Puppetry and Stop Motion are my favorite forms of Entertainment I grew watching both to me Puppets are more fun to entertain people same goes with Stop Motion in my opinion we could definitely use a renaissance of Puppetry and Stop Motion.
I think everyone on this page would agree. However, the "bean counters" at Mega-Huge-Corp may not. Even Pixar, who I saw first at small animation film festivals (years before the 'Average Joe' ever heard of them!) and now it's owned by a Corporate Overlord. Would be interesting to hear from long time employees to hear what changes have occurred.
Awesome video! I've grown up with puppetry and its always had a soft spot in my heart. It makes me so sad that kids in this generation don't have any shows with puppetry or live action costume character puppets. I hope that they start to come back even though there is a rise for CGI. What has always made me adore Jim Henson's dark fantasy movies like dark crystal labyrinth is the use of puppets, the characters feel so much more real than modern CGI creatures. It made me feel like I could meet some of those creatures IRL as a kid.
Even though I love animation, both now and when I was a kid, a lot of my favorite movies and shows were some kind of live action, or had live action elements! Blue’s Clues was and still is a favorite of mine, because even though the world is generally animated, the fact that Steve, Joe, and now Josh, along with a few props and stuff were live action, and actually felt like they were interacting with and a part of Blue and the gang, really REALLY helped foster my imagination! Shows like the model train era of Thomas and Friends, Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Big Comfy Couch and The Noddy Shop were also my favorites! And movies that were either live action, or realistic looking, even if it was stop motion, or CGI, were some of my faves as well! Movies like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Short Circuit, Cars, WALL-E, Wallace and Gromit, the Herbie movies, Transformers films! I used to base my interest of something on if it looks real enough, and/or had live action elements, and/or was 3 dimensional and detailed, like stop motion or Pixar/Dreamworks levels of CGI. Or if, at least, it had cars or robots, or something I happen to like regardless of medium! And as I grew up, I realized that I didn’t just like things based on superficial appearances, let alone that silly “must have” list of mine. I enjoyed things for many reasons, not just because they may have a certain look I prefer, which itself wasn’t as cut and dry as I imagined! Soon I fell in love with cartoons, and illustrations, animation, filmmaking, drawing, storybooks, and eventually, I became interested in animation, and mixed media, and now, years later, as of typing this, I love all forms of storytelling and art! Especially animation, and puppetry, and filmmaking!
Kids in this generation definitely have puppetry-based television… I’m not sure what you’re basing that claim on. Not only do they have decades worth of classic shows, but Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock: BttR, Waffles+Mochi, Donkey Hodie, and many, MANY other puppetry shows are still currently airing/in production. Bear in the Big Blue House is now pretty accessible via Disney+, and of course that opens up the original Muppet content for them to watch as well.
Oh, thank you for sharing your feelings of concern at the end of this video! I get pangs of the same when I see all the digital advances. Seeing a live puppet performance that's done well and gets your heart moving is still so special. I won't give up. We're still relevant❤
I cannot imagine the entertainment industry without puppetry! Especially Jim Henson works such as Sesame Street! That needs to stay untouched! #PuppetryWillNeverDie
I’m glad you made this video! With all the stuff regarding art and AI going either one way or the other, we need people like you to help clear all the noise and look at all of this from an objective view! I’m an animator myself, and while I am aware of and concerned for my fellow creators regarding all the potential dangers of AI in art, especially when it’s being used by people with selfish intent, I don’t really want to see AI get canned, at least not permanently. Reprogrammed or redesigned with consideration for artists, absolutely, but not outright deleted! I’m with you on the whole embracing, and merging AI (and computers and technology as a whole) with all the tried and true art mediums! I see the potential with AI in art, and while it still has a long way to go, I do hope that, similar to animation, and other mediums of art, AI (after some much needed updates, or reprogramming, that allow artists the option to be involved in the development and uses of the AI, among other things) is allowed to become part of the creative toolkit, without replacing any one medium! It’s like what you said with stop motion, how people were saying it would replace puppets! And instead, both mediums coexist! And same thing with 3D animation! People saying it would render stop motion (heck, even 2D animation) outdated! And while CGI certainly is everywhere and usually the default medium for a lot of animation, it never truly replaced Stop Motion, Puppetry, 2D, or any medium! In fact, nowadays, creators are actively trying to experiment with CGI to make visually stunning stories and videos! In fact, they’re merging different animation styles, including the actual mediums, like stop motion, 2D (all 2D techniques, both old school and modern digital equivalent) puppetry, practical effects, AND using CGI to recreate those styles and enhance and compliment them!!! I know people have been mixing different art styles, mediums, techniques, software, and even storytelling tropes for years, (even Jim Henson was known to actively embrace all the new technology that was being made, and pushed all the tools and equipment as far as they could go!) and while some techniques and art forms may be more common, or easier, and other mediums may seem less common, no art form or medium is ever truly gone, let alone replaced! Animation, Live Action, Film in general, still images, comic books, photos, paintings, and especially practical effects, I do not believe are going anywhere! AI may be able to do all that and more and may get to a point where the quality is so good that discussions around man and machine will become even more existential and important than they already are, along with all the pros and cons that come with any new innovation that we’ll have to address. But just like your example with Acoustic Guitars vs. Electric Guitars, I can’t really imagine AI, or any art form ever replacing another art form! While I still want this tech to be revamped with creators in mind, I hope that once all the legalities and ethical issues are resolved, and artists and users are able to work together (like give artists the option to not have their art searchable or indexed by AI, or allow the user or artists to provide their own work as dedicated samples for the AI to use when offline, or allow the artists to get compensated whenever their art is used by the software, or something like that.) that creators can use AI alongside all the art forms, and incorporate it into their own work, but not letting it replace any art form!
