Frank & Zed still need your help to become the epic puppet-horror film you deserve! Look for our stretch goals and support felt horror!
Latest Updates from Our Project:
Production Diary: Who Needs Art School?
almost 10 years ago
– Tue, Apr 19, 2016 at 12:19:14 PM
Zed-ites!
It has been far too long! Sorry for the delay in videos. Between Spring Break and having our hands full, knocking out the Throne Room scenes, we fell a bit behind on the updates. But fear not, for we've now returned and with none other than Puppetcore's Lead Sculptor, Erin DeBray!
Erin works on Frank's Brain
Erin's been making monsters for Puppetcore since Chompers, and is responsible for how great Frank and Zed look. Check out what he has to say on the matter below!
We're finishing up the throne room location this week. The scene presented lots of challenges (open flames, crowds, puppeteering cat tails) and we're super excited with everything we've accomplished here! Check out some of the photos below.
Every villain needs a cat.
Victory!
Obligatory Links
With only a couple more locations left, and the epic battle fast approaching, now's your last chance to get your name in the film or to be seen as a puppet. These slacker backer rewards will only be available for another week or two on our website: http://www.puppetcore.com/ After that, there will still be chances for slacker backers to pre-order the DVD and perhaps some other physical goodies as well.
4:27 - Richard Taylor, though not a backer, is a great inspiration to us as the Production Designer for The Lord of the Rings. So we thought fitting his name into the film would be appropriate.
5:24 - Erin's 1930's mobster voice can also be heard in the Rock Construction video diary
Production Diary: No One Wants Naked Puppets.
about 10 years ago
– Tue, Mar 22, 2016 at 12:49:30 PM
Dear Zed-ites,
Happy Spring Break! Well, it is for most of our crew anyway. While they're enjoying a well deserved week off, Jesse is busy finally laying all the footage we've shot so far into the edit. The flick is coming together nicely and we can't wait to show it to you all!
Nothing motivates a mob like a severed head.
But there's still a lot to do. We're almost finished with our Murder Village sets, having shot the Krampus Temple and some fun mob scenes, and then we'll be moving into the Black Cemetery and the Ancient Woods. So still lots of fun behind-the-scenes to look forward to.
We've been getting a few slacker backers, and it's really exciting welcoming new folk into the Puppetcore fandom. Know someone who missed out on the initial campaign? Send 'em here: http://www.puppetcore.com/
After Spring Break we'll be jumping right into the King's Throne Room, which should be a lot of fun! Jesse describes it as the "Guillermo Del Toro Set." Can't wait to show it off in the next video!
-Team Puppetcore
Skeleton of the Throne Room
Extra Bits
What to look for in the video:
0:30 - The Krampus faces of the hanging miniature will actually be repurposed onto a suit of armor. We're nothing if not conservationists!
1:16 - Want to learn more about Susan's day job? Visit her at Alter Egos Bazaar!
1:30 - A first look at our Blacksmith
1:37 - The Shine costumes were incredibly detailed, right down to working collar buttons and pants pockets.
2:33 - Well, we need some secrets!
3:58 - Who is that figure, boarded up on the Krampus Temple? Perhaps that will be the subject of a future video.
Production Diary: Entering Murder Village
about 10 years ago
– Tue, Mar 08, 2016 at 11:21:35 AM
Hello residents of Murder Village!
Well some of you will be, as you'll see in our newest update which focuses on moving the cameras out of Frank and Zed's castle and into the village. We'll look at a couple different methods of creating stained glass, as well as a peek at what's coming up next for our intrepid crew.
Excited to introduce some of our new cast members!
We're still waiting for just a few responses from our name/face-in-film backers. If you donated at $100 or above, be sure to contact us so we can fit your name and/or face into the world of Frank & Zed.
Obligatory Links
Remember, any slacker backers you may know can still jump in on the fun at our homepage: http://www.puppetcore.com/
Stay tuned two weeks from now to see how the hanging miniatures effects worked. We're filming those shots today. Wish us luck!
-Team Puppetcore
Extra Bits
What to look for in the video:
0:03 - Lots of props to see for the eagle-eyed viewer. On the top shelf is a better look at one of Zed's "dolls" from last weeks video.
0:12 - Lead Puppeteer, Jason Ropp, sculpted the relief on the crown using Super Sculpy. The rest is fake fur and aged copper.
1:45 - "Shadowbooth" is the Kickstarter handle of one of our most loyal fans and cast-yourself-as-the-mayor backer. It's what we've taken to calling our villain. What will his true name be in the film? Time will tell.
