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Received a phone call from Washington. DC. asking if I would be
available last minute to operate a marionette for a Political
Campaign Ad. The caller told me I had been highly recommended. (By a person I know, but who has never actually seen my work.Strange!)
Caller told me it is a secret what and who the Ad's about.
I was to be given the marionette on Monday evening, and the shoot would be on Tuesday morning starting at 11:30 AM. Script would be sent by email. Pretty short notice. Didn't allow time for me to change my mind. Would it be for Bush or Kerry?
Monday evening 7:30PM . When I was given the marionette, I took a peek and decided it looked mostly like Clinton. Huh? I didn't know he was running?
The puppet was (3ft Tall) on short strings, I was asked if I could restring it for a 12ft backdrop and they wanted red strings. They handed me a hank and a half of red Cotton embroidery
thread, amounting to 36 ft. total. Red strings? Was it going to be for the Communist Party? Even shorter notice!
I spent the rest of the evening restringing with a really "tangly"
and fragile thread. I decided that come what may, I was going to
bring the strings down to 6 feet, as I had no place to hang a puppet while I made 12ft strings. I had to place the red strings at the puppets' body so the red would show on camera, and then tie them to the existing strings to get the length needed.
Showed up for the shoot at 11:30AM and discovered they were not going to use any backdrop or screen right behind the puppet, which is normal, and would give me somethinng to lean on. but instead they were were going to place it about 6ft to the rear.
Which left me having to climb a 10ft. ladder placed well to the side of the puppet so it would be off camera, and me, with no support, to lean out sideways into space with the marionette held at arm's length. Excrutiating after a couple of minutes!
No monitor to check how it looked. Director assured me it was fine.
Thank heavens it was only a 30 second commercial and they only cut to the puppet 3 times briefly. But of course there were the usual delays and retakes due to fluffs by the Candidate, for adjusting sound and light etc. so I was pleased when it was over. End of my "secret mission".
available last minute to operate a marionette for a Political
Campaign Ad. The caller told me I had been highly recommended. (By a person I know, but who has never actually seen my work.Strange!)
Caller told me it is a secret what and who the Ad's about.
I was to be given the marionette on Monday evening, and the shoot would be on Tuesday morning starting at 11:30 AM. Script would be sent by email. Pretty short notice. Didn't allow time for me to change my mind. Would it be for Bush or Kerry?
Monday evening 7:30PM . When I was given the marionette, I took a peek and decided it looked mostly like Clinton. Huh? I didn't know he was running?
The puppet was (3ft Tall) on short strings, I was asked if I could restring it for a 12ft backdrop and they wanted red strings. They handed me a hank and a half of red Cotton embroidery
thread, amounting to 36 ft. total. Red strings? Was it going to be for the Communist Party? Even shorter notice!
I spent the rest of the evening restringing with a really "tangly"
and fragile thread. I decided that come what may, I was going to
bring the strings down to 6 feet, as I had no place to hang a puppet while I made 12ft strings. I had to place the red strings at the puppets' body so the red would show on camera, and then tie them to the existing strings to get the length needed.
Showed up for the shoot at 11:30AM and discovered they were not going to use any backdrop or screen right behind the puppet, which is normal, and would give me somethinng to lean on. but instead they were were going to place it about 6ft to the rear.
Which left me having to climb a 10ft. ladder placed well to the side of the puppet so it would be off camera, and me, with no support, to lean out sideways into space with the marionette held at arm's length. Excrutiating after a couple of minutes!
No monitor to check how it looked. Director assured me it was fine.
Thank heavens it was only a 30 second commercial and they only cut to the puppet 3 times briefly. But of course there were the usual delays and retakes due to fluffs by the Candidate, for adjusting sound and light etc. so I was pleased when it was over. End of my "secret mission".
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