The most important thing about the AI revolution that's happening now is that, if there's any sort of legal justice in the world, it will force our legislators to enact guardrails to protect actual artists who are having their work co-opted for profit without their permission. We all need to educate ourselves on how these systems function so we can be ready to defend our creative rights when we're faced with statements like "AI is just a tool" and "Its just doing what any art student does by copying artists they admire". Because those types of vague statements are manipulative and designed to distract from the fact that AI is appropriating art without permission for profit.
I was fortunate to be able to attend a talk called "Puppets in Action: Theory, Practice, and Possibilities" at the Jackman Institute, U of T, some months ago, that was part of the Little Amal visit to Toronto and other things going on, and one of the speakers, a U of T professor, Lawrence Switzky, made a comment (not part of the main talk, but there was more talk after the main talk) about AI vs. Puppetry. - That people are starting to dislike AI, because they see it as trying to fool you; lying about the "reality" it presents; fake - and yet puppetry is unabashedly fake - there's a puppeteer back there somewhere; that thing is not alive, but we embrace it's "reality" because it's not lying to us; it's asking us to join it, to allow it to tell it's story - with our help to bring it to life, to accept that created reality. (P. Switzky teaches drama; computation and the arts; theories of media and technology; performance theory, & video games, btw.) I am paraphrasing from memory, but I found this the most interesting thing in the talk! I am still thinking about it, and ideas of reality and methods of creation - and your comment at 6:50 "Even AI produced works can be art, if there is an artist at the helm" I think is very telling - the artist of AI is the puppeteer of the practical puppet - that it is WHO (not what) makes art, that makes it ART... (& I often find the HOW is much less important that the WHY...) Food for ever ongoing thought, especially as the practical arts continue to exist (and thrive) and newer technologies evolve and grow... I also absolutely love your comment, "But art is not about efficiency." (6:28)
Great video, thanks, and I agree! One thing about puppetry is that it will continue to delight and intrigue - especially the live performance aspect of it. Nothing gives me more pleasure as seeing the faces of kids (and adults) when they encounter puppets in real life. That magic will never go away, even if traditional puppetry in film in replaced by other methods.
As a person who believes in innovation, professionalism, and success, whether or not something is done through physical elements or digital elements is irrelevant, so as long as the subject in question is produced in the best way possible. Some things require digital work while others require physical work. The thesis of this video, being that everything requires something created by a human I believe is compatible with this mindset, because if there is a real person focused on the fundamental aspects of creating a good product, people will enjoy this said product regardless of the medium.
Thank you for making this video, I have had people telling me that puppetry will be controlled by AI or won’t be around in 10 years and I want to be a puppeteer for the Jim Henson company and this video gives me hope that I can peruse my dreams.
Great vid. Like you said, AI and CGI are just tools. It's up to the artist/filmmaker to decide which tools will give them the result they want. I like that projects are using more and more practical effects and less green screen. Something I've always thought about and wondered, using CGI to enhance stop-motion puppetry, as in, using it to create inbetween frames to give the final result a very smoothly-animated appearance.
I'm working on a puppetry project currently that will rely on green screen to make me invisible so I don't have to hide behind a wall. It's going to enhance my ability to perform, not take it away. That's not the same as AI obviously but all technology is a tool we choose to use or not and I want to keep my mind open to all the possibilities so that my art can be as good as I can possibly manage.
The Internet and affordable hardware and software have enabled small and indie creators of content such as music, movies and games. This scared off the big players in this niche who started looking for all kinds of excuses and now we have copyright flags, demonetization/removal of content, main stream only. AI will not eliminate the human factor, only limit it to a few managers and CEOs who will set the task to a result they like. For now, I don't know what the AI-derived copyright spells are, but I guess they'll take care of that as well.
