Notes

PIP on TV

Here are some notes about “TV Puppetry” that we learned with Caroline Reck prepping for “PIP on TV”

• Important to mostly be still, and MOVE the puppet with direct movements
• Puppet looks forward for your deliverable moment; sharing with audience
• EYE FOCUS — where you look and when; the puppet wants to look at precise things; have it set in YOUR (puppeteer) head what the puppet is looking at; let it “SEE” the environment
• When looking towards another puppet, look down & over @ 3/4; roll the back of your hand (a bit) towards the audience. Keeps the eyes looking sideways, without them going into profile. Can’t see the pupils from the side/profile
• Look straight into the camera to express your idea
• Look at the sides for thinking
• Always be doing something
• If always facing camera (straight on), find a moment to look elsewhere, and look at it for emphasis
• Tilt & 3/4 turn for side-look
• Rotating around eyes for subtle look
• Look at mouth of the other puppet while they talk; keep eyes stationary
• Bounce to walk
• Make agreement on where to look (as “planes” go by)
• Use the depth of the stage to show intensity
• Eyes to LOOK and compliment scene partner’s look
• If you’re too close to the camera, it limits the space you can move
• Play with variety in how you fill the frame of the camera; play with depth (foreground | midground | background)
• Find other places in the environment to look
• DOOOOoooo something!

Another thing we learned was that variety in the improviser’s HEIGHT was a problem. How do the Henson guys deal with this?

Puppet Manipulation Basics

Big thanks to Josh Cohen, Connor Hopkins and Liebe Wetzle for these notes.

Talking

• Bounce from shoulder
• Bounce opens mouth
• Speak from back of hand
• Pop open on vowels (close for consonants)
• Look at puppet & emote, then look at scene partner
• Keep energy in puppet
• Keep puppet's head out to audience; avoid profile
• Keep hand pointed slightly down so audience can see eyes
• Practice thumb movement (drop jaw, maintain eye line)
• Hard to make puppet talk (say what you are saying)… tendency is to let the puppet go flat / dead

Walking

• Bounce gives rise and fall of walk
• Forearm to turn & shift weight for walk

General Notes

• Be conscious of puppets movement
• Have clear movement, not a lot of extra movement
• Small movements for talking
• Emphasize beats with BIG movement
• Anticipate movement with a “breath”
• Bounce (rise/fall) gives “breath” or life to your puppet
• Let puppet look around and “see” environment
• Use the puppet’s body language (eye contact, close/far to other characters)
• Show, don’t tell… Nod for “yes”, shake head for “no”
• Everything you do, do it through the puppet
• Share energy with audience… have puppet look at audience often

Example:

• To other character… “[Name] I want to ask you a question”
• Out to audience… “[asks question]”
• Back to other character… “Eh?”

Tips

• Keep control of puppet’s eye focus
• Keep energy in your hand
• Get out of your head and into your hand (makes puppet feel heavier and more grounded)
• Let the puppet misbehave