The Puppet Groove
This mixed Puppet- and 2D-animationfilm (4′:30″) describes the stage performance of a band performing a song about their own history during negotiations with the music publisher.
The film is created as a free project. Script, drafts, puppet construction, animation and music are created by the artist himself.
The puppets of the live band, made from hand sketches, are painstakingly assembled from a wide variety of materials.
Many parts have to be constructed so that they can move for the animation. And the live stage is also constructed from various components.
Several months of tinkering pass before the first movement of the puppets can be animated.
Bass player “Billy” warming up … and in stage action.
Just as carefully, the lighting is adjusted for an authentic stage atmosphere. The right timing for the frame-by-frame animation is created using real recorded guitar grooves.
Here Sofie counts out the positions of the guitarist’s arms and hands for the shooting schedule (X-Sheet).
Here the positions of the puppets are checked again.
The content of the song lyrics sung in gibberish is played on a screen in the background of the stage as a cartoon. It tells the story of the band when they are introduced to a music producer.
The producer promises the band fame and success in the spotlight. Under certain conditions …
