#inspiringfellows: March

In light of our upcoming short film, Coyote Girl, we sought out  #inspiringfellows for March in the world of puppetry on film. The vastness of applicable inspirations was overwhelming and truly inspiring! If you have some time to kill, search puppets on film in your favorite social media outlet or search engine: there are some incredible films available for your consumption! While searching the hashtag #puppetsonfilm, I most frequently came across the 2014 Puppets on Film Festival presented by the Jim Henson Foundation and hosted by BAMcinematek over this past fall. We had a brief eye on the festival, but were consumed with preparation for If the Vices… at the time. Luckily, the marvel of the internet still spreads the gospel of fantastic puppetry on film through their Facebook page. There I found this incredible video:

Now, I understand if you aren’t the puppetry geek that I am, and don’t want to watch all two and a half hours of this forum, but do yourself a favor and skip to 24:20 to watch our March #inspiringfellow Toby Froud, as he discusses the process of creating his beautiful, artistic, and poignant short film Lessons Learned

Lessons Learned poster (source: imdb.com)
Lessons Learned poster (source: imdb.com)

Froud grew up literally surrounded by masterful puppets, making his first appearance as the baby abducted by Bowie in Labyrinth. He is the son of legendary designers Brian and Wendy Froud who were a core part of Jim Henson’s team on both Labyrinth and Dark Crystal. He even addresses (in the video above) working with his mum on the early stages of transforming his character sketches to 3D puppets. His partner in crime on this project is Henson’s daughter Heather (hosting the video symposium above), founder of the Handmade Puppet Dreams film series.

Toby and David Bowie in Labyrinth (source: craveonline.com)
Toby and David Bowie in Labyrinth (source: craveonline.com)
Mr. Froud faces his creation (source: portlandmonthlymag.com)
Mr. Froud faces his creation (source: portlandmonthlymag.com)
Toby Froud's amazing Spider puppet with an equally beautiful friend.  (Source: portlandmonthlymag.com)
Toby Froud’s amazing Spider puppet with an equally beautiful friend. (Source: portlandmonthlymag.com)

From the sweet and expressive faces of his puppets, to the masterful animation provided by the puppeteers, to the touching story behind Froud’s journey to creating this film we’ve fallen in love. We adore an honest, homespun, heartfelt tale full of imagination, creativity, and a touch of wisdom. Especially when it involves puppets!

The protagonist of Lessons Learned (source: vimeo.com)
The protagonist of Lessons Learned (source: vimeo.com)
Froud's amazingly skilled crew (source: stripeypajamaproductions.com)
Froud’s amazingly skilled crew (source: stripeypajamaproductions.com)

You can find out more about Lessons Learned and Mr. Froud on his website: http://www.stripeypajamaproductions.com

You can also join us in following him on twitter: @Toby_Froud

His film is still making the festival circuit so stay posted for a screening of Lessons Learned  near you!

Who do you find inspiring? Any recommended #inspiringfellows that we just can’t miss? Tweet #inspiringfellows to @outcastcafe with your inspirations and suggestions.