There’s a running gag on the Operation: Puppet Discord (join the Discord) where I think of something I’d like to do, and then “add it to the infinite to-do list”. I have to very carefully manage my time to make sure I get all the shop stuff done that I need, but also do enough community things like make videos, streams and engage with the Discord (join the Discord), but I recently thought of something that I feel I should move up in the list.
As we get more people joining us (join the… you know) and a lot of them are just at the beginning of their puppetry/building adventure, I’m seeing similar questions being asked; basic but important things that beginners are often unsure about. I feel such questions being asked frequently call for some form of uniform response; a point of contact to direct folks who share these frequently asked questions. Perhaps Gus can come up with some sort of catchy name for it?
I used to assume people coming to O:P had found one of the bigger names first. Most people finding the YouTube channel have at least found Adam K, or perhaps various Facebook groups or even done BJ Guyer’s excellent courses at the Stan Winston School of Character Arts. As a result they come to O:P already knowing some basics, and I never felt the need to really engage with some fundamentals, but now that I’ve been pushing outreach more, I’m finding that I’m the first point of contact for some folks.
As there are already lots of excellent resources out there to teach the basics I never felt the need to do my own version of them, but more & more I can see there being a value and use in them. Instead of assuming someone has already learned things like various foam types, fabric choices, hand sewing stiches, etc., or just hoping they search for something, I should have my own collection of real Puppet Building 101 videos.
Note from Gus From Marketing: HI THERE!!! THAT’S A GREAT IDEA WE SHOULD MONETIZE IT!!!
Yes Gus, that’s what you say about everything. Anyway…
I’m going to start assembling a collection of questions that I think I should go over. Some I’ve already mentioned, but I’ve been doing this for long enough now that I’ll probably not think of some things that would otherwise be obvious, so feel free to reach out and let me know if there are any questions you’d like to see me cover in a video. At the moment I’m envisioning them as a series of short, produced videos using the live stream setup, but not actually done on live stream so I’m not distracted by chat. A cooking demo, as it were.
You can use the contact form on this site, any of the socials, or, of course, join the Discord.
Time for some Fabulously Awesome… Qoffee? Something like that. Gus, get to work.