Personally I find some of the work coming from AI algorithms at the moment, absolutely fascinating. It can be as realistic or stylised as anyone wants. What bothers me is the way it is presented. People post a lot of this material on social media and say something like "hey look at this gorgeous Dragon that I made" when all they really did was ask a computer to make a picture for them. I love the art, and I'm interested in any tool that helps people express what they are imagining. But it's like asking Davinci to paint a portrait of your wife and then claiming it as all your own work. You can bet Davinci would be sending those Renaissance boys round for a "chat". These algorithms are written by teams of technicians, and trained on millions of carefully selected images made by and selected by humans. I want to know which ones are involved in producing the art that I like. To use your analogy, wether the singer is using a Fender or a Gibson and any other effects in the chain? I'm gravitating towards "Dall-E2" but largely because it's free. I can't afford a subscription to "Midjourney".
Most of the time it's obvious what's CGI. Based on what's human possible when it comes to stunts and overall, the lighting. Sometimes the color is too bright or just doesn't blend well.
AI has no soul, no back story. The imperfect messiness of humans is what we connect with, even when they achieve near perfection. And you’re right: first tapes, then CDs and then downloads were going to kill vinyl but its warmth, scent, and tactility is winning over new generations. DTP didn’t destroy print (though a lot of bad rainbow gradients with Comic Sans, Times New Roman and/or every font on their system proliferated for way too long). AI is a tool, in the right hands it will make great work, but on its own it will never beat a creative human with a story to tell. ❤
A random question but is there any aid or sort of hack when it comes to killer arm ache when keeping the hands up on a live puppet?. The camera angle and size of room prevents us from leaning on a ledge so we are sort of floating underneath the shot... any ideas would be grateful 🙏
As someone who loves the art style of Puppetry and teaches it, while yes technology has been progressing and advancing more and more, I will say this NOTHING will ever replace puppetry with the great use of movements, believability, and storytelling. Puppets can do more and should do more.
I've been battling with this view for a few years now. I spent almost 3 years organizing what I felt was a great concept in puppet music videos. Throughout the pandemic I even was left alone from my newly adult son heading out into the world and my wife of 25 years leaving to care for her useless drunkard daughter and her children, to lead my own life. Being a performing artist / propmaker I attempted to make a soundstage in my house for puppet music videos. It was massive and almost too much for me to handle. A huge 11ft by 9 foot studio with low ceilings, a 6ft long by 4ft high stage with velvet curtains and countless puppets and props and lighting and spot lights and ... Well you get the idea. My wife and son thought I had lost it, because I performed live as a musician/singer and now I had puppets. Well the reason was, I am now retired and realized no one (or almost no one) wanted to see an old man performing on stage. I thought it was a brilliant idea but could find, no matter how hard I searched or asked, anyone who would help my on my journey. Yep you guessed it I had "NO BUDGET" But in the back of my mind I kept saying "you could do this" (I had a hard time figuring out was it me talking, or was one of my puppets alive and calling me out. Was my family right and I've lost it?) Then comes your video on AE and CGI in puppetry. I thought "OK don't have more money to spend on expensive computer programs or the time to learn them well. Then you come on and tell me there is still a craft of puppetry I am trying to do that is still alive. This is it. A group of people pushing me on. Telling me "Go for it" Got lots of great advice and tips for creating the best puppet arena. Thank you Adam. Here I am again thinking maybe he is right. Maybe I can do this. (Like Geppetto talking to Pinocchio) Well here I am and I haven't given up. My time is coming. Hoping to get support from the puppet world when I am finally done. Thanks for sharing and giving inspiration...😎
I've seen avatar, it was okay and i doubt I'll rewatch it. Dark crystal and Labyrinth however, now those I can quote word for word. Ai and cgi are great but can be soulless
In my opinion, I think technology works best when it fulfills the needs of the people in a positive way. Art, technology, etc. Same with everything politically. Freedom and equality. But of course we all differ in our opinions, politics, even our perceptions of art. Will Artificial Intelligence and CGI make Puppetry irrelevant ? In my opinion, as long as there are artists and fans that love the art form, it will survive. Same with any art and culture. Unfortunately, it does seem like in terms of what’s popular in entertainment / media, cartoon animation is more popular than puppetry. Especially adult cartoon animation vs adult puppetry. I’m an artist that creates both and I am a fan of both. Both are different art forms of course but they are similar. Likewise, many people much prefer seeing human beings on screen instead of cartoons or puppets. In terms of the entertainment industry / business, I do think that Artificial Intelligence is dangerous to the careers of artist workers. Hopefully many have protested / unionized against it. Sure, Artificial Intelligence can be fun to a certain extent. But of course we live in a world of good vs evil. Not everyone cares to think about the consequences of negative actions towards others. Anyway, those are my opinions on that.
