Oh hey, I didn't notice your Lion King puppets the first time around - they are fabulous! Zazu is really quite amazing, not what you'd expect for a local amateur or even fringe performance. I'm going to guess that you may not have had a lot of budget, but you did put a lot of heart into it.

Yes I guess unless you are in the industry you would never know what happens behind the scenes. It is a very interesting job hence the fact that I have been able to stay there and be entertained for 10 years LOL
Cheers for you comments about Zazu, they are super crap pics just taken as work in progress on my iPhone. However I was very pleased at the time with him. These days (as that was 3 years ago) I would have loved to do them all very different. My 8 weeks of work I gave to the dance company doing the production and think I managed to make Mufusa, Nala, Simba, Scar (headdresses only), Timon, Pumba & Zazu for about $800 all out of foam, twine, sticks, Macdonalds straws, lycra, silk and some other bits and pieces. No fancy carbon fibre here LOL
Im totally self taught in all aspects. I was considering a diploma course next year when my DD goes to school but i have decided to give myself 12 months to freelance and market my skills and see what the hell happens. So any criticism is taken on board with gusto! Appreciate it all even the bad stuff.
Currently working on 10 pairs of tapping rat feet (on a budget) for shrek the musical! Prototype done now just to get motivated to make the rest.

Yes I guess unless you are in the industry you would never know what happens behind the scenes. It is a very interesting job hence the fact that I have been able to stay there and be entertained for 10 years LOL
Cheers for you comments about Zazu, they are super crap pics just taken as work in progress on my iPhone. However I was very pleased at the time with him. These days (as that was 3 years ago) I would have loved to do them all very different. My 8 weeks of work I gave to the dance company doing the production and think I managed to make Mufusa, Nala, Simba, Scar (headdresses only), Timon, Pumba & Zazu for about $800 all out of foam, twine, sticks, Macdonalds straws, lycra, silk and some other bits and pieces. No fancy carbon fibre here LOL
Im totally self taught in all aspects. I was considering a diploma course next year when my DD goes to school but i have decided to give myself 12 months to freelance and market my skills and see what the hell happens. So any criticism is taken on board with gusto! Appreciate it all even the bad stuff.
Currently working on 10 pairs of tapping rat feet (on a budget) for shrek the musical! Prototype done now just to get motivated to make the rest.

Wow, all those puppets for $800 is extremely cheap for the quality.

As for self-taught: so am I for the most part, and you pretty much have to be in Aus. There's very few training opportunities here. I've heard the summer school course in Adelaide is good though, is that what you meant by the diploma?

Yes its it extremely cheap but I am a bargain hunter and quite resourceful if I do say myself. I do some freebies for some local groups to help practice and develop my skills. Its also godd Karma.
I agree there is pretty much nothing here in Aust and I feel as though there is even less opportunities in Adelaide. The Diploma course I was talking about was for Scenery and Set construction but there are quite a few elements of small props and overall aspects of theatre behind the scenes stuff.
What is this Summer School course you are talking about? I dont know if I have heard of it before. Is it for performing or design/making? Because Im really not a huge fan of performing.

Right after submitting I realised the course isn't a diploma - there's no puppetry course in Australia, a-duh! Uni of SA does the summer school (link not up to date, hunt for the 2013 one) http://programs.unisa.edu.au/public/pcms/course.aspx?pageid=007706
It's run by Sue Harris and from what I've heard is good. Most puppetry classes will focus on both performance and building, no way around it really. I'm no performer myself and understand how you feel, but frankly if you want to learn puppetry having a good understanding of how performers work is extremely handy. As an easy example, the Lion King hyenas were built with advice from people who do ergonomics, to ensure less strain on the performers' bodies. I'm not sure how exactly the summer school runs the classes, so don't take my word on how much performance you'd have to do.

Scenery and set construction is useful, but nothing like what you do with puppets. It's of course not as focused on aspects like how to combine mechanics and moving parts into items that can be manipulated by performers, or the issue of creating emotion from inanimate objects. Not that it wouldn't be good to learn, just that it's nowhere near as useful as actually making puppets in terms of theory or practice. - I say this as having done a Dip in theatre with classes in set, prop making, and puppetry. While I have made use of some stuff from set/props, there's been nothing I've found that particularly carries over theory-wise, especially if you already have the ability to think through your mechanical issues... Not to steer you clear of the Dip; rather to point out that you'll want to complement it with other puppetry training or experience.

... As for 'cheap' - materials wise I know it's quite easy to do puppets on a budget. But you obviously didn't get paid for your time, there's a lot of work put into your puppets - it shows - that to do a bunch of high-quality puppets for $800 is ridiculously cheap.

