This is a draft which I designed for a planned weekly web series. The story is to take place in a chain store of a made up coffee shop company.
Using Polystyrene boards, I assembled a mock-up of the counter. I placed it into a bright corner next to a large window of the production company’s premises to give the set the inviting impression of an airy coffeehouse. Later on, I added more details to the photo digitally.
And the classic again – fake products. This time a milk carton and a cereals box. My puppet Felix serves as the brand’s mascot.
Season’s Greetings, contemplative holidays, maybe some snow and a successful start into 2014!
Also by Doc and Felix presenting their new holiday video. A still from the video:
In addition to the talking every-day items already known, this time I inroduce a more elaborated type of puppet. They have a body and rod-controlled arms. An example from sketch to finished puppet of an Erlenmeyer flask.
Another job for BR. A little series of clips for their daily live broadcasts from the Oktoberfest. The back story: two beer mugs – a veteran and a greenhorn – experience different situations on the famous Bavarian beer fest. There will be three puppets of each charakter, each with a different facial expression.
An example of the old beer mug.
I dressed a corner in our premises as the show’s central control room. This is from where line-producer Ludwig Wolpertinger (puppet builder: Robert Rebele) desperately tries to manage the on-stage mayhem.
Just moments before shooting. Behind the camera: director David Gromer and DOP Stefan Spoo.
Under the table, quite uncomfy: Norman Cöster (head and voice) and me (both hands) working Ludwig.
Sauhund, a puppet show. My DingStars will also appear in this show. A new regular feature will be the Socken-Fans, characters clearly to identify as sock puppets . A bunch of fans waylaying the guest star at the back door of the sound stage. I’m doing my best to make the most of those normally rather primitive sock puppets and make them fully-fledged characters.
An example from sketch to final puppet:
Rudi, a Bavarian Prototype.
And here the whole cast so far.
This little tuna can was quite stubborn during shooting. The hinge between lid and can didn’t want the way I wanted it to work…
One of my DingStar-puppets. This one is exceptionally not manipulated from below but from above. (That’s why the upper rim of the lampshade will never be seen on screen.) A rod, fixed to an elastic is used to push down the lower lip of the puppet. Reducing the pressure on the rod and with that on the elastic will cause the mouth to close in a quite natural way.
Preparation for a new show on BR – Bayerischer Rundfunk. I’m going to produce clips that will be used to introduce the show’s guests.
The audio level is going to be a real audio survey about the prevailing guest. Later on, I will build puppets from every-day items and animate their mouthes to the voices of the prerecorded survey.
That’s going to be big fun.