How to commission a puppet maker
AKA How to approach a puppet maker for a commission
UPDATE: With so many international people looking for puppet makers… IF YOU WANT TO FIND PUPPET MAKERS, PLEASE CONTACT YOUR LOCAL UNIMA CENTRE. Aussies can contact UNIMA Australia. Before doing so, please read the following and help those who offer their services in puppetry serve you better.
This is another one of my ‘pet peeve’ posts, mainly because I get regular emails from people asking me about commissions. I find (from my web stats) that few of them look at my ‘About’ page, or other now-retracted info about commissions (I retracted it for just that reason); not that I think this will help either, but it might…
The reason it’s one of my pet peeves isn’t so much that people don’t bother reading the info available here before contacting me; it’s that when they do contact me, they do so with annoyingly ambigiousity. So with these past experiences in mind, I’d like to "submit for your approval" some basic etiquette guidelines for when you contact a puppet maker about a commission.
I think it goes without saying, but I’ll say it anyway: when approaching a puppet maker, do at least try to read the info on their site/publicity materials first. Believe it or not, but most puppet makers have their own policies on what kinds of commissions they take, have time limits listed on their websites when they’re too busy to take more work, etc. etc.
(I should add that I’m discussing custom-made puppets, not ones that are pre-made and ready to buy)
UPDATE: Read all of the below, and then read Part Two of this article.
Make sure that you’re contacting the right person for the job
A while ago I had an odd email from a man who wanted something made. He explained in a lot of detail what he wanted, but at the end of the email, it was clear to me that he didn’t actually want puppets; he wanted something more like installation art and sculpture. I asked him to clarify whether he wanted objects that moved, or something that was to sit still in the space (this was a corporate commission). The reply I got neither clarified the issue for me (it was a yes/no answer required, and he gave me no further info which would end in a yes or no in anyone’s language), nor did it convince me that puppets were what the person wanted. My guess is that a lot of business people don’t know much about art/materials, and confused their idea of what to use (foam sculptures from the sounds of it) with what the actual product would be. … Basically, if you want sculpture, contact a sculptor. You want a puppet, contact a puppet maker. Of course, some people do both (or one or more of other types of art), but obviously you’re only wasting your time and someone else’s if you don’t work out the difference between what you want and what is on offer as a service.
Give specifics
This is covered slightly above, but I want to add some more comments. If you contact someone about a commission, include as much information as you can. There’s always this myth that if you reveal too much of an idea, someone will steal it from you. That’s, frankly, bullsh*t. A puppet maker isn’t going to steal your idea, run off, and leave you hanging. For a start, why steal someone’s idea only to have to pay out of your own pocket to then make and design the puppet? (And then leave yourself open to be sued, which actually does happen in the puppetry community, believe it or not!) And to be honest, if you’re so damn nervous about sharing, then don’t bother contacting someone else; just make it yourself. The only person who could steal your idea is you 
.
But if you do decide to contact a puppet maker, give as much info as possible. This includes things like:
- Your budget (if you don’t want to share that straight away, that’s fine, the puppet maker will give you a quote later anyway and you can decide then if you need to negotiate or walk away)
- A character concept, even if it’s just the type of animal or human that you’d like. Details can often be fleshed out later
- This is perhaps the most important thing to mention - please tell the person what the puppet is needed for! Will it have to walk, talk, move its arms, pick things up, is it for TV/film, for theatre, or for fun… That can help the puppet maker decide on a quote, or whether or not they have the skills/time/interest in making the puppet for you. Even if you don’t know the details, just having a basic concept of what the puppet will need to do will help immensely
- It really helps if you mention your location. Believe it or not, but I get contacted occasionally by Americans; but even those who are interstate or in Melbourne don’t mention their location until I ask for it. This is really unhelpful, because sometimes the types of puppets are simply too heavy to ship cheaply, and so it ends up wasting the customer’s money. If the person asks for something that is of such heaviness (ie. 5 muppet-type puppets) and is out of state, then I often recommend they contact someone closer to home
- Leave some contact info. Granted, if you’ve called or emailed, it’s likely that we have contact info already. However, it’s always nice to have a phone number if there’s an email, or vice versa. Sometimes it’s easier to have a live conversation than a typed email conversation too.
