January 17th, 2011
Today was an all-nighter for me on the set of The Muppets. We’re filming in Hollywood and It’s a pretty awesome production to see to say the least.
Anyways, I had to figure out my creative thing while being on set. It turned out being rather simple and something that I’d been hoping to accomplish for some time now.
Part of my job here is to steal the puppeteers away from set every once in a while to capture what I call muppet interactions. These are little random moments between the muppets on set for use in publicity.
I’ve been trying to get as many of these little moments as possible. The trouble is that the puppeteers are needed on set quite a bit so scheduling is tough. Plus, every time we do get them it requires a fair amount of production, including setting up the camera in a unobtrusive spot, lights, multiple monitors, multiple lavaliers and usually a person from the muppets to tend to the way the muppets look on camera.
On any other film you can capture these “fun” moments by just walking around the set and asking people questions. That’s why I put together this little setup I’m calling Muppet-Cam.
It’s really quite simple. It’s basically a couple of earthquake straps and some extra velcro. The idea is that my cameraman, Phil, can walk right up to a muppet on set and they can quickly and easily see themselves on the monitor hanging around his neck. Then, If they’re feeling giddy enough they can jump in and say some fun stuff for our camera.
The rig is by no means perfect and I have already purchased a weight belt and more velcro in order to angle the monitor straight ahead. I also need to remember to keep an apple box handy as this is what they prefer to sit on while performing. That or these little roller cushions which look kind of like barstool cushions with casters. This allows the muppet to have more mobility.
Hopefully, I can use this setup for the rest of the shoot to stock up on more fun muppet moments.