Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 12:55:05 -0500
From: Andrew <puppetvision-AT-gmail.com>
To: puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org
Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Weight Watchers "Hungry" character


I think Mathieu is right, I am pretty sure it was live puppetry as well. I
suspect a green screen was not used much or at all; instead the puppeteers
dressed in chroma key body suits on sets and performed the puppet and were
later painted out of the frame digitally (they get erased and are usually
replaced with an empty version of the same scene. This is a very common
visual effects technique these days.

One of the give aways is that I think all of the shots of the monster are
static and locked off; otherwise you have to use fancy (and expensive)
motion control cameras or do a lot of rotoscoping and digital paint work to
remove the puppeteers.

The shot of the monster falling might have been done against greenscreen
(which would make sense). It looks like there are some artifacts from
compositing the monster against the background, but the quality of the video
isn't good enough to be able to tell.

- Andrew

On Wed, Jan 7, 2009 at 12:00 PM, <puptcrit-request-AT-puptcrit.org> wrote:

>
> Date: Wed, 7 Jan 2009 08:01:45 -0500
> From: Mathieu Ren? <creaturiste-AT-primus.ca>
> Subject: Re: [Puptcrit] Weight Watchers "Hungry" character
> To: <puptcrit-AT-puptcrit.org>
> Message-ID: <EA2AD41E4A534FA7983E12987BE6D8A7-AT-critter1>
> Content-Type: text/plain; format=flowed; charset="iso-8859-1";
>        reply-type=original
>
> I watched it three times.
> I'm certain it was all live puppeteering, of a tv puppet (with two "live
> human arms") manipulated from below and behind, with rods. I think three
> puppeteers at least, maybe more for the juggling shot.
>
> Shot in front of green screen in most of the scenes. The movements are way
> too natural (notice the sudden jerks, totally natural) for a regular stop
> motion. Even if the medium had reached the proper level of illusion,  it
> would still be nearly impossible in this case, considering the usually
> limited time frame allowed to create a publicity.
>
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