Research and Innovation Blog
For my third prototype, I brought in my set design for the most complex scene — the opening scene at a sleepover in Freak’s bedroom. Here it is:
FEEDBACK:
My second prototype was my first main character puppet — THE BEAST! Here she is in all her glory:
She was so fun to make, and while she still needs arms and clothes, I have a more clear vision of The Beast as a character. Her snakes are also a prototype since I had to order more of the appropriate fabric. I feel really positively about the response to The Beast overall.
FEEDBACK:
For my first prototype, I brought in my “prototype puppet” Linney, who I used as my first practice puppet to learn the basics of sewing and puppet materials. Since she won’t be in the show, I also presented a few reference images and sketches for my upcoming main characters – Freak and the Beast.
I was SO happy with the response to my first prototype. People really responded well to my explanation of the show’s themes and the characters. A few folks have already said things like, “Oh that’s me,” or “I was so The Beast in middle school,” and it made me so excited to see that people connected with the characters and the themes.
Here are the slides I presented along with Linney.
Here is some feedback I got for further development:
This week’s research updates will overlap a bit with my Industry Event post, since I’ve been reflecting on my visit to the Jim Henson exhibition and how it has helped in my process. Find that post here.
I’ve continued working on my prototype for next week, which will be finished as soon as my sewing machine gets delivered! Since it’s about 2 hours from being finished, here’s my takeaway from my prototype puppet:
As I discussed at the end of my Industry Events post, I’ve been researching to further define the themes and tone of my show before I totally finalize the script. I was inspired by this sheet I saw at the Jim Henson exhibition to make a list of all the themes and adjectives to describe my show. I expanded it further to describe the two main characters, since I’ve found that creating unique, flawed characters is a huge part of the children’s shows I’m modeling my show after (Sesame Street, The Muppets, Nick/Cartoon Network shows I mentioned in my research plan). Find this sheet below!
On September 29, I visited the Jim Henson Exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria, Queens. Jim Henson is a huge inspiration to my thesis project (and I’ll be using the “Muppet” style for all of my puppets) so paying a visit to this exhibit was the most relevant research outing I could find. Before I go into my main takeaways, here’s a photo dump of some of my favorite parts of the exhibit!
This exhibit was incredibly informative and inspiring for my thesis project. I already knew quite a bit about Jim Henson before my visit from YouTube documentaries and articles, but I was so happy with the exhibit’s thoroughness in exploring every part of Jim Henson’s works, including many details I hadn’t read anywhere else. On top of that, I got to see so many of his creations in person alongside their original sketches. I was really comforted and inspired to find that I relate to Jim Henson’s attitude about being an artist. He never wanted to be confined to one type of art, or one type of media, and pushed the limits of every medium he entered. As someone who has a lot of different interests and skills (which is how I arrived at this thesis project), I’ve felt pressure to specialize or choose a specific path. I love kid’s TV, but I also love adult comedy and animation, and also set design, prop design, writing, building, etc.! Jim Henson didn’t choose, and I left the museum feeling more confident in my desire to do as many things as I’m good at.
It was illuminating to see something as large as Sesame Street, The Muppets, Fraggle Rock, etc. in its early phases, how much trial and tribulation went into these projects, and how many projects Jim Henson created in his lifetime to varying degrees of success. This past summer and then this semester have been all about getting my big, vague ideas about this project into tangible results, so seeing how Jim Henson took ideas that, at the time, were unheard of, and made them into reality was so valuable. I’ve already started using his brainstorming documents and sketches as models for my own prototyping.
I think the most useful part of my experience at the Jim Henson Exhibit was going through Jim Henson’s documents for The Muppets and Fraggle Rock. It really illuminated the paralyzingly vague brainstorming process – nailing down themes, tone, and characters’ attitudes, traits, and inspirations. Inspired by this exhibit, I’ve included my own Themes, Parallels, and Connections brainstorm sheet in my Research Update #2.
Prototype 1:
Finished “prototype puppet” along with in-progress character puppet.
Prototype 2:
Finished character puppet.
Prototype 3:
Scale model for classroom set.
I’ve been researching and preparing to take on my main character puppets. I need to make sure I know what I’m doing before I start them because faux fur is a lot different than the nylon fleece I used for my prototype puppet, and also a lot more expensive. I bought some tutorials from Project Puppet, and have started watching those and practicing stitches while I wait for my faux fur to arrive from the Etsy seller.
I’m feeling pretty nervous about finally taking on the actual characters in the show. I’m afraid that the image in my head just won’t happen, and I’ll feel like I don’t have control over the product. Whenever I’m feeling creatively anxious or blocked, I read Lynda Barry, who is a famous cartoonist, painter, writer, etc. (and just won the MacArthur Genius grant), so I’m including that in my research as well. She has a quote about how young people stop drawing when they can’t get their drawing to look like the vision in their head. She says, “Well, that’s impossible. The thing in your head is not a drawing.” I’m trying to take a similar attitude to these puppets, and release a little control. I won’t know what details and designs are possible until I try to do it. I’ve pulled back a little in designing every detail in paper and pencil, because a drawing is not a puppet! The limitations of working with fabric, thread, etc. will always push the design in another direction, and that’s ok.
