Australian puppet creators?

[ashberg]

Hey everyone!! Greetings from Australia... (aussie aussie aussie oi oi oi)

I'm a long time muppet fan, first time muppet central forum contributor...

I'd just like to say how fantastic it has been to read through the threads so far. I'm planning to start making my first 'muppet' style puppet over the next few weeks. I'm intending to firstly design the character... who is it? what does it like doing? how old is it? whats it's favourite type of music? etc... then I plan to draw some sketches of this character and go from there... but that's where I'm not too sure what to do next... go get foam and other building materials is about all I know. So I'm sure you've fielded questions like this before, but I'm going to ask it again:

What are some good first-time creating tips?

Cheers guys!

 

[Buck-Beaver]

Welcome to the forum! FYI, to locating puppeteers, puppet builders and puppet building supplies in your country you should contact UNIMA Australia. They could probably help you a lot!

 

[Fozzie Bear]

What are some good first-time creating tips?

Welcome to MC! (There's a jacuzzi in MC's backyard!)

On making puppets, my first one was based on a pattern for a 'people' puppet, and it was Muppet-style. There are puppet patterns online and I would suggest you start that way. After doing it by pattern the first time, you get several ideas about what to do next in the construction of your own character(s).

Just found this for the heck of it:
http://members.aol.com/BocasHouse/MG/BlueBoy.html
http://www.teacherhelp.org/puppets.htm

 

[Beebers]

Welcome!

In our case, we build all our own original characters and have found that they themselves dictate who they'll become. Our character concepts most often originate out of conversations and general mimicry and fooling around. Sometimes, not always, they start with a visual in our minds which moves to a sketch on paper before build. Frequently the spontaneous voice is the original point of creation for us. But, too, ours are Muppety only in the fundamentals of construction, not in appearance; ours are more sculptural. During a build, if you're open to it or unless you have a set goal, it's fun to allow the developing puppet to let you know what it ultimately should be. But that's just us.

If you surf around this forum you'll find all kinds of helpful stuff.

 

[Beebers]

Also, it's true, about the Jacuzzi.

 

[ashberg]

Ooooh I can't wait to get it fired up

Thanks so much for your help everyone. As I make alot of electronic music and am in several bands, I'm keen to create look-a-like puppets of band members etc for some film clips. I've always been a huuuuuuuuuuuuuuuge fan of the Electric Mayhem (Dr Teeth being my fave muppet ever!!) so it would be like a dream come true to have a set of puppets for my band... heheh mesa love puppets not as much as I love bubbles though. Bubbles rock. I have too many bubble machines/devices. teehee. anyways...

 

[Beebers]

We commission/custom build people lookalike puppets and freestanding non-puppet people sculptures and tableaux. Please feel free to e-mail me at my profile address if you'd like to chat more about that. (Click on the drop-down check symbol by a person's name for profiles.)

 

[ashberg]

ever since i saw the Weezer clip for Keep Fishin' i've been dead keen to have a puppet clip for one of my songs i'm even thinking of doing a short film, a serious horror film based on HP Lovecraft's work using puppets and people etc... oh the magnificent array of ideas i have and the magnificent lack of money and time...

 

[Fozzie Bear]

Yeah, the money and time is a big disadvantage; however, if the money aspect were there I could hire help and cut down the time necessary to get things done.

At the rate I'm going now, I should be starting in 2016...give or take a few years.