Hi,

I've been stalking for some time now and learnt loads from the discussions and links on the forum, so thanks everyone for that.
I thought I had better now introduce myself and show some of the work I have been doing.
I live in the South West of UK in a small town on the edge of Dartmoor, called Okehampton.
About a year ago I had the idea of making an online webseries using puppets and have been gradually working towards this task.
Still in its infancy, puppeteering skills lacking as well as building techniques but I thought I would show you the progress so far.
Unfortunately we have placed everything on Facebook, I hope that doesnt cause a problem. The link is: The Burrow Brownies
We would really appreciate feedback and maybe page likes too!

Thanks in advance,
Jon

Welcome to PandS Jon. Love the puppets you have created. Very unique! Gave you a like and shout out on our FB page. https://www.facebook.com/puppetsandstuff

Welcome.

Welcome Jon! Love the Burrow Bunnies and the Gerbles are kinda cute too Where are you hoping to take this web series long term?

Got the Gerble tune stuck in my head now...

Cool, thanks for introducing yourself, I'm from the UK and I know Okehampton very well, I used to live in Plymouth which isn't too far away from there!! I really like the Burrow bunnies, looks like you are having a blast doing it, all the practice will help with lip sync and manipulation of the puppet, so don't worry about that, I think you have done an amazing job so far and the vids are brilliant!!

The Gerbles look so happy even without mouths. All the puppets are so happy looking. I was wondering how you switched from stick type movement to suddenly rolling, very smooth. Love that you are doing parodys of Bible Stories. Your handle is curious ....animatedsnail.  My Dad nicknamed me Snail because it was only thing he could think of that rhymed with Gail. How did you come by your snailish handle?

Thanks all for your kind comments. I used to teach animation and due to it being stopmotion animation got the handle animatedsnail!

Unfortunately, if you look carefully on the Gerble video you will see at the beginning my hand! I grabbed the back of the Gerbles fur and moved it that way then flicked them down the hill! The other shots I used the rods on. I had being lying in mud and the grass for so long at this point that when we did see it on a larger monitor we decided to leave the shot in, especially seeing essentially these were test shots.
Im working on a "baddie" character now called a Grizzle. Basically when a Burrow Brownie goes their own way, becomes grumpy etc they turn into these characters! They can change back too though
I'll post some photos of the developments as they happen.
Thanks again,

Jon

What cute stuff, Jon!  I enjoyed your Facebook page!

On another note, I'm a scenic designer and right now I'm working on a production of "Camelot."  I'm setting the whole show in a lush, moss-covered forest that transforms into Arthurian castle ruins, so I've been looking at a lot of research photos from the English countryside and have fallen in love with it.  The setting of your Gerble video looks like paradise!  Ah...to have a backyard like that instead of the concrete jungle of NYC.  I might have to watch your video another time or two for inspiration  

I totally missed your hand, ha. I agree England landscape looks closest to Heaven on Earth. Interested in the baddies, there is not much on those to change, dark eyebrow V on eyes maybe or blood shot lined whites of eyes. Maybe matted hair.  Will they do the transformation on camera, will it have any tell tale indications it is about to change like music change?  We used some hair product that made stiff spikes on long fake fur and using a plastic fork we could make spike bunches, that would look different.