New name for this blog

Micro Mr Punch is on hold at the moment, as it needs a film set with fixed camera and lighting rig set up so they do not have to be moved for probably 6 months. I don't have space for that now.

I have therefore decided to change this blog into a more general blog about making anything. I can then post anything about making slightly odd stuff all in one place then.

In the meantime, I am quite intrigued by automata...

Puppet Making on Flickr

Puppet Making, a group on Flickr.

This is the puppet making group I administer on Flickr. It's got some great armatures in it!

Puppet suitcase

Puppet suitcase prop
Originally uploaded by rosemarybeetle

This is a suitcase made from papier mache, and used in puppet violence, as is entirely appropriate...

Finally looking like spring

I feel like have had zero time making stuff for at least a month. Need to build some sets, and get a camera rig set up in the shed that can be left there, even if laptop and camera are removed. NOOOOOO TIIIIME

Puppet sausages

Puppet sausages
Originally uploaded by rosemarybeetle

These are a prototype. They need a wire core if they are to be animated correctly

Mr Punch animated speech audio sync test

Mr Punch animated speech audio sync test
Originally uploaded by rosemarybeetle

Mr Punch and Judy share some musings on sausages

Mr Punch puppet in front of camera

Mr Punch puppet in front of camera
Originally uploaded by rosemarybeetle

Have been having fun doing test takes. About an hour to shoot 6 seconds of a script that runs to about 8 minutes in total. That's 80 hours of shooting left to do - yikes!

Sound recording in the shed

Recording the dialogue track to animate to, direct to Audacity on the laptop, with input from a 25 year old microphone from an old cassette recorder.


This is in a freezing shed, which has rather good acoustics for recording, on account of it being at the bottom of the garden, which means it does not have microwave beeps, boiler hot water heating noise, cooker, child or pet noises interrupting at random. Also being a shed full of crap, it is echo free - good for recording.

Couldn't leave the laptop set up here though or the damp would kill it in a few days! Now tucked up in the warm again.

Mr Punch test

Mr Punch test
Originally uploaded by rosemarybeetle

Testing out solder wire armatures in a glove puppet. Seems to work, just about!