I’ve been writing PuppetVision since 2004 and during that time puppetry has undergone an incredible renaissance. My original goal for this site was simply to share and help promote some of the incredible work that was being done by puppeteers all over the world. I am very proud that over the past seven and a half years close to half a million individual people have been able to discover and enjoy thousands of puppet films, videos and performances by hundreds of different artists thanks to this site. I don’t want to be immodest, but I think that’s pretty cool.
What I want to do next is take this to a whole new level.
For the past several years as I’ve been filming interviews with and performances by puppeteers in different cities and different countries literally all over the world. This is all going to come together in a documentary next year called PuppetVision: The Movie that will feature interviews with and performances by over sixty different puppeteers from about fifteen different countries.
My goal is to create a film that will be screened at film, puppetry and animation festivals around the world and showcase some of the incredible work that puppeteers – both famous and not-so-famous – are creating around the world, but I need some help to make this happen.
Making a film like this is expensive and time consuming. When it’s finished next year, this documentary will have taken five years and approximately $65,000 to produce. Up until this point it’s been funded by a combination of private grants, donated airfare and accommodation and out of my own pocket, but $12,500 is needed to finish the film and tonight I’m launching a campaign on IndieGoGo to finish PuppetVision: The Movie.
I’m just in the early stages of putting this film together, but if you like this blog I think that you’ll love this film. Some really amazing puppeteers – some whom you can see in the video above – have been incredibly supportive of this project, sharing not just their passion and knowledge, but also films, photos and video from their personal archives, including material that’s never been seen publicly before.
So if you’ve enjoyed the PuppetVision Blog for all these years, please support PuppetVision: The Movie. You’ll get some great perks and I’ll work very hard to not only make a great film, but also introduce you to some incredible puppeteers and show you some things that you’ve never seen before.
