Shadow Puppetry:
Here is some information about early shadow puppetry.
I find that Shadow Puppetry is rather interesting and intriguing. It has the ability to capture you and draw you in. I would have done a small shadow puppet animation if I knew at the time it could have been used for it and if I'd have realized sooner. I do think that there's a specific art form for shadow puppetry, you have to have a very good creative mindset and also be able to think how the shadows would look on the screen. That is something which I don't think I could have successfully, and it would have been a shambles.
Shadow puppetry is probably considered the oldest form of puppetry in the World. It began 1,000’s of years ago in Chine and also in India. In China the shadow plays were often folk-tales and of legends in the part, many of these were based on Chinese opera themes. In Indonesia, shadow plays are an integral part of tradition culture. Many of these plays are taken from two religious epics where there is a often a struggle, between good and evil. Turkey and Greece, also have their own history of shadow puppetry, where plays are based on everyday life, they also contain much physical comedy. In Western Europe, shadow puppetry enjoyed popularity during the 1800’s when the art of cutting silhouettes out of paper was fashionable. In 1926 German shadow puppeteer Lotte Reiniger made the first full length animated film. The Adventures of Prince Achmed. She hand-cut beautiful opaque silhouette figures that were moved on an animated table.
Traditional shadow puppets are flat and are made out of leather. Areas within the puppet are punched out with sharp knives. There areas suggest the facial features and also help define the clothing. These puppets are made from separate pieces and are then joined together with either wire or string. They are then controlled by long rods and are then moved behind a white translucent screen made from paper or cloth. A lamp is then on the puppeteer’s side of the stage which provides the light: the audience on the other side, sees the moving shadows. Cut-out areas within the figures then allow the light to shine through.
Contemporary shadow puppets can be made by combining a variety of materials including: paper, plastic, wood, colours theatrical lighting filters, cloth, feathers, dried plants or found objects ranging from silk scarves to kitchen utensils.
Contemporary shadow puppeteers might employ a host of specialized lighting effects, including various theatrical lighting instruments, overhead projectors, reflected light, projected films, head lamps and also hand-held lights.
Links to other shadow puppeteers:
Maria Bodman: www.balibeyond.com
Larry Reed: www.shadowlight.com
Leonidas Kassapides: www.kassapides.com
Traditional shadow puppets are flat and are made out of leather. Areas within the puppet are punched out with sharp knives. There areas suggest the facial features and also help define the clothing. These puppets are made from separate pieces and are then joined together with either wire or string. They are then controlled by long rods and are then moved behind a white translucent screen made from paper or cloth. A lamp is then on the puppeteer’s side of the stage which provides the light: the audience on the other side, sees the moving shadows. Cut-out areas within the figures then allow the light to shine through.
Contemporary shadow puppets can be made by combining a variety of materials including: paper, plastic, wood, colours theatrical lighting filters, cloth, feathers, dried plants or found objects ranging from silk scarves to kitchen utensils.
Contemporary shadow puppeteers might employ a host of specialized lighting effects, including various theatrical lighting instruments, overhead projectors, reflected light, projected films, head lamps and also hand-held lights.
Links to other shadow puppeteers:
Maria Bodman: www.balibeyond.com
Larry Reed: www.shadowlight.com
Leonidas Kassapides: www.kassapides.com