I hope not. I would rather a puppet any day..my brain knows cgi isn’t real.. but the muppets have conditioned my brain to see a puppet as a living breathing life form
Part of what makes art beautiful, is natural human flaws. At present, AI can't imitate that. Flaws aren't something that can be anticipated, calculated and programmed. Bob Dylan was a technically terrible singer, with a ton of flaws. But he's one of the most well-known and well-loved singers of all time, not in spite of the flaws, but because of them. It makes him unique. Compare that to many of the one-hit, auto-tuned singers you find these days. Think art that develops into something new when an "accident" occurs. A brush stroke that's misplaced so is turned into a new element of the painting that adds so much more than the original concept. A joke from a comedian that goes wrong, but the improvised correction ends up better than the original. A bum note from the saxophone that becomes an improvised riff, adding a whole new flavour to the song. The beach stones in the video are much more beautiful for their cracks and holes. And, to speak in terms of the art of many of us here, a puppet whose nose is a little crooked or eyes are a little uneven or ears are slightly different sizes - that adds character and personality to the puppet that it might not have otherwise. You can't preplan flaws. At least, not yet!
WAIT I GOT A GOOD IDEA WHY DONT YOU SELL YOUR PUPPETS ON OUR OWN ONLINE WEBSITE SO PEOPLE AND KIDS CAN ENJOY THERE PUPPETS SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE SPARES AND GET MONEY AND GET MATERIAL FOR YOUR PUPPETS🤩🤩🤩🌈🌈🌈
AI will never replace anything. CGI can't replace puppets, but it can add additional help. If you remove something from a movie, everybody will notice that, and they won't like it. If you only add more things to a movie, then people will admire it.
When you see "art" produced by AI for some "artist", and it's OBVIOUS which Frazetta and Giger copywrited works it came from, it's just the latest form of theft. Again. Anyone can string some words together for a prompt, and totally screw a concept artist out of a job now., and they are. Sigh
Won't anyone think of the carriage drivers! The horses! Yes, some people will be out of a job, and some others will find entirely new jobs, as it has been throughout history. If the work being done can be easily replaced by a 'free' machine, Capitalism is going to pick the cheaper option every time. Courts will be litigating where copyright starts and ends with AI for years if not decades - but art has always been derivative, every piece of art is simply shapes and styles the artist has seen before, filtered through a person's brain with varying degrees of precision and recognizability. Getting emotional about it won't change the process one bit, so the best we can do is think of what to do *with* this new technology. The genie can never be put back in the bottle, not even a little - unless you can remove the demand the genie fills in society. Better to think of how that might be done.
Puppetry and Stop Motion are my favorite forms of Entertainment I grew watching both to me Puppets are more fun to entertain people same goes with Stop Motion in my opinion we could definitely use a renaissance of Puppetry and Stop Motion.
I love Stop Motion and puppetry too!!! Would love a reinassence of them
Agree & well said!
I love puppetry, stop motion, and CGI
Essnecially its safe to say there's room for both, which can be a beautiful balance. And no one art form should outweigh the other.
I think everyone on this page would agree. However, the "bean counters" at Mega-Huge-Corp may not.
Even Pixar, who I saw first at small animation film festivals (years before the 'Average Joe' ever heard of them!) and now it's owned by a Corporate Overlord. Would be interesting to hear from long time employees to hear what changes have occurred.
Awesome video! I've grown up with puppetry and its always had a soft spot in my heart. It makes me so sad that kids in this generation don't have any shows with puppetry or live action costume character puppets. I hope that they start to come back even though there is a rise for CGI. What has always made me adore Jim Henson's dark fantasy movies like dark crystal labyrinth is the use of puppets, the characters feel so much more real than modern CGI creatures. It made me feel like I could meet some of those creatures IRL as a kid.
