Assistant Puppet Wrangler - LAIKA
Film:
On the film “Kubo and the Two Strings”, I managed 108 puppets on 60 stages for 30 animators with 12+ direct supervisors. While keeping track of each puppet’s location and completion status in the Puppet Fabrication Department and on set. With speed and accuracy, I supported the animators, stage crew, and Assistant Directors’ immediate puppet needs. Tracked maintenance of the puppets and troubleshot with supervisors to keep production on schedule. Kept up to date on shot changes and reviewed shot sequences for continuity. Streamlined projects to keep the puppet department running smoothly. Managed smaller projects with puppet requirements such as the 10th Anniversary Photo Shoot.
10th Anniversary Photo Shoot
These puppets were brought out of the vault, where they go to rest after their movie is done shooting. For the photoshoot, they needed to go through the puppet department and have their costume, paint, and hair refreshed. I managed the timeline since production for Kubo was still in full swing. These puppets were hero-ed, made to look how they did for the movies, in a week for this photo to be taken. There were 24 puppets beautified for this shot but the front row of shorter puppets was cropped out.
Kubo and the two strings
Production took 5 years, 2 of those years filming, with 1 or 2 seconds filmed a week. Animating is a very slow process but the rest of the production team works as fast and diligently as possible so as to not delay the animator’s shooting schedule.
Kubo and the two strings official trailer:
add in academy award nominations…
behind the scenes magic
Georgina Hayns, the head of puppet production, gives a tour of how you create a puppet.
A look at the artists animating and making Puppets
