Yes, puppet building is expensive
Well, it’s midnight (Mon morning) and I haven’t written a post ahead of time. Wondering what to write, and I happen across this fascinating mention on Boing Boing that puppetry is expensive; surprise surprise, not because of the materials, but because of the labour. What’s more interesting is the commentary below… it reveals a 50/50 split between those who work in puppetry and know the time it takes to make something good, and those who don’t and think that since they have socks in their drawers they can make one easily and for less money. Maybe so, but will it look as good as the pros’ one?
Of course, this BB post all comes from Mary Robinette Kowal’s site (mentioned previously on mine), where she explains why labour of one of her puppets makes the puppet itself so expensive. It’s a great insight into her building methodology; but proves that recycling materials doesn’t mean that a puppet will cost nothing to make.
After reading her post, it makes me recall previous conversations with potential customers. I often give quotes, and I suspect, most people underestimate the cost. A few moppets would cost several thousand dollars, because of the labour I put into it; and despite the fact that materials would be about 10% of the costs.
At any rate, I’m now adding this to the Learn page, simply because it needs to be said… and remembered.
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