Even though I love animation, both now and when I was a kid, a lot of my favorite movies and shows were some kind of live action, or had live action elements! Blue’s Clues was and still is a favorite of mine, because even though the world is generally animated, the fact that Steve, Joe, and now Josh, along with a few props and stuff were live action, and actually felt like they were interacting with and a part of Blue and the gang, really REALLY helped foster my imagination! Shows like the model train era of Thomas and Friends, Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, Teletubbies, Big Comfy Couch and The Noddy Shop were also my favorites! And movies that were either live action, or realistic looking, even if it was stop motion, or CGI, were some of my faves as well! Movies like Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Short Circuit, Cars, WALL-E, Wallace and Gromit, the Herbie movies, Transformers films! I used to base my interest of something on if it looks real enough, and/or had live action elements, and/or was 3 dimensional and detailed, like stop motion or Pixar/Dreamworks levels of CGI. Or if, at least, it had cars or robots, or something I happen to like regardless of medium! And as I grew up, I realized that I didn’t just like things based on superficial appearances, let alone that silly “must have” list of mine. I enjoyed things for many reasons, not just because they may have a certain look I prefer, which itself wasn’t as cut and dry as I imagined! Soon I fell in love with cartoons, and illustrations, animation, filmmaking, drawing, storybooks, and eventually, I became interested in animation, and mixed media, and now, years later, as of typing this, I love all forms of storytelling and art! Especially animation, and puppetry, and filmmaking!
Kids in this generation definitely have puppetry-based television… I’m not sure what you’re basing that claim on. Not only do they have decades worth of classic shows, but Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock: BttR, Waffles+Mochi, Donkey Hodie, and many, MANY other puppetry shows are still currently airing/in production. Bear in the Big Blue House is now pretty accessible via Disney+, and of course that opens up the original Muppet content for them to watch as well.
Oh, thank you for sharing your feelings of concern at the end of this video! I get pangs of the same when I see all the digital advances. Seeing a live puppet performance that's done well and gets your heart moving is still so special. I won't give up. We're still relevant❤
Glad you included Barnaby Dixon. Incredible puppet maker/performer AND musician.
They will not replace puppets, people thought this about stop motion. Combine the two like they are doing now and effects will be super crazy
I cannot imagine the entertainment industry without puppetry! Especially Jim Henson works such as Sesame Street! That needs to stay untouched! #PuppetryWillNeverDie
I’m glad you made this video! With all the stuff regarding art and AI going either one way or the other, we need people like you to help clear all the noise and look at all of this from an objective view!
I’m an animator myself, and while I am aware of and concerned for my fellow creators regarding all the potential dangers of AI in art, especially when it’s being used by people with selfish intent, I don’t really want to see AI get canned, at least not permanently. Reprogrammed or redesigned with consideration for artists, absolutely, but not outright deleted!
I’m with you on the whole embracing, and merging AI (and computers and technology as a whole) with all the tried and true art mediums! I see the potential with AI in art, and while it still has a long way to go, I do hope that, similar to animation, and other mediums of art, AI (after some much needed updates, or reprogramming, that allow artists the option to be involved in the development and uses of the AI, among other things) is allowed to become part of the creative toolkit, without replacing any one medium! It’s like what you said with stop motion, how people were saying it would replace puppets! And instead, both mediums coexist!
And same thing with 3D animation! People saying it would render stop motion (heck, even 2D animation) outdated! And while CGI certainly is everywhere and usually the default medium for a lot of animation, it never truly replaced Stop Motion, Puppetry, 2D, or any medium! In fact, nowadays, creators are actively trying to experiment with CGI to make visually stunning stories and videos! In fact, they’re merging different animation styles, including the actual mediums, like stop motion, 2D (all 2D techniques, both old school and modern digital equivalent) puppetry, practical effects, AND using CGI to recreate those styles and enhance and compliment them!!! I know people have been mixing different art styles, mediums, techniques, software, and even storytelling tropes for years, (even Jim Henson was known to actively embrace all the new technology that was being made, and pushed all the tools and equipment as far as they could go!) and while some techniques and art forms may be more common, or easier, and other mediums may seem less common, no art form or medium is ever truly gone, let alone replaced! Animation, Live Action, Film in general, still images, comic books, photos, paintings, and especially practical effects, I do not believe are going anywhere!
AI may be able to do all that and more and may get to a point where the quality is so good that discussions around man and machine will become even more existential and important than they already are, along with all the pros and cons that come with any new innovation that we’ll have to address. But just like your example with Acoustic Guitars vs. Electric Guitars, I can’t really imagine AI, or any art form ever replacing another art form! While I still want this tech to be revamped with creators in mind, I hope that once all the legalities and ethical issues are resolved, and artists and users are able to work together (like give artists the option to not have their art searchable or indexed by AI, or allow the user or artists to provide their own work as dedicated samples for the AI to use when offline, or allow the artists to get compensated whenever their art is used by the software, or something like that.) that creators can use AI alongside all the art forms, and incorporate it into their own work, but not letting it replace any art form!
I hope Adam is doing well, best wishes !
Great video, I hope both forms of special effects and animations are still used in the future.
Can you imagine a Puppet version of Bob's Burgers 😆 they already look like puppets 🧐 have muppet shaped heads and bodies 🧐
Puppetry is absolutely positively completely 100% relevant!