Thanks for the link. I actually wouldn't meet the prerequisite for this even if i was interested in it which I don't think I would be. Appreciate the thought though. I have read a fair bit about Sue Harris and she does seem to be very talented in many facets of her craft. I think she actually runs her own classes privately if my memory serves me well.
Yes I would love to understand alot more of how performers use the puppets and may look into something like one of her classes in the future. For now I would rather stay in my comfort zone as I have soo many things buzzing through my head at the moment.
As for the Dip, I have particularly put in out of my mind due to the fact that so much of it would be wasted time for me being that it isn't were I would like to be. Ultimately my goal is to make some great puppets to sell, learn develop my own range. Hopefully get into some basic animatronics (if you know of anyone who would mentor teach or even allow me to ask a heap of questions I would appreciate it) and do this just enough to replace my 2 day a week job to keep the money coming in. With the large stage costumes and small props Im hoping they will keep me challenged and not bored (this happens fairly easily)
Not too much to ask I don't think but I know will require a HUGE amount of effort, planning, learning and marketing. *sigh* 

Yes the Lion King did nearly break me. I said to them I would never do this sort of project for them again in these circumstances. Fortunately for them they still have them to reuse if they decide to do it again. I will just have to be doing some repairs and maintenance Im sure. Thankyou so much for you kind words about my work. Cheers

Thanks for the link. I actually wouldn't meet the prerequisite for this even if i was interested in it which I don't think I would be. Appreciate the thought though. I have read a fair bit about Sue Harris and she does seem to be very talented in many facets of her craft. I think she actually runs her own classes privately if my memory serves me well.

Ah, that's a pity. The course is the only regular puppetry-specific one in Australia at the moment. But yes, she does do private classes, although I'm not sure if that's just for schools/organisations, or also for private individuals as well.

As for the Dip, I have particularly put in out of my mind due to the fact that so much of it would be wasted time for me being that it isn't were I would like to be.

I can understand that. I decided not to do any more official training even though I could have, mostly because I didn't want to have to tread over the same old ground that I did from my own Dip.

Ultimately my goal is to make some great puppets to sell, learn develop my own range. Hopefully get into some basic animatronics (if you know of anyone who would mentor teach or even allow me to ask a heap of questions I would appreciate it) and do this just enough to replace my 2 day a week job to keep the money coming in. With the large stage costumes and small props Im hoping they will keep me challenged and not bored (this happens fairly easily)

Sounds good. Maybe you should seek out Sue Dossett (the member I mentioned who is also from Adelaide, http://www.adelaidepuppets.com.au/) who also sells her own puppets. I don't know if she would, but maybe she has some advice. I know Adelaide is a lot smaller in terms of theatre, but also the puppetry community is smaller. Personally I'd recommend looking into smaller items you can sell to parents/teachers/etc that are more affordable.

One thing: there's a HUGE interest in Audrey puppets. It is a perfect niche that isn't being filled right now and if you're interested in making some money an easy wedge in would be to make and hire those puppets. - Although you'd have to check on the copyright issues with that.

In terms of animatronics, I suspect you're in the wrong state. Most of the big animatronics stuff is happening here in Melbourne by Creature Tech. http://www.creaturetechnology.com/
One of their staff, Philip Millar, is usually pretty approachable and might be willing to suggest some ideas.
http://www.puppetvision.com

From experience though: don't expect a lot. I asked around years ago for mentoring and work experience and it seems like the majority of puppeteers aren't interested in it. - Don't let that stop you from trying though. If nothing else, they may not offer mentorship, but puppeteers are still the most helpful lot in terms of advice.

If I were you, I'd save some money and try to head to Maldon for the next puppetry festival. Info about that, and other events, can be found via http://www.dreampuppets.com/O.P.E.N..html. It'll give you a chance to meet people face-to-face and probably a lot of the big name puppeteers will be in attendance, if not someone who has worked with Creature Tech (maybe the puppet captain or one of the designers/builders). Getting people to chat over email is nigh impossible, so meeting up at an actual event is the best way to hand a business card over and ask for mentorships or volunteering.

Yes the Lion King did nearly break me. I said to them I would never do this sort of project for them again in these circumstances. Fortunately for them they still have them to reuse if they decide to do it again. I will just have to be doing some repairs and maintenance Im sure. Thankyou so much for you kind words about my work. Cheers

I can understand that. It's always tough to balance "doing work for the practice" and "doing it for free".

Hello!

Howdy, PW.

Thanks for that OPEN link, Na; might just have to visit Victoria next year afterall

You're welcome! I doubt I'll be going myself though, not enough dough in the pocket right now.

This was a children's concert with a huge crowd. Was mobbed by parents and kids for photos with Don mozzarella lol. Thanks to Out of the Box Puppets for material