1:53 - Cinematographer, Patrick Blevins (from last update), was out for the deathbed scene. Stepping in were Mike Linberg and Chris Miller. Thanks guys!
1:58 - In this raw footage you can see a tease at one of our main female characters. Her face is covered now, but she shall be revealed in due time.
2:12 - Jesse was very excited to cross this moment off his bucket list!
Behind-the-Scenes Video Update: Shooting Frank & Zed
about 10 years ago
– Tue, Feb 23, 2016 at 10:25:49 AM
Hello puppet loving backers!
We've been continuing our super productive February with record breaking shooting days (20 shots in one day last week!). In fact we've recently wrapped the castle set (For now. We'll be returning to the stone walls when it's time for the epic final battle. For obvious reasons (blood is notoriously hard to wash out of felt) we're saving that for the end), and are starting to shoot in Murder Village today!
The set we're shooting on today.
Hand-made sugar glass. Can only withstand the hot lights for so long.
Production Diary #4
Here's another behind-the-scenes look at filming Frank & Zed, with an emphasis on the cinematography by our Director of Photography, Patrick Blevins.
Other Links
Remember, any slacker backers you may know can still jump in on the fun at our homepage: http://www.puppetcore.com/
Hope you enjoyed the Production Diary! We're having a ton of fun making this movie and sharing the experience with all of you. Let us know what you love seeing and what you'd like to see more of.
-Team Puppetcore
Extra Bits
Here's a behind-the-scenes look at the behind-the-scenes video!
0:33: Although we use it as a gag, we actually were hurriedly shooting the interviews during lunchbreak. So please forgive any focus or exposure issues with them. The clock was ticking, and the monsters always come first! :)
0:57: Sometimes Frank can't be bothered to come to set for lighting set-up, so Taylor has to be his stand-in. Monsters can be such divas!
1:19: Neither Frank nor Zed will speak many lines other than groans and grunts. But sometimes the puppeteers will improv bits (like this "no no no") to help them get into character, even though the audio won't wind up in the final film.
1:34: Zed's "dolls" here are made out of a found material that was teased in a prior mini-video. Do you remember what they're made out of?
1:53: You all know that the world of Frank & Zed is all about being hand-made. But so is the world on set! Here you can see two home made cucolorises which Jesse devised. The cucoloris (or cookie) is a sheet of metal with random shapes cut into it which helps create a more natural lighting look.
2:27: The "raw footage" shots shown in this update are all prior to any color balancing. We're also able to mask out the puppeteers in post. One of the advantages to shooting in a dark, spooky castle filled with shadows.
2:53: While shooting behind-the-scenes video, I (Cameron) was tasked with jumping in to help push the dolly for one shot. Luckily I left my camera rolling when I set it down. Again, the monsters always come first!
3:02: If this puppet looks vaguely familiar, it might be because it's you! He's modeled after one of our "Cast Yourself..." backers!
Production Diary Video and Cameras Begin Rolling Again Today!
about 10 years ago
– Mon, Feb 08, 2016 at 11:51:05 AM
Dear Zed-ites!
It's been a busy month. We got the keys to our new space, loaded up the world of Frank & Zed and moved it to the new home, and dove right into pre-production!
Production Diary #3
To give you an idea what we've been up to since the last update, here's the next installment of our Production Diaries (The first since completing the Kickstarter! Everything you'll see in it is thanks to all of you).
Hitting Record
Despite our ambitions at the end of the video, we did not wind up filming last Thursday. We used that time to do some repairs to our two leads and touch up our castle set. We'll actually be doing our first official filming on Frank & Zed since the Kickstarter today, likely as you're reading this. We couldn't be more excited!
Crackin' the Code
Taylor carved these backer-infused runes on plates, which Erin will attach to the Krampus warhammer. Can you spot your name hidden amongst the code?
Survey Reminder
As you can see, we're already beginning to manifest some of our rewards. Names and faces are beginning to appear in props and on puppets. We're also about ready to make an order for all of the hoodies (so the crew can stay warm while working in The Icebox). We've sent some messages asking for hoodie size and details on names and faces to everyone who recieves one of those rewards. If you haven't responded yet, please do. Either in a message through Kickstarter or e-mailing us at: [email protected] (if you're sending pictures for face reference, please use the e-mail)
Slacker Backers
Know someone who would love Frank and Zed? Send them to our website where they can still contribute to the film and earn some awesome rewards. http://www.puppetcore.com/
Thank you again! We hope to be getting these production videos out every other week or so, allowing you to follow along as we construct this monster flick!