Always will be a creative outlet and a treasured art!
@@amym5114 That's the spirit! U tell em sonny!
The most important thing about the AI revolution that's happening now is that, if there's any sort of legal justice in the world, it will force our legislators to enact guardrails to protect actual artists who are having their work co-opted for profit without their permission. We all need to educate ourselves on how these systems function so we can be ready to defend our creative rights when we're faced with statements like "AI is just a tool" and "Its just doing what any art student does by copying artists they admire". Because those types of vague statements are manipulative and designed to distract from the fact that AI is appropriating art without permission for profit.
Puppet ideas
How to make a puppet with a trunk.
How to make a Java puppet ( from the muppets)
And how to make an advanced sock puppet
Damnit, I wanna make a puppet now
I was fortunate to be able to attend a talk called "Puppets in Action: Theory, Practice, and Possibilities" at the Jackman Institute, U of T, some months ago, that was part of the Little Amal visit to Toronto and other things going on, and one of the speakers, a U of T professor, Lawrence Switzky, made a comment (not part of the main talk, but there was more talk after the main talk) about AI vs. Puppetry. - That people are starting to dislike AI, because they see it as trying to fool you; lying about the "reality" it presents; fake - and yet puppetry is unabashedly fake - there's a puppeteer back there somewhere; that thing is not alive, but we embrace it's "reality" because it's not lying to us; it's asking us to join it, to allow it to tell it's story - with our help to bring it to life, to accept that created reality. (P. Switzky teaches drama; computation and the arts; theories of media and technology; performance theory, & video games, btw.) I am paraphrasing from memory, but I found this the most interesting thing in the talk! I am still thinking about it, and ideas of reality and methods of creation - and your comment at 6:50 "Even AI produced works can be art, if there is an artist at the helm" I think is very telling - the artist of AI is the puppeteer of the practical puppet - that it is WHO (not what) makes art, that makes it ART... (& I often find the HOW is much less important that the WHY...) Food for ever ongoing thought, especially as the practical arts continue to exist (and thrive) and newer technologies evolve and grow...
I also absolutely love your comment, "But art is not about efficiency." (6:28)
Woot Gazelle Automations! (0:26) Brilliant Canadian production company and they do A LOT of awesome practical puppetry, too!
Great video, thanks, and I agree! One thing about puppetry is that it will continue to delight and intrigue - especially the live performance aspect of it. Nothing gives me more pleasure as seeing the faces of kids (and adults) when they encounter puppets in real life. That magic will never go away, even if traditional puppetry in film in replaced by other methods.
As a person who believes in innovation, professionalism, and success, whether or not something is done through physical elements or digital elements is irrelevant, so as long as the subject in question is produced in the best way possible. Some things require digital work while others require physical work. The thesis of this video, being that everything requires something created by a human I believe is compatible with this mindset, because if there is a real person focused on the fundamental aspects of creating a good product, people will enjoy this said product regardless of the medium.
This was so dope seeing all these clips I love it keep doing more puppet making videos Adam cause I love it.
Thank you for making this video, I have had people telling me that puppetry will be controlled by AI or won’t be around in 10 years and I want to be a puppeteer for the Jim Henson company and this video gives me hope that I can peruse my dreams.
Great vid. Like you said, AI and CGI are just tools. It's up to the artist/filmmaker to decide which tools will give them the result they want. I like that projects are using more and more practical effects and less green screen.
Something I've always thought about and wondered, using CGI to enhance stop-motion puppetry, as in, using it to create inbetween frames to give the final result a very smoothly-animated appearance.
I'm working on a puppetry project currently that will rely on green screen to make me invisible so I don't have to hide behind a wall. It's going to enhance my ability to perform, not take it away. That's not the same as AI obviously but all technology is a tool we choose to use or not and I want to keep my mind open to all the possibilities so that my art can be as good as I can possibly manage.
The Internet and affordable hardware and software have enabled small and indie creators of content such as music, movies and games. This scared off the big players in this niche who started looking for all kinds of excuses and now we have copyright flags, demonetization/removal of content, main stream only. AI will not eliminate the human factor, only limit it to a few managers and CEOs who will set the task to a result they like. For now, I don't know what the AI-derived copyright spells are, but I guess they'll take care of that as well.
I love puppets, and I love cgi. I grew up with both and they can be great.
6:36 is terrifying
VFX and SFX should co-exist in my opinion. Both are great mediums to express something to. Don't know about AI though...
Personally I find some of the work coming from AI algorithms at the moment, absolutely fascinating. It can be as realistic or stylised as anyone wants.
