a Movie please help!!!

[puppetise]

Hey guys i have come up with a concept for a movie and need help with the puppets there is a group of 4 ally cats two gonns of the leader which will be in a trash can (think of oscar) and i need help with how to shoot them imm planning on making thenm dance on the fence i thought off marionet versions aswell as glove but i need help with figuring this out as they would be singing while doing it anny advice would help
:confused:

cheers -wayne-

[Blink]

Hey guys i have come up with a concept for a movie and need help with the puppets there is a group of 4 ally cats two gonns of the leader which will be in a trash can (think of oscar) and i need help with how to shoot them imm planning on making thenm dance on the fence i thought off marionet versions aswell as glove but i need help with figuring this out as they would be singing while doing it anny advice would help
:confused:

cheers -wayne-

Bunraku style puppets against a green screen (or blue). Puppeteers wear green suits (much like The Book of Pooh). That would work.

Just make sure that the puppets you have do not have too much thin fur coming off their bodies (nothing long). The reason being that the fur will be a nightmare to key out in post production. If there are any editors out there they will poably say the same thing. If you can design the puppets to have more of a clean line/short fur around them, it will look much better after the background has been keyed in.

Here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61218876@N00/95415261/) is a great example of a cat puppet that would work great against a green screen (minus the furry cheeks and top of the head). Just something to think about.

[puppetise]

well thats a greet idea but i dont have the software becauseim only 15 any other ideas? but thanks if there was a way to do this while hiding the puppeteer???? how about cutting in shots of there face with their marionet vesoins dancing and when they hqave a line cut in the face movements?

[Buck-Beaver]

Look up an old puppetry technique called "Czech Curtain of Light" (sometimes called "Black Theatre"). It's the same idea as blue/green screen puppetry, but uses black. The puppeteers dress in black against black and the lights are carefully placed so that there's a thin strip (or "curtain") of light for the puppets to perform in. By adjusting the camera's settings so the blacks saturate (you can do this in post) then the puppeteers are rendered virtually invisible.

They used this approach on the Muppet Show quite a bit. It would work well for a nighttime alley scene.

[puppetise]

wow buck thats close to what i want but there is a house behind the wall maybey i could move it along is there a site i could read more on this?iInt this what they uses for the fireries on labrinth should i watch the special fetures closer to learn a bit more but just not supperipose onto the film?


cheers -wayne-

[Buck-Beaver]

Google is your friend (http://www.google.com/search?q=Czech+Curtain+of+Light+technique&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) Puppetise. ;)


well, unless you're in China, but I digress...

[puppetise]

im googleing but having trouble gee buck your the man with the answers this is going to be great any sites with info please post

[Phantom]

Google is your friend (http://www.google.com/search?q=Czech+Curtain+of+Light+technique&start=0&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official) Puppetise. ;)


well, unless you're in China, but I digress...


Good one! :D

[Buck-Beaver]

If you click the link I posted above, the first two pages or so have sites with good information.

[puppetise]

gee thanks guyz any more techniques would be great

[mummytomb]

Puppetise,
It's a little dificult reading you posts. Take a look at your spelling.
I hate to be insulting, but I was surprised to discover you are 15.

[puppetise]

Puppetise,
It's a little dificult reading you posts. Take a look at your spelling.
I hate to be insulting, but I was surprised to discover you are 15.


why so? and ill try to write clearer

[puppetise]

Bunraku style puppets against a green screen (or blue). Puppeteers wear green suits (much like The Book of Pooh). That would work.

Just make sure that the puppets you have do not have too much thin fur coming off their bodies (nothing long). The reason being that the fur will be a nightmare to key out in post production. If there are any editors out there they will poably say the same thing. If you can design the puppets to have more of a clean line/short fur around them, it will look much better after the background has been keyed in.

Here (http://www.flickr.com/photos/61218876@N00/95415261/) is a great example of a cat puppet that would work great against a green screen (minus the furry cheeks and top of the head). Just something to think about.

like in this clip is this the type of stuf your talking about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIxhLKnG2zg&search=destinies%20child%20walk watch all the way through

[Trekkie Monster]

that was done with a green screen (Like described before) I would reccommend designing puppets that have a sleeve comming from the lower belly, and rodes on the arms and legs of the cast, that was you could have them walking on a fence, as well as singing.

[Buck-Beaver]

What works really well in my experience is to do this type of thing like table-top or Bunraku-style puppetry where the puppets are operated in front of you and not above you. As long as you don't need to turn the head completely around, a hole can be placed in the back of the head and rods can be used to control the body, arms and legs.

It's really important to pay attention to how the puppet moves. One thing about that clip of Elmo, Grover and Zoe that bugs me is that when they walk they move like puppets, not like a real creatures with actual weight that are affected by gravity. I find it's really helpful to study animation to figure out how puppets should move in a realistic manner.

[Blink]

like in this clip is this the type of stuf your talking about http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JIxhLKnG2zg&search=destinies%20child%20walk watch all the way throughExactly puppetise. That is the green screen Bunraku style puppetry I was talking about.

If you are trying to do things on a low budget, this can actually be done rather inexpensively. If you search the net (I like google (http://www.google.ca/)), you will be able to find lots of information on low budget green/blue screen techniques.

You might gets hundeds of answers to this question on how to achieve the effect you are looking for. Everyone often has an opinion on how to do things. I say just experiment. Try a whole bunch of different things. Ultimately you are the one making your project. Look at what you ahve done and see what you like.

I personally liked the look/movement of the puppets in the clip you showed. Like Buck said it is "not like a real creatures with actual weight that are affected by gravity." Sesame Street often do things like that.

It worked for me in this situation though. If the puppets were more realistic or if the sequence was more dramatic I might want to consider what Buck-Beaver said about focusing more on the movement.

Remember, just ask yourself does it work for you. If it does, then I say go with it. It's one of the best ways to learn.

Good luck.

[Buck-Beaver]

That's a good point. I think with Sesame Street they're not going for 100% realistic movement and it's a stylistic choice. It really is important to experiment a lot and try different approaches.

[puppetise]

ok well i have been thinking and i have made a few scetches and the set is pretty good design but i might do black velvet