Most of all: if the puppet maker asks you to explain something in more detail, do so. If you’re uncertain of something, that’s fine, just say that. The puppet maker can then ask you more questions to help you clarify your ideas, and help them understand what your needs/requests are. But if you offer a statement that does nothing but keep the puppet maker in the dark, then it’s not really helpful to either of you. As you can see from my story above, if the man had given me a yes/no answer to "will the object have to move" I would have taken it more seriously. Even if you have the firmest ideas in your head, I can guarantee you, unless you write (or talk) just as clearly, the puppet maker will be confused as hell. Trust me, nothing says waste of time than someone contacting me and giving no information other than "I want a puppet. Make me one" (believe it or not, but that quote isn’t an exaggeration, but almost word-for-word from an email).
The differences between maker and the public
It’s important to remember that in the approach, the puppet maker and the person who wants the puppet have two different ways of thinking. The commissioner will be thinking of character design, perhaps of how they might be using the puppet, and overall have few details sorted out. The puppet maker on the other hand will probably think little of character (since that is more aesthetics and/or oftentimes done last in a building process) and more on mechanisms and the basic structure.
Let me put it in an easier to understand analogy. Say you are commissioning an architect to design your house. Whilst you are standing on your piece of land, you imagine your kitchen, and your bedrooms, and the layout of the house. The architect will also consider these things, but will be more concerned with structure: if the bedrooms are located below the bathrooms, where will the plumbing go; which way will the doors swing so corner rooms have easy access; where does the light hit the house the best for the correct placement of windows. As you can see, you as the house owner are imagining the overall feel or atmosphere of the house, whilst the architect is concerned with making sure the house works so you can get the most out of your purchase. It’s the same with puppets.
Basically what I’m trying to say is that if the puppet maker asks you to clarify an idea, or suggests something to you, they are only trying to understand what you want better, in order to provide the best service they can. Or if nothing else, clarify for themselves whether or not their skills or interests match the concept of the puppet enough to actually make it for you. Furthermore, if the puppet maker suggests a better way of doing something, try to listen. It may not meet your aesthetic ideas, but generally the builder is offering experienced advice, based on practicality. (Real world example: if a carpenter tells you to make your chair legs level so you don’t fall off it when you sit down, it’s not about aesthetics. It’s about practicality. And you’d listen to them, wouldn’t you?) Trust in that experience, it’s worth it. For more info about how a puppet maker goes about starting a project, you may want to read the basics of puppet design article.
Policies and payments
Generally, once you’ve established contact, you should discuss the puppet maker’s policies and payment options. One of the things that hardly ever gets discussed, but is mostly assumed, is contained in these two ‘P’s. You should make sure that you know what the puppet maker’s copyrights are (both performance and design), whether or not fees go up if you want to retain either of those copyrights for yourself, and/or if they are given to you as part of the commission. Many puppet makers have different copyright policies (read here for more info), so it’s not safe to assume that the copyrights are immediately yours.
You need to also find out what happens with the payment: does the puppet maker take a deposit (many do in order to not waste their own resources on a last-minute cancellation or unhappy customer), do they offer refunds, if you’re not happy with the puppet what happens, how do they get paid… Many puppet makers offer a number of payment options. Additionally, and this is important to keep in mind, puppet makers can offer design services (ie. they can submit a brief description of the puppet, an outline of costs/quote, and sketches or images of what the puppet should look like) before or during the commission process. Best of all, some puppet makers actually offer their customers a build-by-build set of photos, so you can see the puppet as the person makes it. Kind of like quality insurance: you can make sure that everything looks and works the way it’s supposed to. You should also discuss a timeline, so you have a rough idea of how long things will take and when you can expect your puppet. In general, the more conversation and regular contact with the puppet maker you have throughout the commission process, the more involved you can be in decisions and quality control.