As I work on the technical parts of my project, I’m also working on researching the tone and themes of my pilot. While my plot and script are final enough to work on characters and rough sets, I’m still looking for ways to improve the dialogue and puppeteering. I’ve been working off of the list of research topics on my previous post to try and perfect the balance between audiences that the referenced shows achieved. I’ve also been reading Making A Good Script Great by Linda Seger.
Next research update, I’ll have the beginning of one of my main characters and some lessons learned from my theme and tone research.
For my senior thesis project, I will be producing an 11-minute pilot of an original show “Freak and the Beast.” The pilot will follow two puppet best friends (only known as their bully-given nicknames “Freak” and “The Beast”) on their first day of seventh grade. I also plan on making the actual exhibit at Showcase a major focus of my time next semester. I want a fully immersive, interactive experience with my project sketches, storyboards, a set, and the puppets, and possibly materials for people to make their own mini-puppets or at least a camera set-up for folks to test out performing some of my puppets on-screen.
I was inspired to do this project by the challenge of combining my passions for children’s television, comedy, writing, and set design. I have always looked up to creative icons like Jim Henson and Fred Rogers, and I suddenly realized they were both puppeteers! Since diving into puppets, I have fully realized the potential of this medium to combine all of my relevant skills into something that is passion-driven and also hireable (I hope to work in producing children’s television.)
My project will be different from existing media in the non-traditional themes I will be exploring in Freak and the Beast. First, the protagonists are two girl best friends who do not fall into stereotypes. Female friendships are so often left out of media, even children’s media, and when they are portrayed, are rarely given the nuance of other friendships. Sure, these two girls are fussy and whiny and a little insecure — like all middle schoolers! — but they are also goofy, smart, and a little gross. I am also very passionate about children’s shows that don’t talk down to kids or young teens, and let them indulge in weirdness. I feel like there has been a shift in kid’s TV towards safe, wholesome, moral-at-the-end stories, completely washed of all the weirdness of 90s TV like Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, Courage the Cowardly Dog, PowerPuff Girls, and Pinky and the Brain. I’d like to think the two can coexist! I hope to promote healthy themes like being a good friend and sticking up for yourself, along with embracing your weirdness! I never want to feel like I’m preaching to kids, as well as that works with a Pre-K audience. Older kids can read subtlety, and I feel like modern shows underestimate their intelligence as well as their breadth of interests! Kids like weird stuff. If you surround the nugget of wisdom with a weird, goofy, funny show, kind of like a dog’s medicine slathered in peanut butter, you can really hit home with them. And get rid of their heartworms.
Technically, as I’ve discussed in other posts, I’ve been learning how to make Muppet-style puppets all summer. You can find my latest prototype and self-imposed production schedule in my last post.
I’m experienced in woodworking, so I will be using those skills to build sets for the show. They’ll be multipurpose by switching out props/class posters/ surroundings/etc.
Stylistically, I’ve been learning a lot by studying the development of puppets for Sesame Street and The Muppets. I visited the Jim Henson Exhibition at the Museum of the Moving Image and purchased Jim Henson’s journals, so those have been a great source of inspiration as well as the Defunctland YT Series on Jim Henson.
I’ve decided to settle on the concept of PUPPETS!!! Are you shocked?
Thank you to Professor Ault and everyone else who left feedback on my Initial Concepts post! I appreciated everyone’s supportive comments and I hope this post will clear up some of the questions I received.
I’ve been playing with this idea since around April of last semester, so I have definitely fleshed out the majority of the show before jumping into the technical skills I’m working on now (constructing sets, puppets, etc.) The script has been written and revised several times, and I do have a storyboard that has decided the direction for my set designs.
As for questions about how I’ve tackled pre-production, I made this schedule back in the summer:
Ideally, this semester I’d like to finish ALL of pre-production, and leave all filming, editing, post, etc. to next semester, along with the construction of my exhibit for the showcase. I’m on track for now! If I need to push a set or two to next semester, I’m prepared to adjust for that, too. I’m really focused on getting the puppets themselves finished.
BONUS: as you can see from my schedule, I’m approaching my deadline for my practice puppet (which ideally will be a mini-me to have on my hand for the showcase). Here’s how that’s going so far!
This is my first puppet! I’ve already learned a lot, and I’ve also invested in better tools since starting this one over the summer. I’ve taken my time with it and now that I’ve gotten the steps down, I think I could get a puppet from start to finish in a couple days of work, which is great for my schedule. But I’m very happy with the result for a first time! Next step to finish ‘er up is to attach that arm (it’s only pinned on), create the second arm, and find some hair and clothes for this lady.
