Size Matters Posted by amateur on Aug 29, 2008
As best I can determine the ratio of middle finger width to body height (for humans) ranges from about 88 to 1, to 98 to 1.   If I use 3/8"  (~9.5mm) dowels for fingers and use 90 as the ratio I get a body height of  33.75" (~875mm)  if I use 7/16" dowels I get ad body height of  ~39" (~1000mm)  The upside is the large head will make eyes and eyelids easier to deal with.

The film I want to shoot only involves three characters, two of which spend virtually the entire film seated at a table.  If you have watched the movie Strings carefully you will have noticed the role of editing in simplifying the use of complex puppets.  So, in this context, what problems do you see presented by puppets this large?

many thanks,

louis
Re: Size Matters Posted by twisted puppets on Sep 09, 2008
Louis,

To be honest, I'm not really sure what your question is... As for puppet size, I would say the only problems you'll wind up running into (when filming them) is the size of props and sets you need to build for them. Having worked since day one on 'Team America', I know that the the big deciding factor in their size was how big they were going to have to make the sets and what scale was easiest to either find existing props or build for.

If your puppets are seated most of the time and will only ever be seen on film/video, you can really make them whatever size you want! No one is going to see them in relation to anything that will give away the scale, other than another puppet and the environment you film in. Heck, if they are seated the whole time, you might not even have to make their legs!... As long as you're not seeing under the table...

Personally, I like to make smaller puppets. I think they are easier to manipulate and take less material to build. Puppets that are being performed live are usually bigger, so they can be seen more easily on stage. The advantage you have with film or video is that you can move the camera as close as you want and your viewers are able to see exactally what you want. If they are small, your sets don't take up half a room, they can be table top size. You can probably get away with using lots of existing items as props. I think you need to look at what actions they need to perform, what resources you have to accomplish this and what works for you. Bottom line, have fun and make it look the way you want. There is no right or wrong way to do it, only your way!

Hope this helps,

Twisted
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