Follow up
I will add that it is, as a courtesy, a good idea to follow up with the puppet maker after you have contacted them. I can’t tell you how many times I get phone calls or emails from people, whom after promptly replying to their inquiries, then disappear. I will of course, make numerous attempts to contact the person, but after about three or four times I generally give up. Naturally, puppet makers understand that people change their minds (although I personally think some of it is being scared off by the quoted prices, which I’ll discuss more in a second), shop for prices, or whatever other reason they decide not to go ahead: that’s the customer’s right. However, it’s just nice for us puppet makers if you return serve and let us know that you’re no longer interested. Remember, you’ve contacted us, not the other way around. Yes, we like to get more work; we also prefer not to waste time following up on said work, especially if it results in us getting no work (and wasting money) because you won’t reply to phone calls or emails.
Quotes and prices
I have no doubt that there is a huge myth out there that puppets are cheap. I guess it’s partly to do with the fact that factory-made puppets often cost less than $50 (sometimes even $15 or $20), but partly to do with the fact that prices for custom-made puppets aren’t so openly advertised. After all, custom-made means there will be materials and labour costs specific to the puppet being made, rather than a set price based on a pre-determined amount of time, etc. It really helps if you, the customer, learn a little about what to expect from pricing and quotes; if nothing else, it makes price comparisons much easier to do, because you’ll know why a person charges more than someone else, or why the quote seems too high or too low. (Too high and it may mean you’re being overcharged; on the other hand, too high and it may mean you have low expectations of the cost. Too low and it may mean good pricing for you; on the other hand, too low and it may mean loss of quality on your final product)
Yes, puppet building is expensive. Please don’t walk into the approach thinking that a puppet maker will be able to make something that looks like it came from the Henson workshop for the price of a cup of coffee. Just as you pay high prices for other highly-skilled craftspeople (like architects for example), you should know that puppet making - professional puppet making - is not cheap to do. (Learn more about pricing of puppets here; what a professional puppet is here) If you want to get really knowledgeable before approaching a puppet maker, then you can learn more about materials, methods, etc., so that you can know what kinds of things to ask and what kinds of things to expect.
Replicas
Don’t approach people about making replicas of something you’ve seen on TV/film/stage. This is discussed in detail here (with links to other articles that discuss specific well-known characters). I am quite frankly amazed that people think they can get replicas. I had a woman call a few weeks ago asking if I sold Kermit puppets. I explained that no I don’t sell them, and that in fact they are illegal. I did suggest she buy a Master Replica puppet (the poseable toy), but then it occured to me: is this puppet going to be performed with? She replied yes. Well, I even more emphatically stated, "well, you can’t buy replica puppets, that’s illegal, and breaking copyrights". She didn’t seem to get it, although, again, I don’t know what’s so hard to figure out. You don’t like someone stealing your car: don’t steal someone else’s puppet. (Seriously, why do you think patents were invented in the first place?)
Anyway, there are some scum (and yes, I call them that, because they are both unoriginal and breaking the law) who sell replicas. However, no legitimate puppet makers sell or make replicas. Those that do actually get sued! I absolutely refuse to make or sell replicas, and so do all of the legit puppet makers out there. Frankly, if you want a replica, you’ll be wasting your time contacting someone about it.
Galleries, showcases and meetings
When you approach someone, do make sure you check out their previous work. Puppet makers have lots of examples lying about at home, so if you’re not happy with looking at photos on the net, ask them if they can provide a viewing of their work at a suitable location. Some puppet makers have workshops, exhibition spaces, or live performances to see. Others work from home, and may welcome you in, or provide a suggestion on meeting somewhere neutral. You can even meet for coffee and/or a meal, and discuss things face to face. Don’t be afraid to ask questions, look around, and most important, play! Puppet makers are perfectly happy, and in fact, expect, you to want to test out the merchandise. After all, your puppet will be used too, so you need to make sure that the puppet doesn’t fall apart as soon as you pick it up. This is basically your opportunity to ‘kick the tyres’ before you commit any money.
… Ok, I think I’ve finally run out of stuff to say. I’m sure I’ve missed something, so if any of you puppet makers out there - or the general public - has anything to add, leave a comment! UPDATE: Go read Part Two NOW, as there’s more important info written there as well.
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