I truly hope you’ll join us for Intermediate Video Puppet Coaching. I am super excited to have Michael Schupbach as a guest instructor at Puppet Pie. He’s one of those extremely talented humans that brings joy & whimsy wherever he goes. Just thinking about hanging out with him virtually brings a smile to my face.
If you’ve had some video/monitor/tv/film puppeteering training & you want to either brush up or level up your skills, be sure to join us for this live, virtual coaching session.
WHAT: Take your video puppeteering skills to the next level in this lovely 2-hour workshop, led by international puppetry consultant, Michael Schupbach (bio below), with a casual assist from Stacey Gordon. Participants will get to work on their video puppeteering skills, ask questions, get feedback, and have just a stinkin’ good time. Most importantly, Mr. Schupbach will likely remind you why you fell in love with puppetry in the first place. (As if you need reminding!)
Space is limited and we expect this workshop to sell out, so get your ticket as soon as you can!
WHEN: SUNDAY, May 6th from 2-4pm PST (Please confer with your favorite robot-computer for your local time zone.)
The virtual classroom will open approximately 5 minutes (give or take some minutes) prior to the workshop so everyone can say hello and introduce themselves. You'll get a zoom link approximately 2 hours before the workshop begins.
WHERE: Zoom! Which means ANYWHERE!
SKILLS REQUIRED: Holding your arm up for extended periods of time; watching your performance on a monitor as you are working; muting and un-muting yourself when requested; lip sync; speaking in front of a group (Please test your sound and video ahead of the workshop in your zoom settings menu, and see the tech details below.); changing your name in zoom to match the name of the ticket-holder before you enter the zoom link provided the day before.
WHO: This workshop is designed for humans, ages 15+, who are capable of safely achieving the skills listed above. This is for the intermediate tv/video/monitor puppeteer who would like to improve upon their video performance skills. If you have a child under the age of 15 and is interested in intermediate video puppetry, please reach out and let’s talk about their awesomeness!
BRING TO THE WORKSHOP:
- A moving-mouth puppet
- Your camera should be positioned very high (not tilted), so you can puppeteer comfortably while still viewing the zoom screen.
- Please see the diagram for more details about your ideal set-up!
ABOOUT THE GUEST ARTIST:
Michael Schupbach has designed and built puppets for both children’s television programs and Tony Award-winning theatrical productions. He is a proud alumnus of Jim Henson’s Muppet Workshop and a co-founder of The Puppet Kitchen. He currently works as a puppet and animatronic designer for Animax designs.
Mr. Schupbach constructed and/or performed puppets for stage productions of Little Shop of Horrors on Broadway, Avenue Q, The Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park, Imaginocean, and BRT’s The Little Prince at the New Victory Theater and subsequent national tour.
His screen credits include The Oogiloves Big Balloon Adventure, The Disney Channel’s Emmy Nominated Johnny and the Sprites and Emmy Award-winning Bear in the Big Blue House, the Disneyland stage show Bear in the Big Blue House Live, Imagine Dragons Radioactive Music Video, The Godwin Groups Vacation Crustaceans Commercial Series, Hyperactive Content’s Fingerlings, IFC’s Greg the Bunny, PBS’ Sesame Street, Noggin’s interactive series Play with Me Sesame, and Universal Studios’ Sesame Street in 4-D.
Michael has B.A. in Education with a concentration in Children’s Television from The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, and a somewhat less serious degree from The Ringling Brothers & Barnum and Bailey’s Clown College.
EXTRA/TECH DETAILS: One purchase is required for each person in attendance.
You do NOT need to be in the Phoenix area for this workshop, however you DO need a computer/device with a camera and microphone so your instructor can see and hear what you’re doing, You’ll also need a stable internet connection. Headphones are also a good idea (as in, please use headphones). You’ll receive an email from Puppet Pie with a zoom invitation/link approximately 2 hours prior to the event. Please check your spam folder and then reach out on our contact page if you haven’t received it one-hour before the event.
