Hello!  My name is Allen.  I'm making a film this summer about a talking tree.  I started making a puppet using a burlap/latex technique I learned while working on a project for an art camp a couple of years ago ('Viral Domes': http://membrana.us/beam.html).  I only have a vague sense of how this will work mechanically, which is what I wanted to discuss here.

You can see some photos of the progress here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/emsiac/

I have two large pieces: the face/eyes and the jaw/chin.  They are made to be mounted to the surface of a tree.  My plan was to attach the two large pieces with more burlap/latex and then move the jaw using a PVC pipe lever.  This movement seems awkward on first experiments.  Is there a better way? 

(I also wanted to do a bicycle brake cable thing for the eyes, but I doubt I'll have time...)

Hey,    tp P&S!

Go to: drpuppet.com

Try mounting the top half of the face stable and leave the lower jaw stick out from the tree and either use wood or pipe on each side of the jaw projecting out behind the tree and have someone open the close the mouth by leaning on these two pieces....with the size you are dealing with it will look aweward it really is hard to get a smooth movement with large puppets.

Hope this helps a bit.......goodluck with the project.

Daryl H

Very cool looking. I wish you luck in having it work right.

Like Daryl, I think you are on the right track. Just work on refining it.  You might need to anchor the pivot point of the jaw solidly.  Please don't hurt the tree.  You could maybe drive pipes into the ground beside the tree to attach the jaw too at it's pivot point. Actually a couple bolts into a tree that size should not harm it either so that could be the easier solution.

Nice job so far BTW!

That's one great looking talking tree.

Welcome to Puppets and Stuff.  You are doing a great job on your tree puppet.  Good luck on getting it animated

Ahh it's like you're building an ent! I can't offer any advice, but it looks really cool so far!

Thanks for your encouragement and advice!

I sucked it up and used a combination of three short nails (based on Shawn's comment that it probably will not damage the tree permanently) and a staple gun to keep the face attached to the surface of the tree.  The jaw is attached to the upper face by zip ties - sketchy, I know.  It is also attached by two short sections of bicycle tubing, which allows the jaw to stretch.  I am controlling it with two sections of line running downward from the jaw, through two tie-out stakes, and backwards behind the tree. 

This is how it looks when it moves:



Next I want to build a beard.  I am using raw sheep's wool and I think I am going to attach it to a piece of felt using a felting needle and upholstery thread.  I'll post pictures!  This is a very useful forum - thanks again.