What bothers me is the way it is presented. People post a lot of this material on social media and say something like "hey look at this gorgeous Dragon that I made" when all they really did was ask a computer to make a picture for them. I love the art, and I'm interested in any tool that helps people express what they are imagining. But it's like asking Davinci to paint a portrait of your wife and then claiming it as all your own work. You can bet Davinci would be sending those Renaissance boys round for a "chat". These algorithms are written by teams of technicians, and trained on millions of carefully selected images made by and selected by humans. I want to know which ones are involved in producing the art that I like. To use your analogy, wether the singer is using a Fender or a Gibson and any other effects in the chain?
I'm gravitating towards "Dall-E2" but largely because it's free. I can't afford a subscription to "Midjourney".
Most of the time it's obvious what's CGI. Based on what's human possible when it comes to stunts and overall, the lighting. Sometimes the color is too bright or just doesn't blend well.
AI has no soul, no back story. The imperfect messiness of humans is what we connect with, even when they achieve near perfection. And you’re right: first tapes, then CDs and then downloads were going to kill vinyl but its warmth, scent, and tactility is winning over new generations. DTP didn’t destroy print (though a lot of bad rainbow gradients with Comic Sans, Times New Roman and/or every font on their system proliferated for way too long).
AI is a tool, in the right hands it will make great work, but on its own it will never beat a creative human with a story to tell.
❤
A random question but is there any aid or sort of hack when it comes to killer arm ache when keeping the hands up on a live puppet?. The camera angle and size of room prevents us from leaning on a ledge so we are sort of floating underneath the shot... any ideas would be grateful 🙏
As someone who loves the art style of Puppetry and teaches it, while yes technology has been progressing and advancing more and more, I will say this NOTHING will ever replace puppetry with the great use of movements, believability, and storytelling. Puppets can do more and should do more.
Thanks for putting the fear in check and putting logic and humanity into this controversial topic.
Great speech, motivation can be hard to come by. I appreciate the time you took to make us count.
You make good video essays!
AI, CGI, stop motion and puppetry should always coexist.
And traditional 2D! (For cartoon shows and movies)
I'm afraid it will replace us alas. Many of us lost commercials when great animation came to be.
Good question. Hopefully puppetry stays alive!
Even if the newer Star Wars movies suck, the special effects are pretty cool.
That was a great video! Very thought provoking.
You can make invisible stich only on the antron fleece?
I've been battling with this view for a few years now. I spent almost 3 years organizing what I felt was a great concept in puppet music videos. Throughout the pandemic I even was left alone from my newly adult son heading out into the world and my wife of 25 years leaving to care for her useless drunkard daughter and her children, to lead my own life. Being a performing artist / propmaker I attempted to make a soundstage in my house for puppet music videos. It was massive and almost too much for me to handle. A huge 11ft by 9 foot studio with low ceilings, a 6ft long by 4ft high stage with velvet curtains and countless puppets and props and lighting and spot lights and ... Well you get the idea.
My wife and son thought I had lost it, because I performed live as a musician/singer and now I had puppets. Well the reason was, I am now retired and realized no one (or almost no one) wanted to see an old man performing on stage. I thought it was a brilliant idea but could find, no matter how hard I searched or asked, anyone who would help my on my journey. Yep you guessed it I had "NO BUDGET" But in the back of my mind I kept saying "you could do this" (I had a hard time figuring out was it me talking, or was one of my puppets alive and calling me out. Was my family right and I've lost it?)
Then comes your video on AE and CGI in puppetry. I thought "OK don't have more money to spend on expensive computer programs or the time to learn them well.
Then you come on and tell me there is still a craft of puppetry I am trying to do that is still alive. This is it. A group of people pushing me on. Telling me "Go for it" Got lots of great advice and tips for creating the best puppet arena. Thank you Adam.
Here I am again thinking maybe he is right. Maybe I can do this. (Like Geppetto talking to Pinocchio)
Well here I am and I haven't given up. My time is coming. Hoping to get support from the puppet world when I am finally done. Thanks for sharing and giving inspiration...😎
There's room for everything in this world
please do a puppet made of fleece with no sewing
it might not mean much to you, but I really think your videos are great! keep up the good work, i really enjoy seeing your quality content :)
Thanks! That means a lot to me and I know it means a lot to Adam as well!
What's the name of the narrator? He did a good job!
EDIT: I should've just watched until the end lol. Great job Ben!
It's a ai voice
@@reduxreacts No, it's not. At one point it shows the guy's face.
lol
That's why I waited to put a comment X)
thank you!
This made sense to me.
Thank you very much. I just start i hope One day i Will get better❤
Grate video ❤all of them work together to make a good movie come alive .😃🤩
I've seen avatar, it was okay and i doubt I'll rewatch it. Dark crystal and Labyrinth however, now those I can quote word for word. Ai and cgi are great but can be soulless
How is Adam doing?
