Puppeteer Process Definition
For our process, Rich and I have chosen to
document a puppeteer named Igor Fokin from
St. Petersburg, Russia. He uses hand-made
wooden marionettes to entertain children
(and adults) in Harvard Square. He performs
under the name "Wooden Horse Puppet Theatre,"
and has been in the U.S. for a mere 5 months.
Aspects of the process that are particularly
important will probably be able to be broken
down into 3 parts:
- The Man
- His history, where, when and why
he started puppeteering, when he
came to the US and why... why he
enjoys what he does.
- The Puppets
- Who makes them, and how are
they made. What do they mean to him?
What makes each one special/unique.
How do they contribute to the magic
of his performace.
- The Performance
- How does he prepare for
a show? Does he have pre-rehearsed
routines, or does he improvise? What
does he get from the children -- how
much does the audience affect the
show? What about the music he performs
to? Where did it come from? Are the
stories he tells his own, or folk tales?
We hope to capture a lot of footage of his
puppets and his setup, as well as the entire
performance. We also hope to interview the
man, probably over coffee or something. There's
excellent potential for a salient still involving
the man and a puppet interacting with a child as
a focal point, zooming out to include the entire
scene -- harvard square, traffic, other kids and
performers, etc.... his show is beautiful and
will make great subject matter for a browsable
documentary, too.
On to the Stills.