Soté Therapies Blog

BASIC PUPPETRY TECHNIQUES

BREATH

We breathe, so your puppets should too. This helps bring out great expression in your characters. This is also the hardest technique to master!

MOUTH ACTION

Correct mouth action is necessary in good puppetry. Practice opening the puppet’s mouth by moving your thumb downward without moving your fingers upward. (Don’t flip your lid!) A slight forward thrust of the fingers may help when first starting out.

LIP SYNC

Synchronize the opening and closing of the puppet’s mouth with the spoken word.

- Avoid moving the mouth at random during a sentence.

- Do not open the mouth all the way with each word. Save the wide mouth openings for exaggerated or loud expressions.

- Do not bite your words or do your impression of an over-dubbed foreign movie! OPEN, OPEN, OPEN! Move the mouth once for each syllable.

Henson Video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ij6rg9pa8_Q&feature=channel&list=UL

EYE CONTACT (FOCUS)

Remember to look at the audience regularly. If your stage is elevated, you will want your puppets to look down a little more than usual, rather than over the heads of your audience. This will ensure more effective eye contact. This is achieved by simple adjustments in the bend of the wrist.

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWFIFLBmLq0>

POSTURE

If you want your puppet to appear natural, good posture cannot be ignored. To achieve this, the puppeteer’s arm must be held at right angles to the floor and the hand kept level. Do not allow puppets to lean from side to side nor lean on the stage.

WEIGHT

Gravity affects us all as it would a puppet. Your puppet should have the appearance of weight and substance, even though it may be made of lightweight materials. Creating this illusion is one of the fundamental skills in puppetry.

Understanding Weight Distribution

Every movement your puppet makes must account for gravity. When a puppet walks, its body should shift slightly with each step, showing the transfer of weight from one leg to the other. The head should bob naturally, and the arms should swing with appropriate momentum. A puppet that moves without considering gravity appears to float unnaturally, breaking the illusion of life.

Creating Realistic Movement

To convey weight effectively, consider these principles:

- Settle and rest: After any movement, allow your puppet to settle into position rather than stopping abruptly. A heavy puppet should appear to sink slightly when it sits or lands.

- Effort in lifting: When your puppet picks up an object, show the strain through posture. The body should lean back slightly for heavy objects, and the movements should be slower and more deliberate.

- Momentum matters: Heavier movements require more time to start and stop. A large puppet turning its head should move more gradually than a small, light character making the same gesture.

- Ground contact: Maintain consistent contact with the floor or surface. Feet should press down when bearing weight, and the puppet’s body should react to the surface beneath it.

ARM RODS

Arm rods (also called hand rods) are thin rods attached to a puppet’s hands that allow the puppeteer to control the puppet’s arm movements and gestures. Proper arm rod technique is essential for creating believable, expressive character movement.

How to Hold Arm Rods

Hold the arm rods lightly between your thumb and fingers, similar to holding a pencil but with a relaxed grip. Do not squeeze or grip tightly, as this will create tense, jerky movements. The rods should rest naturally in your hand, allowing for fluid motion. Typically, your dominant hand operates the puppet’s head and mouth while your other hand controls one or both arm rods.

Basic Arm Rod Movement

Think of the puppet’s arms as extensions of your own. When moving an arm rod:

    •    Use your whole arm, not just your wrist, for larger gestures

    •    Keep movements smooth and deliberate

    •    Allow the puppet’s arms to swing naturally when walking or moving

    •    Rest the puppet’s hands at its sides or in a neutral position when not                

 gesturing

    •    Coordinate arm movements with what the puppet is saying or doing

Creating Natural Gestures

The key to natural arm rod performance is subtlety. Avoid over-animating every word the puppet speaks. Instead, use arm gestures to punctuate important moments, express emotion, or interact with objects and other puppets. A pointing finger, a wave, a hand on the hip, or crossed arms can all communicate volumes about your character’s personality and feelings.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

    •    Swimming: Moving both arms constantly in circular or repetitive patterns

    •    Spaghetti arms: Allowing the arms to hang limply without purpose

    •    Mirroring: Moving both arms identically at the same time (unless intentionally showing symmetrical action)

    •    Floating: Forgetting gravity—arms should fall naturally when relaxed and require effort to lift

Practice coordinating your arm rod work with the puppet’s dialogue and head movements. Watch yourself in a mirror or record your performances to identify areas for improvement.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

ENTRANCES & EXITS

While there are many ways to enter and exit a puppet, the one we recommend using most often is to make your puppet appear as if it is walking up or down a ramp. This movement uses the whole arm and requires the puppeteer to keep the forearm straight up and down while the wrist remains relaxed. Using a fluid motion, the puppeteer moves forward as they “bounce” the puppet onto the stage. With each “bounce” of the arm, the puppet comes more fully into view. When the puppet leaves the stage, this process is reversed.

The beginning puppeteer will want to practice in front of a mirror whenever possible to observe their techniques. Holding the fingers immobile with the other hand while working the thumb will accustom the thumb muscles to this new movement. Whenever possible, a beginner should use taped performances, fully memorized so that the added distractions of voice work and scripts are eliminated.

CHARACTERIZATIONS & PERSONALITY

Most puppets come to life for me while I’m building them. I know what they are going to sound like and look like mostly before I start, but a lot of things can change while the building process takes place. I create a characterization for each puppet as an actor would.

Basically, the who, what, when, where, and why of this character’s background. It will help bring it to life.