If dose you must make the AI Nerd and CGI Nerd
#PuppetryWillNeverDie
And how's Adam doin?
Inspiration ❤❤❤
Adam my school needs a mascot a puppet the mascot is a panther
Where is Adam?
Idk
Adam is no doubt still recovering.
@@Forcemaster2000 I really hope we get to hear from him soon
I mean you still need someone to hold the stick
CGI! & AI! Can’t! DO THIS!
🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 0:10
In my opinion, I think technology works best when it fulfills the needs of the people in a positive way. Art, technology, etc. Same with everything politically. Freedom and equality.
But of course we all differ in our opinions, politics, even our perceptions of art.
Will Artificial Intelligence and CGI make Puppetry irrelevant ?
In my opinion, as long as there are artists and fans that love the art form, it will survive. Same with any art and culture.
Unfortunately, it does seem like in terms of what’s popular in entertainment / media, cartoon animation is more popular than puppetry. Especially adult cartoon animation vs adult puppetry. I’m an artist that creates both and I am a fan of both. Both are different art forms of course but they are similar.
Likewise, many people much prefer seeing human beings on screen instead of cartoons or puppets.
In terms of the entertainment industry / business, I do think that Artificial Intelligence is dangerous to the careers of artist workers. Hopefully many have protested / unionized against it.
Sure, Artificial Intelligence can be fun to a certain extent. But of course we live in a world of good vs evil. Not everyone cares to think about the consequences of negative actions towards others.
Anyway, those are my opinions on that.
Cool 😀👍
How does you feel today bro
I love your videos ❤
I hope not. I would rather a puppet any day..my brain knows cgi isn’t real.. but the muppets have conditioned my brain to see a puppet as a living breathing life form
Naw, I think some things are in danger, but not that.
How is your health? I hope you are well.
💕🎨🎭
Puppets will always be relevant
Part of what makes art beautiful, is natural human flaws. At present, AI can't imitate that. Flaws aren't something that can be anticipated, calculated and programmed. Bob Dylan was a technically terrible singer, with a ton of flaws. But he's one of the most well-known and well-loved singers of all time, not in spite of the flaws, but because of them. It makes him unique. Compare that to many of the one-hit, auto-tuned singers you find these days. Think art that develops into something new when an "accident" occurs. A brush stroke that's misplaced so is turned into a new element of the painting that adds so much more than the original concept. A joke from a comedian that goes wrong, but the improvised correction ends up better than the original. A bum note from the saxophone that becomes an improvised riff, adding a whole new flavour to the song. The beach stones in the video are much more beautiful for their cracks and holes. And, to speak in terms of the art of many of us here, a puppet whose nose is a little crooked or eyes are a little uneven or ears are slightly different sizes - that adds character and personality to the puppet that it might not have otherwise. You can't preplan flaws. At least, not yet!
😊
course not, puppets are gonna be around forever
💯💯💯👍👍👍
Can u make me a puppet
you sholde make a dhmis puppet
♥️♥️♥️♥️👍🏽
Hey Adam will you do me a favor
WAIT I GOT A GOOD IDEA WHY DONT YOU SELL YOUR PUPPETS ON OUR OWN ONLINE WEBSITE SO PEOPLE AND KIDS CAN ENJOY THERE PUPPETS SO THAT YOU CAN MAKE SPARES AND GET MONEY AND GET MATERIAL FOR YOUR PUPPETS🤩🤩🤩🌈🌈🌈
AI will never replace anything.
CGI can't replace puppets, but it can add additional help.
If you remove something from a movie, everybody will notice that, and they won't like it.
If you only add more things to a movie, then people will admire it.
When you see "art" produced by AI for some "artist", and it's OBVIOUS which Frazetta and Giger copywrited works it came from, it's just the latest form of theft. Again. Anyone can string some words together for a prompt, and totally screw a concept artist out of a job now., and they are. Sigh
Won't anyone think of the carriage drivers! The horses!
Yes, some people will be out of a job, and some others will find entirely new jobs, as it has been throughout history. If the work being done can be easily replaced by a 'free' machine, Capitalism is going to pick the cheaper option every time. Courts will be litigating where copyright starts and ends with AI for years if not decades - but art has always been derivative, every piece of art is simply shapes and styles the artist has seen before, filtered through a person's brain with varying degrees of precision and recognizability. Getting emotional about it won't change the process one bit, so the best we can do is think of what to do *with* this new technology. The genie can never be put back in the bottle, not even a little - unless you can remove the demand the genie fills in society. Better to think of how that might be done.
I hate ai art