Hello everyone! This is my first post so be kind. I was just wondering if I could get some advice on my puppetry. I have just started getting into
doing my own puppetry after a life long fascination, so I'm glad to find some other puppeteers online who might be able to help.

   I made a video for youtube which I am hoping to turn into a series of reviews, and I was looking for feedback on the puppet work
[I used my Teddy Bear, with a green screen glove].

   Any comments or suggestions you could give would be very much appreciated as I am hoping to improve my skills as a puppeteer throughout the reviews. Thanks for your attention. You can watch the video here [I hope linking is ok].

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https://youtu.be/b7LGSWH_szk

Welcome to Puppets and Stuff...... looks like you are off to a good start. While you did good with the stuffed bear I would like to see a puppet in action. If you would like the bear can be converted into a puppet rather easy. Here are some links below telling you how to do it.

http://www.activitytv.com/560-convert-a-bear-puppet

http://www.activitytv.com/printables/puppets-convert-a-bear-puppet-printable.pdf

http://www.ehow.com/video_5238573_make-hand-puppets-stuffed-animals.html

Welcome to PandS!  Love the cup cam! The technical video work is pretty good I think.  Not sure about some of the camera angles but understand why you did it and it may be ok but normally a puppeteer strives to have the puppets eyes focused into the camera.

I am interested in how you actually manipulated the puppet. I assume you have hold of the back neck of the puppet which gives you some control over the head.  I might suggest that you open up the back of the bear so you can run your head up inside into the head in order to move the head. This might give you the ability to control the movement of the head more. Might be able to move right left or up and down.  

Try not to let your puppet sink down. Keep him showing from about the bell up. He looks better that way.  I think if you could either add rods to or even direct manipulate the teddy bears hands you could get a lot more out of him. Would allow him to gesture while talking.  When moving the head try to not jiggle quite as much. It is really hard since you do not have a moving mouth on this puppet but so you need to use the same technique as a rod puppet or glove puppet which means not moving the head on every word or syllable.  Wish I could explain it better but if you sit in front of the mirror and practice I think you'll start to see what I mean.  

Over all I think you did a bang up job.  I like the voice you are using.  

I see Billy beat me to the post!  He gave you some great links on how to convert your bear.

Wow it looks so easy! Thanks for the links. Yeh, I was using just one hand behind the neck, and jiggled him a bit.
Thanks for the advice on camera positioning.
They really seem to come alive as hand puppets, which is great, but this is my childhood bear,
I don't think i could bring myself to cut him open, so maybe rods is the way to go?
Would that be possible? If so, what is a good material to use for rods? And how would i go about attaching them.
Preferably in the least damaging way.
Thanks for the replies guys!

Lots of folks make rods that have a rubber band on the end of them that you can wrap around the bears wrist. A Velcro strap could do the same thing and you might be able to make it look like a bracelet.

Since you are using green screen you could color the rod itself in green. If you get the right angle on the shot you might even be able to manipulate the paw directly with your hand on the back of it.

Yes I would not take your bear apart since he has sentimental value.  You could find a cheap one at the toy store though if you wanted to try it out.

BTW: What is your avatar a picture of?  I can't figure it out.

Wow it looks so easy! Thanks for the links. Yeh, I was using just one hand behind the neck, and jiggled him a bit.
Thanks for the advice on camera positioning.
They really seem to come alive as hand puppets, which is great, but this is my childhood bear,
I don't think i could bring myself to cut him open, so maybe rods is the way to go?
Would that be possible? If so, what is a good material to use for rods? And how would i go about attaching them.
Preferably in the least damaging way.
Thanks for the replies guys!

Try and thrift type or second time around store. They have stuff animals and bears for just a few dollars. This would be great for you to practice on.

I certainly would not destroy a childhood treasure. Are you wanting to feature this bear in particular instead of another type bear?

Yeh I think I want to go with this particular bear, but I'll try the thrift stores. Maybe I
can create some other characters as guest stars. I'll try out some different rods and see what works.
I'm sure i can macgyver something together.

Oh and my avatar is a guy sitting under a street light. It's my production logo. ^_^

Hey flowerlandfilms! There's a few of us Aussies on these forums, so if you need any specific local info/help, don't be shy! There's also a lot of Aussie info on my site, School of Puppetry (see my signature) if you need it.